Torqeedo 1003L on a Catalina 22 Sailboat: First Sea Trial

Finally, I am able to report on our first test of the Torqeedo 1003L on our 1983 Catalina 22 sailboat, Ellipsis!  To briefly recap, we had the following challenges prior to this first sea trial:

• The Torqeedo 1003L's tiller would not clear the 1983 Catalina 22's transom when affixed to the standard motor mount.  We needed to extend the mounting board by about 5-6 inches further aft to allow for clearance.  
• While examining the motor mount (original 1983 equipment, we think), we discovered a missing stop nut on one of the bracket assembly's bolts.  The bolt's threading was so damaged that it would not take a new stop nut.  When we tried to pull out the bolt, we found it was frozen in place.
• In the end, we removed the entire motor mount assembly from the transom of the boat and had to rebuild it (see previous posts for details).
• Today, we re-attached the motor mount assembly to the transom, with the 5-6" extension to the mounting board, and were able to use the Torqeedo 1003L on our Catalina 22 sailboat for the first time.

The results?  Generally favorable, but with some important caveats.  Read on for details.

Catalina 22 Torqeedo 1003L Sea Trial Report #1

Weather Conditions

   Today was a good day for a first test, as winds were very light and the water was nearly flat.  The tide was nearly slack, between a high of +12 ft and an impending low of +7 ft.  This was an opportunity to see what the Torqeedo 1003L could do with the hull of a Catalina 22 in nearly still water.  We began with the battery at 95% charge (we had previously mounted the Torqeedo to our 12-foot aluminum jon-boat for some fun on a local lake, but that is a whole different story).

Performance

First of all, the Torqeedo seemed to deliver the thrust promised by the company's website.  Until now, we've used a Minn-Kota 50-lb thrust saltwater trolling motor to get us in and out of the marina.  We would never have considered using the trolling motor to take a powered cruise anywhere but in and out of the marina.  The Torqeedo pushed Ellipsis, at just under half-throttle, as fast as our Minn-Kota could push us at full throttle.  At full power, the Torqeedo 1003L moved us across flat water at 3.9 knots (according to the Torqeedo's integrated speed-over-ground calculator).  I'm guessing that the outgoing tide probably gave us a boost of no more than 0.2-0.3 knots, so call it 3.5 knots, to be conservative.

At half-throttle, the Torqeedo 1003L pushed our Catalina 22 at about 2 knots--about what our trolling motor would do a full power.

It is difficult to compare this with any specificity to the speed offered by the trolling motor, since the Torqeedo is the first-and-only speedometer we've ever had, but our sense, based on years of experience with our Catalina 22, using the Minn-Kota, is that the Torqeedo company's claim of having over 100-lbs of thrust at full throttle seems reasonable. 

Range and Battery Life

The Trolling Motor:  First of all, the Torqeedo's lithium battery is designed to be drained to zero, without any damage to the battery, unlike lead-acid batteries, which suffer when drained below about 50%.  With our trolling motor, we had set up a dedicated 2-battery bank to power it, with a dedicated 15W solar panel to keep the batteries charged.  With 2, 75 amp-hour 12v batteries, wired in parallel, we could expect about 30 minutes at full power, before the batteries were drained to 50%, at which point they would start to take damage.  This means we could accomplish about 2 knots over flat water for 30 minutes before our battery bank became compromised.  And that was the maximum option, given, say a lee shore or a strong counter current (and counter currents are common, here in the South Puget Sound).

The Torqeedo:  From this first sea trial, it appears that the Torqeedo 1003L can deliver about twice the thrust for the same period of time--i.e. nearly 4 knots over flat water for 30 minutes--before the battery is depleted.  There are times when this might be a useful capability.

