Engine Room

Mercury Announces First Electric Outboard

By Peter Janssen on February 20, 2022 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Mercury just announced at the big Miami show that it’s building its first-ever, all-electric outboard engine, and it will be ready for delivery in 2023. The new engine, called Avator, is the first in a range of five other models that will be announced later this year. It represents a major innovation for Mercury, and a step toward the future of electric power. Indeed, Chris Drees, the president of Mercury Marine, says the company wants to achieve an 80 percent reduction in outboard emissions by 2025, with Avators playing a large part toward reaching that goal. At the other end…

GM Invests $150 Million in Electric Outboards

By Peter Janssen on December 1, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

General Motors just invested $150 million in Pure Watercraft, the Seattle-based company that makes electric outboards and battery packs. The investment represents a 25 percent stake in the company. Pure Watercraft, founded by Andy Rebele nine years ago, makes all-electric Pure Outboards as a drop-in replacement for boats that use 25- to 50-hp gas outboards. It also has partnerships with manufacturers to sell complete electric boats, in the RIB, pontoon boat and small fishing boat categories. The Pure Outboard operates with a 25kW electric motor that the company says is the equivalent of a 50-hp gas outboard. It is built…

Yamaha Introduces 9.9-hp Electric Outboard

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room, Gear

Yamaha just introduced its HARMO electric outboard to the U.S. at the big International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) in Tampa. The outboard couples a 48-volt power supply with a high-yield, low-drag 3.7 kilowatt motor. The rim-drive electric motor and specially encased impeller provide 225 pounds of static thrust. Yamaha says that is the equivalent of a conventional 9.9-hp gasoline outboard. The electric outboard’s running time depends on the type of battery, the size, configuration and other parameters. Rim motors have been used for thrusters and some other marine applications in the past, but Yamaha says this this the first…

Candela Unveils New Electric Drive With Long Life

By co_admin on August 23, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Candela, the Swedish boat builder, just unveiled its revolutionary new electric C-Pod drive unit with two motors, each one driving a counterrotating propeller. The company says this electric drive will have “an almost unlimited life.” In this story, Electrek says the drive is “an engineering work of art.” Read about it here: Swedish electric boat manufacturer Candela has just unveiled a revolutionary new electric drive unit known as the C-Pod for its premium electric boats, and it’s an engineering work of art. Candela claims that these are the highest-efficiency and longest-lasting boat motors ever. The company’s patented C-Pod consists of…

Cox Tests 300-hp Diesel Outboards on Axopar 37

By Peter Janssen on August 18, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Cox Marine just tested its V8 300-hp diesel outboards on a new Axopar 37, and the results were impressive. Cox, a British company, worked with its German distributor to test two new CXO300s on the Axopar, built in Finland. In trials in Lymington, UK, in moderate sea conditions, the Axopar topped out at 41 knots at 4,000 rpm. In subsequent trials in calm conditions on the Mosel River in Germany, it topped out 46.3 knots at 3,900 rpm. In the past few years, the Axopar 37 has become a popular boat in both Europe and the U.S. Here, it’s usually…

MAN Building Hybrid Diesel-Electric Engine System

By Peter Janssen on May 25, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

MAN, the major German engine builder, just announced that it’s developing a new hybrid engine system, called the Smart Hybrid Experience. The new system combines conventional diesel and electric modes, as well as providing another mode with zero emissions at anchor. The new system is designed around the way you want to cruise, and it can be customized to focus on performance, comfort and efficiency. The different modes include battery-electric, diesel-electric, cross-over, hotel, and boost. Several driving and operating profiles can be set up, depending on the owner’s wishes. An efficient, economical mode can be used to boost the range,…

Vision Marine Starts Selling 180-hp Electric Outboards

By Peter Janssen on April 27, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Vision Marine Technologies in Canada just announced that it will start selling its new E-Motion 180, the most powerful electric outboard in the world, on May 1. You can reserve your new outboard on its website, visionmarinetechnologies.com, with a $300 deposit in bitcoins, Paypal or Stripes. Then you will get your outboard within the next six months. The E-Motion 180 delivers the same power as a 180-hp combustion engine. It provides 650 V and is paired to a 60 kWh lithium battery. Vision Marine Technologies, formerly the Canadian Electric Boat Company, is a high-tech builder, just north of Montreal, and it…

7 Tips To Keep Your Diesel Working Longer

By co_admin on April 25, 2021 Engine Room

Here are seven things you can do to keep your diesel engine working better and longer, from Skipper Tips. Read on: Do you go through a step-by-step inspection of your engine before you hit the “start” button? Make sure you check these seven vital components before you do. This could add years of life to your boat’s diesel workhorse. 1. Oil Use this double-dip technique. Pull the dip-stick out and wipe it off. Push it back in all the way so that it gets to the bottom of the oil sump. Pull it out and look at the oil color. It should be…

Yanmar Tests Its First Hydrogen-Powered Boat

By Peter Janssen on April 12, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Yanmar just completed the first sea trial of its new hydrogen-powered boat, developed with Toyota, off the coast of Oita in Southern Japan. Yanmar says the 40-foot boat is the first to comply with Japan’s safety guidelines for hydrogen fuel-cell vessels. The boat used a marine hydrogen fuel-cell system that incorporates modules from Toyota’s Mirai car, the first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell car in the world; these cells have been used in large trucks and Tokyo’s buses for the past five years. The Yanmar boat, weighing 7.9 tons, was driven by a 250kW powertrain using two modules of polymer electrolyte fuel cells…

Torqeedo Making New 2-hp Electric Outboard

By Peter Janssen on April 6, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Torqeedo is now making a 2-hp electric motor designed to power dinks and tenders and some types of small sailboats and light fishing boats. The new Torqeedo, called the Travel 603, weighs only 34 pounds, including its 500Wh lithium-ion battery, and it costs just $1,999.99. The new outboard is the lightest in Torqeedo’s Travel line, but it has the standard outboard configuration with a tiller and throttle. “Our goal in introducing the Travel 603 is to make it easier for boaters to discover the unique benefits of clean, green propulsion for smaller craft,” said Dr. Ralf Plieninger, the company’s managing…

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