mswlogo wrote:
That’s great advice.
The lake it’s on is “only” 7 miles long by 3 miles wide.
But unforcasted, sometimes severe, storms can still come up quickly over the mountains.
Would any of the electric motor options make it nearly as safe as a gas option.
I really have no temptation to add a gas motor. But I have considered the electrics (but wasn’t thinking of a weather emergencies but more of just being too pooped to pedal if we lost wind we were planning on).
The Torqeedo 403 will get you out of all but the worst conditions where a maximum amount of thrust is required, such as trying to head into very strong winds and/or currents for a length of time. In these extreme conditions a gas motor would work best. If you plan to use a 403 in these extreme conditions, you will need an extra battery so you can use maximum thrust for as long as it's required.
Use of any motor on a TI is far better than nothing in adverse conditions. I personally would not go out in a TI again without a motor, especially with the safety of my passengers as my responsibility.
Unless you're an experienced and excellent sailor, use of the sail in high wind conditions can actually considerably
increase the danger on a TI because the boat can flip over if you're not very careful. Even large sail boats often choose to furl their sails and use a motor to get to safety in a storm.
Once you choose to furl the sail on a motorless TI, you now are dependent upon the Mirage drives. I have found that it takes two people pedaling furiously for long periods of time to overcome heavy headwinds and currents. Forget about only one person pedaling in these conditions, you can't pedal fast enough, long enough to achieve an effective rudder. So unless you have two athletically fit people on board, I feel a motor should be seriously considered if you use the TI in areas where adverse weather or currents can occur and especially if you have children on board.