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E-Propulsion Dinghy Motor Review [UPDATED 2023]

Before Reading: 2023 Update

After using our motor for 2.5 years, it suddenly broke. It seemed that since we ran over the fishing line, during the first few months, this may have opened a seal on the shaft. This voided the motor’s warranty, and the motor died on our last voyage, presumably due to water intrusion. E-Propulsion did not offer to fix or debug this problem. This leads us to have concerns about manufacturing and quality control.

Choosing the right outboard motor is important for those boaters who plan on frequently anchoring and need to take their dog to shore. Having a reliable motor that didnโ€™t need a lot of maintenance and upkeep was important to us as a young couple balancing working while cruising full time. We explain our experience as two young boaters who decided to purchase an E-Propulsion electric motor when our old propane motor stopped working. Three months later, we examined our decision and gave honest feedback on using the E-Propulsion electric motor.

Our dinghy and outboard came with the sale of our boat, so we didnโ€™t go shopping and choose our previous engine. We had a Lehr Propane gas motor and didnโ€™t think much of it as our dinghy outboard motor until it started to give us problems. We thought initially, that propane was a fantastic option as we already need it onboard Pivot. So we wouldnโ€™t need to find and maintain gasoline as well as diesel and propane. From the start of our maiden voyage, we had problems with our outboard leaking propane gas from the poor wiring and connections. We were anchored near Blue Springs State Park on the St. Johnโ€™s River when our issues with it occurred and we rowed our dinghy to shore for the first time. The motor continued to be finicky and Elliot researched and implemented ways to improve the connections.

Mile Hammock Bay, NC | Elliot taking Ollie to shore included fiddling with our old outboard because it stopped working.

As we left on our grand adventure around America’s Great Loop, we continued to have problems with our dinghy motor in Fernandina Beach FL, Cumberland Island GA, Beaufort SC, and Belhaven NC. Elliot attempted to fix the leaks with 5200 which ended up looking like our engine was covered with blobs of marshmallows throughout the engine components. One thing after another continued to break including the kill switch, which would keep the engine running even with the kill switch removed. Elliot had to jerry-rig some of the wires together to even make the motor go. It was a mess. 

Mile Hammock Bay, NC | Elliot taking Ollie to shore included fiddling with our old outboard because it stopped working.

After two months of dealing with a broken outboard motor we knew we had to buy a new motor. Our dependence on our dinghy to take our dog to shore was a big priority given that we wanted to anchor more than go to marinas due to the high compound cost of marinas. 

Crisfield, MD | Jenn unboxing our new E-Propulsion Electric Motor.

We chose the E-Propulsion Electric Motor for several reasons. First, we wanted a motor that would be easy to start. Our old pull-start Lehr motor was difficult for Jenn to start, so for the two months we were using it, Elliot had to crank start it or he had to jerry rig the wires together to get it to start. It was never easy. Secondly, we already had two fuel types on board (propane for cooking and diesel for our inboard engine) and we didnโ€™t want to add a third fuel type (gasoline) to the mix. By purchasing an electric motor, we would be able to limit our fuels on board and charge our batteries with our existing solar set up. Thirdly, we wanted something that would be somewhat lightweight. After reading several reviews online, we decided to go with the E-Propulsion electric motor over other electric motors on the market as it had some very good reviews. 

Crisfield, MD | First ride with our new electric outboard.

Installing our new E-Propulsion motor was very easy. After much research and thought, we bought two batteries so we would always have one back up given our expected daily usage of the motor to take our dog to shore. The motor arrived in three boxes: one for the motor, keys, charger, and instruction manual, and two additional boxes that held one battery each. Installation onto our dinghy was like any other outboard motor installation with two pins that hold it into place on the transom. The key is magnetic so it stays in place on the handle. There is one screen that shows the current watt usage as well as how much battery power remains. The motor beeps at ยฝ and ยผ battery remaining which helps us to stay conscious of how much power is remaining. 

Onancock, VA | Jenn using our dinghy motor to drive us all to shore for the very first time.

Overall, we are very happy with the motor. There are several things we like about the motor and several things we dislike about it. 

Norfolk, VA | PIVOT anchored at Hospital Point where we motored to Norfolk and Portsmouth without the uncertainly of knowing our dinghy motor might not make it there.

Ease: We love the ease of the motor. The fact that we can attach the key, push a button, and be off is amazing! The motor is quiet, making it nice to use to explore and be able to enjoy a conversation while cruising on our dinghy. 

Fuel Type: Weโ€™re happy that we donโ€™t have to keep a third fuel type on board. The battery usage of this motor does go by relatively fast, giving us about 4-5 days (2 dinghy rides per day) of usage out of it before we need to charge it. Charing our motor does take all day, and with our current (winter) solar input, it takes almost all of one dayโ€™s input.

Speed: We donโ€™t go fast, however, thatโ€™s not why we bought the E-Propulsion electric motor in the first place. We thought we wouldnโ€™t mind going slow in our dinghy because weโ€™re already on a trawler and travel at a whooping 6 knots. This ended up being the one and only thing that we really disliked about our motor. We realized that after a day of cruising, we would prefer to take our dog out to shore quickly, and thatโ€™s not always possible with our motor. 

Norfolk, VA | Captain Elliot driving our dinghy to the public docks in Norfolk.

So do our likes outweigh our dislikes? Yes. Would we buy it again? Probably. Weโ€™re really happy with our purchase and love the easy and overall usage of the motor however we wish we had a little bit more speed. Weโ€™re not talking about a 20 horsepower motor or anything like that, but having even 6 knots of speed would be nice. We both are happy with our decision to purchase the E-Propulsion Electric Motor.

The ups, downs, and everything in between, we share it all. If you like what you see, there are lots of ways to show your support and say thanks! The easiest way to support our work is by commenting on this post, liking and sharing our content on Facebook, and pinning our content on Pinterest. Itโ€™s a small way to say thank you that goes a long way!


Posted

January 22, 2022

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by

Jennifer Johnson

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2 responses to “E-Propulsion Dinghy Motor Review [UPDATED 2023]”

  1. Erik Lambert Avatar
    Erik Lambert
    January 22, 2022

    We enjoy all of your videos. Very informative. This one in particular was good for us given that we are shopping for dinghy and motor and have been considering electric. Glad that you are happy with your purchase!

    Reply
    1. Jennifer Avatar
      Jennifer
      January 23, 2022

      Thank you for watching our videos, Erik! I’m glad that our video are informative and we could be of help in your decision making process for your new dinghy and motor. Best of luck!

      Reply

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About Us

We’re Jen and Elliot, aka Scho & Jo, a couple of high school sweethearts who fell in love with travel and decided to live life now. From international travel to boating around America’s Great Loop to converting a Sprinter Van into a campervan and now traveling to all 50 States and US National Parks, we’re here to help you plan for your dream trip! We share detailed guides and expense reports to help turn your dream trip into a reality! Read more about us here.

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