But, for the Catalina 22, the Torqeedo seems to display its real benefits when you find yourself with little-to-no wind and current, which is precisely when we intend to put this motor to use.  Based on our initial trial (see the map above), this motor is plenty able to push our boat over moderate distances at moderate speeds.  To be more specific, consider the following:

• "Leg 1" on the map was about 1/3 of a NM.  Most of it was out of the marina, and we played a bit with full-throttle to see what the motor could do.  This drained our battery from 95% to 87%.
• "Leg 2" on the map was probably about 2.5 NM.  We accomplished that, at about 2.5 knots on average, with about 40% of the battery remaining when we hit the dock.  In other words, we could have gone a lot further under those conditions.   And yes, it took about an hour to complete "Leg 2," which further reinforces the "average 2.5 NM" speed reading on the Torqeedo, itself.

So, the Torqeedo is a definite improvement over the Minn-Kota (and a costly one, for sure).  I'll post more pix and videos to augment this report in the days ahead....

 Future Plans

Based on this trial, we plan to keep the Torqeedo 1003L and use it as a more powerful auxiliary, compared to our trolling motor.  I am sure that it will, someday, bail us out of a tide/current scenario that our trolling motor couldn't do.  Based on today's performance, I am certain that the Torqeedo could get us off a lee shore in moderate winds, at least to a point where we could drop the hook and wait things out.

Aside from such dire conditions, I am satisfied that the Torqeedo 1003L can do the following:

• Push a Catalina 22 (with appropriate modifications to the motor mount) at about 4 knots over still water, at full throttle.  
• Allow for some slow (i.e. 2-3 kt) motor cruising for periods up to 2-3 hours, with a full charge.
• Provide a way to get gasoline off your boat altogether, provided you insist on using wind/sail as your primary form of propulsion.
• In other words, the Torqeedo 1003L is a fine "auxiliary" motor for people who take the "auxiliary" designation seriously, and are committed to travel by sail.   

Now... what happens when we buy a second battery for the Torqeedo?  Well, obviously, we double our range!  It ain't cheap, but neither is gasoline...

Check back for updates on Ellipsis and the use of the Torqeedo, and our use of more batteries to extend our range under power.  In the meantime, let's all remember that the reason we own a sailboat is....  to sail!

Catalina 22 Motor Mount Repair Follow-up

I'll post some more photos, eventually, but, in the meantime, here is the follow-up report.

I had to use a hacksaw to cut off the heads of the motor mount bolts because the corroded aluminum "compression sleeves" had fused to the stainless steel bolts (see the photo to the left).  The outside diameter of the compression sleeves was 1/2", and the original bolts were 5/16". 

I initially searched for matching stainless steel tubing (no aluminum for me, thank you very much) at Ziegler's Welding in Olympia, but they had no match.  Instead, the guy at Ziegler's referred me to Parrot's Machine Shop, a block down the street.  The machine shop turned out to have some 1/2" stainless steel scrap tubing lying around, but with a 3/8" inner diameter.  That suited me just fine.  I paid just under $50 for the custom cut tubes, bought some 6" long 3/8" bolts and stop nuts from Olympia Supply, drilled out the original 5/16" holes in the metal side plates to make them 3/8", and had the whole motor mount reassembled within a day. 

Between the new stainless compression sleeves and my work on straightening the bent brackets using the big heavy vice, the refurbished motor mount functions better than it ever has before--and will probably outlive me!  Also, as this entire "sidetrack project" started with the need to extend the motor mounting board to accommodate our new Torqeedo 1003L electric outboard, I finished the job by using 3 cut sections of 2x6 wood to push the motor mounting board aft by a little over 5" (photos forthcoming).  Today, we reattached the motor mount to the boat, sealing it with some 3M 5200, and we were good to go. 

Finally, we were able to conduct sea trials using our Torqeedo 1003L on a Catalina 22 sailboat!

The Saga of the Catalina 22 Motor Mount (1983 Original Hardware)

If you've followed the recent posts on this blog, you will know that we are attempting to use a Torqeedo 1003L to power our Catalina 22 sailboat, Ellipsis.  We are committed to a gasoline-free sailing experience.  Previously, we've used a Minn-Kota 50-lb thrust trolling motor to get us in and out of the marina, but we decided to throw down on a Torqeedo Travel motor to give us both greater thrust and longer potential range at moderate speeds.  We will report on the Torqeedo's performance when we are able to conduct actual sea trials with the motor.

