{"id":68720,"date":"2020-11-17T15:53:17","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T20:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=68720"},"modified":"2023-05-06T22:38:57","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T02:38:57","slug":"the-epropulsion-spirits-silent-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/gear\/the-epropulsion-spirits-silent-power\/","title":{"rendered":"The ePropulsion Spirit\u2019s Silent Power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style><div class='embed-container'><iframe frameborder='0' width='480' height='270' src='\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/embed\/video\/x7xjs7l?autoplay=1&#038;mute=1' allowfullscreen allow='autoplay'><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve never owned an outboard of any kind, relying instead on my skills, which eventually get me back to safe harbor when sailing dinghies or the magazine\u2019s communal 27-foot harbor booze cruiser. The unwritten rule is to not pass Point A or Point B. Factor in the tidal flow and wind forecast and I\u2019ll be fine. No propulsion. No problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>But here I am, on the early morning of November 16, clamping an ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus demo unit onto the back of my wagon-red O\u2019Day Widgeon, a 12-foot, 200-pound sloop built in 1971. As I tighten the bracket vise screws, white gelcoat on the inside of the transom collapses in radiating circle cracks. The subtle crunching sound sends a memo to my brain: \u201cBuild a backing plate this winter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>With both screws snug, I stand back to behold this intriguing piece of modern technology hanging off the back of a low-tech classic sailboat. Its blue twin-bladed propeller sits on the trailing point of the torpedo-shaped lower unit that houses the direct-drive motor. The slim 25-inch grey aluminum alloy shaft (the \u201cshort\u201d model) terminates at the battery case, now empty. This regular-length model is a perfect fit for this little boat, with a transom height of 17 inches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_6723-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"mounting the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_6723-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_6723-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_6723-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_6723.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The author mounts the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus (short shaft) to the transom of his O\u2019Day Widgeon. Repurposing its high-density shipping foam protects the prop and motor unit during transit and storage.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Dana Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n<p>I retrieve the ePropulsion\u2019s brand new battery from the car. I\u2019ve had it on the wall charger for a few days (instructions say 8.5 hours to full charge), so it\u2019s topped-off and fresh. I carry it by its big handle to the boat and slide it into its cradle. The battery is only 20 pounds, and according to its maker, Guangdong Epropulsion Technology, Ltd., it actually floats (there\u2019s a video to prove it). A spring-loaded latch secures it in place. I plug in the metallic power cable connector, straighten the integrated folding tiller and hold the power button for a few seconds. When the display goes live, showing runtime hours remaining and wattage, I rotate the throttle toward me; there\u2019s a pause and then the motor whirs to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWow. That\u2019s quiet,\u201d my wife says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYeah. I think that\u2019s the point,\u201d I respond. \u201cPretty cool, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>I turn to Mount Hope Bay and note its mirror-like state, reflecting a muted blue sky and high Cirrus clouds veiling the sun. \u201cWe\u2019ll definitely need it,\u201d I say with a chuckle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>The day\u2019s adventure destination is the Kickemuit River basin, a wide tidal flat in Bristol, Rhode Island. I\u2019ve always wanted to check it out. It\u2019s famous in a Rhode Island sort of way; a mile at most at its widest point, tree-lined and shallow, but fully protected. It\u2019s a perfect place for small-boat sailing, anchoring and hurricane-holing, but the kicker is there\u2019s only way in from the outside: a sharply curved and narrow channel. When the tide is in full flow, channel markers strain against the rip, laying back with a gurgling wake steaming behind. Right now, the ebb tide is on the move and the wind is forecast to build from the southeast, ahead of one big final leave-stripping cold front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>We step the Widgeon\u2019s rig on the trailer, pin it, bend the sails on and slip the boat into the bay. With no wind, we don\u2019t bother raising the sails. We\u2019ll let this $2,000, 3-horsepower electric outboard deliver us to our sailing grounds, where we\u2019ll explore while we wait for the wind. We drift off the dock and I coax the throttle toward me. I hear a gurgling bow wake before I can even hear the whine of the motor below the surface. The thrust is noticeable and our takeoff speed is excellent. Seconds later, I\u2019m at full throttle, doing 3.5 knots, according to the GPS readout on my Garmin Quatix Watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Water rushes past the hull, swishing and gurgling, our apparent wind whispers across my ears. It\u2019s the sound of freedom; freedom to quietly explore and play on an empty bay, social distanced, breathing fresh air and escaping the anxiety of a pandemic, a contested election and the impending arrival of another New England winter. While at full speed, my wife and I carry on a conversation; we talk about our two kids that we\u2019ve left at home with a promise we\u2019d be back in two hours. She wishes she brought her binoculars because the silence of the outboard would allow us to ease closer to shorebirds without spooking them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5073-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5073-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5073-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5073-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5073.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">ePropulsion rates the 3-horsepower at 1 hour and 15 minutes of run time at full throttle. The combined weight of the battery and motor unit is roughly 40 pounds. A magnetic kill switch fob must be in place to put the motor in gear.