Built a Northeast Dory 2 years ago . Went to Mystic wooden boat show and saw an ELITE motor from e Propulsion. I bought this ( 15 lbs wt) and made a temporary motor mount for the dory. I was very pleased with the performance and how it handled. Would add a tiller extension which would allow me to sit on more forward seat which would allow bow to go down although another passenger would also help. Traveled at 5.6 MPH max speed , no current or wind. Used about 23% battery in 45 minutes. Now I will fabricate a more permanent and better looking mount. This motor would also work well on a canoe or dingy See pictures
Looks good. CLC boats are especially suited for electric conversions. The lightweight, easily-driven hulls put low demands on the power sources. Anything that you can row or paddle all day at 3-4 mph will be very electric-friendly. And that eLite unit is very sleek. It looks almost more like a rudder than a motor. I wonder if the rudder mounts can hold that motor?
I wish, though, that the battery wasn’t built-in. It would make so much more sense to have the battery be external. Not only is battery technology advancing so quickly that this year’s batteries are likely to be obsolete next year, the advances are making battery prices drop significantly. Being able to buy the batteries separately from the motor unit would take care of a lot of the sticker shock, especially for those of us who already own large batteries for other purposes. A separate battery unit would also let the battery be put up front to be ballast, as well as a power source, and would help balance out the motor. It would also allow larger battery capacities and increased range than what can be fit into the motor housing. And a motor-only would be less strain on the gudgeons. Maybe someday.
In the meantime, nice setup.
Laszlo
The eLite is a nice little motor for sure. A voider of warranties could probably attach an external battery. ePropulsion’s next level up 3hp equivalent has remote battery and throttle options. I’ve been pondering the possibility of a smaller motor well for the SW Dory and simply pulling and stowing the motor between uses. The battery or batteries could be mounted close to the CB trunk, and the throttle on the side of the cockpit well. Removing the need to kickup the motor would halve size of the well and the aperture needed. Still just daydreaming though. In my state it takes an act of congress to register a homebuilt powered vessel.