   In the meantime, the attempt to use the motor has required us to re-examine our old, 1983-vintage motor mount (see the previous post).  After we jury-rigged a 6-inch extension to the motor mount using some scrap wood inserts, we discovered that one of the "pivot bolts" on the mount had slipped out of the various brackets needed for the motor mount to work properly (see the photos).  While this problem could normally be solved by putting a stop-nut on the end of the bolt, the bolt was so damaged that a stop-nut could not be threaded.

   The result:  we had to remove the entire motor mount assembly and attempt to rebuild the weak parts.  This post reveals key information about the original factory motor mount of a 1983 Catalina 22 sailboat.  It is possible that parts of the original hardware had been replaced, but read on to learn more.

   First off:  we are NOT interested in buying a replacement motor mount from Catalina Direct because the Torqeedo is a light-weight motor, and we do not need to "beef up" the motor mount.  All we wanted to do was to replace a single bolt on the motor mount.  Like many boat projects, this seemingly simple project has spiraled into something much more complicated.

 Here are the major issues so far (with solutions, where I've discovered them):

• The original C22 motor mount was fairly weak, and heavy outboards could actually bend the vertical support brackets of the motor mount.  Since Ellipsis has a lightweight electric trolling motor, and now the fairly lightweight Torqeedo 1003L, I used a heavy vice to straighten the bent brackets that we inherited from the previous owner.  So far, so good.  Catalina Direct offers replacement brackets, but, given the weight of our motor choices, I think the straightening with the vice will be sufficient.
• In disassembling the motor mount, I learned some new terminology when it comes to fitting together pieces of metal.  I'm drawing on the Catalina Direct website for some of these terms, and I hope they are clear enough.  According to the CD website, their $289 replacement motor mount includes the following improvements:  "1) Replace the plastic bushings with bronze for long life. 2) Add compression sleeves to each pivot bolt so the bolts can be tightened without squeezing the parts together causing friction."  Turns out that my old motor mount has "plastic bushings," which are still viable, but the "compression sleeves" are a problem.

Check out the photos.  I turns out that the "compression sleeves" (basically, metal tubes with an inner diameter matching the through-bolts) were apparently made of aluminum, and mine seem to have been irreparably corroded (again see the pictures).  So, in order to get the Torqeedo tested on Ellipsis, we need to repair the motor mount--with a 6-inch extension.  All of this is doable, but it is taking FAR more effort than we anticipated, along with the accompanying expense.  As they say....  BOAT stands for "Break Out Another Thousand....."  Be warned....   (See photos below)

 

Update: Torqeedo 1003L on a Catalina 22 Sailboat

Immediately after acquiring the Torqeedo 1003L (long shaft version), we discovered Problem Number One:  the lengthy tiller on the Torqeedo 1003L does not clear the transom of the boat when mounted on our standard C22 motor mount.  Considering that the the Torqeedo marketing specifically recommends it for "daysailers up to 1.5 tons,"  it was extremely disappointing to find that the motor, itself, wasn't designed to fit on the world's most popular 1-ton daysailer--the Catalina 22.  While I love the idea of the Torqeedo for boats of this size, the failure to consider an appropriate form-factor for the C22 is a major oversight for the Torqeedo design team.  After much cursing (like sailors) and gnashing of teeth, we decided upon the following courses of action:

• 1) Begin work on extending the motor mount board by about 6 inches.  We've contracted a local metalsmith/welding shop (Olympia locals:  it's Ziegler's) to fabricate a 6-inch hollow stainless steel box with appropriate holes drilled to accommodate the extension.  Expected cost:  $100.
• 2) We built a transom bracket on the back of our 12-foot aluminum jon-boat appropriate for the long shaft, to test the motor out on that hull.  Our initial impressions are mixed.  We weren't expecting the Torqeedo to push us to a plane (especially with my weight in the back), but the battery did seem to drain rather quickly--down to 87% after only a few minutes of motoring, only a few of which were are full speed, which gave us about 8.5 km/hr.   We'll see how things go with the sailboat, once we get a fix for the motor mount.

