Quiet into the harbour: electric outboards for sailboats and tenders

Sailors were electric before electric was cool. Most of the time the engine on a sailboat sits silent anyway, used for ten minutes in and out of the harbour. A smelly, noisy diesel or petrol outboard for that job always felt like a strange choice.

That is why sailboats and tenders are some of the best places to go electric. You need little range, you have time to charge, and in some cases the boat can recharge itself while you sail.

Here is how to choose.

Tenders and dinghies: the small quiver

For a tender, you want light, simple and easy to lift off the transom.

Torqeedo's Travel range, rated equivalent to 2 to 5 hp, is designed for dinghies and small boats up to 2 tonnes (Torqeedo). ePropulsion's Spirit, Mercury's Avator 7.5e and the RemigoOne fill the same role.

What matters on a tender:

• Weight and handling. You will lift it on and off a lot.
• Battery removal. A battery you can take ashore to charge is a big plus.
• Floating battery. MBY notes that the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus battery floats if dropped overboard (MBY). On a rolling tender, that matters.
• Shaft length. Match the motor to your tender's transom.

Daysailers and small cruisers: harbour power

On a sailboat, the motor's job is getting in and out of harbours, through locks and home when the wind dies. You need enough power to push against a headwind and a tide, not to plane.

Two examples from builders:

• The Saffier SE 27 Leisure, an 8.20 m daysailer, comes with a Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 pod and a Power 48-5000 lithium battery as standard (Boatnews).
• The Beneteau Oceanis 34.1 is offered with a Torqeedo Cruise 6.0 pod. A 650 W charger fills the battery in about 10 hours (Murray Yacht Sales).

Torqeedo's Cruise range, rated equivalent to 6 to 25 hp, is designed for sailboats and motorboats up to 12 tonnes (Torqeedo).

Larger cruisers: electric saildrives

Bigger yachts usually use inboard electric saildrives rather than outboards.

Bavaria offers 25 kW electric saildrives with an 18.2 kWh battery on its C38e and C42e, with over 50 nautical miles at reduced speed, and a generator option for long passages (Boat Industry). Oceanvolt's SD saildrives cover 6 to 15 kW (Wikipedia).

Conversions are possible too. One Nautor Swan 43 replaced its diesel with a 15 kW Oceanvolt ServoProp and a 10 kWh battery (Oceanvolt). See our inboard and pod drives directory.

Hydrogeneration: recharge on the downwind run

This is the trick that makes electric so good for sailors. When you sail, water flows past the propeller. With the right system, that turns the propeller and charges the battery.

ePropulsion introduced hydrogeneration on its Evo motors (Panbo). Oceanvolt says its ServoProp saildrives can generate up to 5 kW at 10 knots while sailing (Wikipedia).

Hydrogeneration slows the boat a little and works best at higher boat speeds. It will not refill a large battery on a short sail, but on a long passage it can keep you topped up.

What to check: read the conditions

Before you choose:

1. Displacement. Match the motor to the boat's weight, not just its length.
2. Battery placement. Batteries are heavy. Place them low and central.
3. Charging. Shore power, solar, hydrogeneration or a mix. See solar charging on a boat.
4. Installation. Have lithium systems fitted by a competent professional. See battery safety.
5. Licence. Small motors are often licence-free. See the licence guide.

Our verdict: the perfect match for sail

So, is electric right for your sailboat or tender? For most, yes. You use the motor briefly, you need modest power, and you can recharge from shore, sun or the sailing itself.

The silence is the bonus: gliding into a harbour without a diesel clatter feels the way sailing always should have. Browse electric yachts in electric sailboats and motors in our outboards directory.