Budget Outboards

Simple, affordable, powerful, warranted budget outboard motors from motorzoo.
A range of low power outboard motors from 1.0kW (1.25hp equivalent) to 2.2kW (3.0hp equivalent) in power. Including:

• 12V-01×0 – A 1.0kw (1.25hp equivalent) version with 190 Newtons of thrust, powered by 12 volt LiFePo Battery
• 48V-01×0 – A 1.0kw (1.25hp equivalent) version with 190 Newtons of thrust, powered by 48 volt LiFePo Battery
• 48V-02×2 – A 2.2kw (3.0hp equivalent) version with 570 Newtons of thrust

There are two types of electric outboard motors. That is:

• • trolling motors. Trolling motors will produce limited trust because of their limited power and propeller configurations.
    A trolling motor might drive a dinghy of up to 3 meters in length, with a weight of up to say 200kg, to a speed of up to 4 knots.
    But not much faster.

• performance motors. Performance motors such as the 48V-11×5 create more torque, and are designed to drive larger craft.
  Say up to 15 meters, with greater weights, up to 4,000kg, to greater speeds.

The maximum speed achievable will depend on factors such as:

• watercraft displacement;
• waterline length;
• motor speed;
• propeller diameter and pitch, and;
• other factors.

Electric outboard motors are very different to petrol outboard motors, on a number of levels:

• • Torque. Electric outboards maintain a higher torque throughout the RPM range.
    This means that electric outboards will have a higher peak torque for a given power output.;

• • Efficiency. Electric outboards operate at about 80% efficiency, with about 20% being lost as heat.
    With petrol outboards, only about 25% of the energy converts to propulsion, with about 75% lost as heat.;

• • Emissions. Electric outboards have no noxious emissions, whereas small petrol motors generate lots of noxious emissions.
    Not just CO2, but unburnt hydrocarbons, SO2, and NOx.
    This is why the sale of two-stroke motors have been banned in Australia.;

• • Noise. Electric outboard motors operate at much lower noise levels than petrol motors.
    This is especially true when the motor unit is immersed underwater.;

• • Complexity. Electric outboard motors have very few moving parts.
    Small petrol engines, especially four-stroke ones, have an excessive number of parts, for their small size.;

• • Power. Larger petrol engines (of 50hp or more) have an advantage over electric motor driven models.
    They can deliver the power required to get watercraft planing at high speeds for long periods.
    This is why electric outboards with more than 20hp power rating are not common.