And this brings us to The Saga of the Catalina 22 Motor Mount, to be recounted in the next post.  In short, our motor mount was on the verge of failure, and fail, it did--just as we were about to test the Torqeedo.  So, the latest news is that we still haven't been able to test the Torqeedo with our sailboat, and this entire venture has set into motion a "series of (un)fortunate events," which includes a rebuild of our motor mount.  More on that in the next post....

Torqeedo 1003L on a Catalina 22 Sailboat

After a very long hiatus from the blog (we've been busy sailing!), the crew of Ellipsis returns with the latest news:  we have purchased a Torqeedo 1003L (28" long-shaft) electric outboard for our Catalina 22.  While researching the Torqeedo, we found no online reports--not one single account--of a Catalina 22 powered by one of these electric outboards.  Thus, as a way of contributing to the Catalan 22 sailing community, we intend to post our experiences with this new propulsion device for any and all interested parties....  We paid about $2000 for this motor and picked it up from our local West Marine store today (the first one they have ever sold), and the battery is charging up for the first time, overnight, as I write this first post.  I am excited about informing the Catalina 22 community about the 1003L's performance with out boat, and hopeful that we made a good decision to purchase one!

For those who are interested, here is a little bit of "catch-up," since we last posted about our work on Ellipsis in 2009.  Since our last post on the "Backstay Eyebolt Repair".....

• First of all, we learned that the backstay eyebolt was NOT damaged, but was merely tapped into the transom at an angle.  We sailed for two more years after replacing the eyebolt. 
• In the spring of 2011, we added a stereo system with speakers below decks.
• Spring 2011 also saw a major upgrade of our electrical propulsion system:
• Since purchasing Ellipsis in 2007, we have always used a Minn Kota 50-lb thrust saltwater trolling motor to get in and out of slips and boat ramps.
• In 2011, we added two 12v marine batteries, wired in parallel, to provide greater range to the trolling motor.
• We also installed a deck-mounted 12v plug for the trolling motor, eliminating the need to run the wires all the way to the battery every time (a huge convenience!).
• Finally, we mounted a 15w solar panel on a pole at the port stern, above the motor mount, to keep the motor batteries topped off, and it worked like a charm:  in and out of the slip within 10-minutes, worry-free, every time!
• In 2011, we also installed a depth-sounder, using the "toilet bowl wax ring" method for securing the transducer inside the hull.
• Our other major 2011 upgrade (wow... looking back, there were a lot of them that year) was our "pocket cruiser" cabin upgrade.  Using some notes from the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association's technical manual as a guide, we modified our cabin to allow for the dinette to be lowered and for a full-sized inflatable mattress to be laid across the beam of the boat for sleeping.  The v-berth is now exclusively used for anchor tackle, storage, and the portable head.  Multi-day cruises in the South Puget Sound are now a pleasure...
• In the summer of 2012, we replaced all our standing rigging and added the Split Backstay Upgrade from Catalina direct.
• Also in 2012, we upgraded the wiring in the mast to include an anchor lamp at the top of the mast.
• Finally, in 2012, I (John), sewed a proper on-deck jibsail bag from marine canvas that allows us to stow the jibsail in the hanked-on position.  Leaving and returning to the dock, and stowing sails, lines, and motor, are a quick matter, which means.... more time on the water!  We sail at least a couple of times a week, and have done for the last couple of years!

 Since 2011, we've kept Ellipsis in a slip on the water from about late May through November, which also increases our sailing time.  Our local marina offers a summer special every year:  pay for 3 months moorage and get 6 months, through December.  At just less than $200/month for our slip for each of the 3 months, the added 3 months means we pay about $100/month to be ready to sail in 10 minutes, any time we want to go out, for half the year.  During winter and early spring, we haul Ellipsis and keep her at home on the trailer, where we can effect upgrades and maintenance.