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Dave Reed\/Sailing World<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n<p>As we nose into the heart of the current, the shoreline view is slow to change. I look at my watch\u20141.5 knots\u2014and then at the readout on the tiller\u2019s LCD display. One bar is gone already from the dashed circle that illustrates my remaining power. It tells me I have an hour of run time left at this full-throttle wattage consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>According to the manufacturers specs, this ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus will give me one hour and 15 minutes at full throttle, five hours at half throttle, and 13 hours at trolling speed. But this is a Bay of Fundy kind of current we\u2019re steaming into and there\u2019s no escaping to shallow sides in this channel. It\u2019s all deep water and it\u2019s running fast, but the motor keeps doing its thing as the world passes slowly by. After a few anxious minutes of wondering if the current will win this power battle, we\u2019re into wider water and our speed over the ground returns to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Because the outboard is best mounted on centerline, I can\u2019t hang the Widgeon\u2019s rudder from its gougeons until we pick up a mooring to remove the motor and raise sails. I pull up on a small blue handle atop the battery casing and it releases the battery. Luckily, it fits wedged between the forward cockpit walls and the centerboard trunk. I remove the rest of the unit and gently guide it prop first into a small cuddy cutout and rest the prop on a lifejacket. The upper bracket is too big, so it sticks out. It\u2019s not ideal, but it\u2019s not bad either. It\u2019s out of the way for the most part. I suppose I could have raised the 24-pound motor and slid the unit outboard on the transom to accommodate the rudder at the same time, but the Widgeon is transom heavy already, and I like a proper fore-and-aft sailing trim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>With the engine stowed, we raise the sails and set off downwind on a fresh southeasterly breeze which materializes as soon as halyards are firm around their horn cleats. We sail down and then up the river, my wife on the tiller and me staring up at the mainsail, its black telltales streaming off the leech against fish-scale clouds and empty thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re doing good on time and we have the current in our favor to push us back out through the channel and back to the boat ramp a mile or so south. We won\u2019t need the outboard for the return leg. We\u2019ve got this, easy-peasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Before we reach the channel, we agree to swap roles. I\u2019ll drive us out, I say, and my wife happily agrees. The breeze is freshening fast. The cloud deck is now thick and grey. I take the tiller in hand, pull on the mainsheet and the moment I give it another tug to load the leech a touch more, the windward traveler fitting pulls out of the deck and soars skyward. The mainsail dumps and flogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUh oh,\u201d I think to myself. \u201cI\u2019m not tacking out of the channel without a mainsail.\u201d The Widgeon, we know, does not go upwind under a jib alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>We spot an empty private dock on the near shore and reach straight to it. Crisis avoided, but before we even start taking down the sails, I state aloud: \u201cWell, it\u2019s a good thing we have the outboard.\u201d And I\u2019m not kidding. This two-hour tour could easily turn into a hate mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>With our sails rolled and stowed and the ePropulsion mounted on the transom once more, we set off at full wattage, our bow pointed south with plenty of runtime left on the readout. Around the first bend, though, with the tide running head-on into the stiff breeze, the bay is not the placid surface it once was. The chop is steep, sharp and stacked. The only way forward is straight into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5061-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"ePropulsion\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5061-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5061-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5061-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_5061.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Mounted and ready to go, the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus is the perfect size and power for the 12-foot, 200-pound sailboat.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Dave Reed\/Sailing World<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n<p>Those familiar with the O\u2019Day Widgeon know of its chubby cheeks and flat rocker. It\u2019s built for ponds and lakes, not this Southern Ocean stuff. With each pounding wave, the 50-year-old hull shudders, the aluminum mast flexes and the tired wire rigging goes limp. Wifey not happy. Neither am I.I can see the tall white-tipped pilings of the boat ramp in the distance, but between here and there are all white horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a good thing we have the outboard,\u201d I repeat aloud, again, glancing nervously back at the LCD readout. We\u2019re sucking wattage like a starving pig at a trough. \u201cIt says we have 45 minutes left. We\u2019ll be fine, though.\u201dWe\u2019re doing about 2 knots as I weave through the waves, trying to take them broadside. A few crash over the low cockpit coaming and fill the boat with cool seawater. I\u2019m harboring a tinge of doubt, but once around another sharp bend in the channel, we\u2019re able to flee to flatter water along the shoreline. I have no idea how shallow it is, but I\u2019m not concerned; the outboard has a beaching pin that I\u2019ve removed. Should we hit, it\u2019ll pop up to prevent further damage to the prop and drive unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Once in the flat water, our speed resumes to a happy 3 knots, which seems to be terminal velocity for this particular Spirit 1.0 Plus\/Widgeon combination. Eventually, I cruise up to the boat ramp\u2019s tie-up dock; twist the throttle to neutral as I glide alongside and then twist the throttle the opposite way for the reverse gear. Yes\u2014reverse in the tiller throttle. The boat drifts alongside gracefully, and I look at my watch to stop the tracking: 1 hour and 32 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>It could have been hours\u2014or days\u2014more before we saw our children if not for the Spirit Plus saving the day.I don\u2019t even need to ask my wife what she thinks of it. Her opinion comes unsolicited the moment she jumps onto the dock: \u201cI love that thing,\u201d she says, referring to outboard, of course. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to give it back, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure,\u201d I reply. \u201cBut I hope not. I will say, it sure is nice to have an outboard when you need it.\u201d It only took this one trial to convince me an electric outboard is a no-brainer for small-boat sailing adventures. Yes, the piece of mind knowing it can help get me out of a pinch is one reason, but there\u2019s also the obvious benefits: no gas, no mess or winter servicing. Best of all, though, there\u2019s never any obnoxious engine noise spoiling the serenity, and that\u2019s why we go sailing in the first place, right?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One outing with a new electric outboard is enough to drive home the understated benefits of having of a lightweight, simple and efficient motor onboard. Just in case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"20201117","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"155","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"One outing with a new electric outboard is enough to drive home the understated benefits of having of a lightweight, simple and efficient motor onboard. Just in case.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"CZOGGYM3ZBHFZMZGXFX6PICYTU","arc_website_url":"story\/gear\/epropulsion-spirit-silent-power\/","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"right-sidebar","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":0,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[165,224],"class_list":["post-68720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gear","tag-gear","tag-sailing-gear"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}