But back to the Torqeedo...

   As we learn about the Torqeedo 1003L and its capabilities (and limitations), we will post our experience here.  Expect photos and video, along with commentary.  We may also post accounts of how the Torqeedo works with our newly acquired 12-ft aluminum fishing skiff, which we hope to use for crabbing, with the electric outboard as its power source.  Of course, that will be a whole other story, as the long-shaft motor might require me to make some transom adjustments on the skiff....

   But rest assured, fellow Catalina 22 sailors, that I will record my experiences with the Torqeedo 1003L here, so that any and all can learn from them....

Fair winds, following seas (not too large), and fine sailing without gasoline aboard!

J. Baldridge
Ellipsis
Catalina 22






  

Backstay Eyebolt Repair

Well, it's been said that owning a boat is process of constant maintenance, and Ellipsis certainly demonstrates that fact. Following our successful stem fitting repair and wonderful sail on the South Puget Sound, Liz and I discovered that the backstay eyebolt/chainplate had pulled up from the deck about 1/8". Clearly, this must be fixed! This post establishes what the problem is and what we have to work with. In a later post, I will chronicle how we repair it.






This is the eyebolt/chainplate as we found it, pulling up out of the transom.


Note the cracks in the surface of the decking.


The eyebolt was easily unscrewed by putting a nail through the hole for extra torque. Upon removal, I noted some damage to the threads (visible in this photo) and I measured it. It is a 1/2" bolt. Older Catalina 22's had 3/8" bolts, but ours either had this one stock, or it was upgraded by a previous owner.

The hole in the transom does not go all the way through to the open space below. Thus, the eyebolt was not secured with a washer and nut.


In this closeup view, you can see that there are metal threads embedded in the transom. I've read that C22's often have a bronze bar along the top of the transom, but this metal appears more silvery or steel colored to my untrained eye. Not easily seen in this photo is a much thinner layer of threaded yellow (bronze?) colored metal above the steel threads. Could someone have glassed or epoxied in a nut below the bronze bar? The area is not accessible from below decks, so I cannot inspect from below. Even so, the hole doesn't go all the way through, so I doubt I'd see anything useful in any case.

Liz and I are considering our options for this repair, and I will post our solution when we decide what to do.

Mast Raising System

One new innovation we used on our first sail of the Puget Sound was a nifty mast raising system. It really made launching a lot easier, so I thought I'd share a photo essay of how we built it.

The system is an A-frame type, based on instructions we found in the Catalina 22 Technical manual (the one distributed by the Cat 22 National Association). Many thanks to Dick King for his detailed instructions!


Here is a photo of the finished assembly, leaning against the boat.





The frame is made out of 3/4" steel electrical conduit, each piece about 80 inches long. The ends of each piece were hammered flat, with the opposite end of each one flattened at 90 degrees to the other end.



Holes for 5/16" bolts and clevis pins were drilled into each end, and the sharp edges rounded and smoothed.



Two short pieces were fashioned into adapters that could fit over the forward lower shroud chainplate eyebolts. The picture below shows how it all fits together.



We quickly discovered that these short pieces could not be hammered flat (and besides, hammering conduit flat takes a mighty effort). So, we picked up a massive workbench vise at Lowes (on sale for half price!--$35) and used it to flatten the adapter pieces. Simplicity itself!



Because the goal was to use the trailer winch to hoist the mast, we improvised a bow "roller" using a couple of "bar brackets" from the hardware store. These are the things you use to bar a gate with a 2x4.




Here is the assembled bow "roller". We added a piece of conduit so the trailer winch strap could slide freely.



The bow "roller," attached to the stem fitting.

I'll post more pictures later, but for an idea of how it all works, get a copy of the Technical Manual and read Dick King's article, entitled "Mast Raising." Thanks again, Dick! This rig worked like a charm.