ON TEST. TORQEEDO 1003: THE DEFINITIVE OUTBOARD

Delivered by the Italian importer Carlo Selva after an exciting series of some boat shows and the Italian NavigaMi exhibition, the Torqueedo 1003 climbed on board our Daydreamer in early summer. This means that the outboard had been already used for many hours, plunged in a transparent plexiglass pool where visitors could only see it and virtually speed up and evaluate its strength from the amount of bubbles going out of the propeller.

Fortunately, the pool was very heavy and resistant, otherwise visitors would have realized, at their own expense, that the Torqeedo 1003 is not a toy but a real outboard with unexpected power and performances.

Torqeedo 1003: the test

Subsequently used in the Marina di Varazze, the Torqueedo 1003 has been put through the mill and heavily tested during our ongoing summer cruise.

The first test concerned its use and performance at full throttle.

While we stayed at anchor in Campomoro, I went shopping alone. Although the distance I had to cover was a little greater than half a mile, I had a lot of fun trying to make it plane (with little success), so the total distance covered was about 1.5 mile. With only me and no load on board, I reached a top speed of 5.2 knots. The throttle was up throughout the duration of the test (except for the moment when I approached to the jetty, of course) and, when I came back from the supermarket, the tender has a load of 60 kg. The average speed I reached was about 4.5 knots and the outboard showed no signs of “fatigue” during the test.

The battery quickly dropped from 76% to 18%, which is inevitable after such a “sporty” use of the outboard.

The second test was carried out at full throttle and with four passengers on board (about 290 kg in total), in Santa Giulia, Corsica. From the multi-buoy mooring terminal where we had spent the nigth to the restaurant jetty on the other shore of the bay, the distance was 0.45 miles, so the total distance covered was a little less than one mile. At the end of the test, the battery charge had dropped from 83% to 39%. The average speed was always about 4 knot with the indicator oscillating from 3.9 to 4.1 knots.

In this case, too, the outboard showed no signs of fatigue. Fuel consumption was perfectly in line with the previous test and justified by the extreme use of the engine.

The third, and funniest, test concerned the full-load range of the outboard, on the same route but at night.

With a 78% initial charge, we embarked 6 passengers on board (more than 420 kg).

With the tubes well immerged in the water, we sailed at about 2.5 knots and, at the end of the test, the residual charge was still 54%. In other words, we could have covered the same distance four times and sailed 3.5 miles in total. Not bad for a load test.

Of course, these tree testes are extreme and don’t represent the normal use of the outboard. With two/three people on board and a speed of about 3 knots, in normal cruising conditions, the Torqeedo 1003 indeed allows to cover really great distances.

Please find out the Torqeedo 1003’s performances registered during out test day.

Torqeedo 1003 – Performances

The following data were collected on August 18th in Santa Giulia, Corsica.

Test conditions: ESE 8/10 kn wind, flat sea with some little waves provoked by transiting vessels.

Data were collected by the Torqeedo 1003 implemented GPS device and verified with Navionics App on Iphone 7.

Tender used: Selva 270 VIB with pneumatic keel. Weight: 27 kg
Two passengers on board. Total weight: 155 kg.

Torqeedo 1003 with 530Wh battery. Overall weight: 13.5 Kg
Initial charge: 72%

Conclusions

The Torqeedo 1003 is a very reliable high-quality product. It represents a good alternative to the numerous 2-3 HP outboards available on the market.

After all, yachtsmen enjoying a more extensive use of tenders and outboards, will inevitably choose 4-,5-,6-hp models, preferably with separated fuel tank, more suitable for long-range excursions.

The Torqeedo 1003 has a really good range: about 5-6 miles with a 530 Wh battery and in normal cruising conditions. This means that we can charge our outboard every 2-3 days even if it’s more comfortable to take the battery on board at night and charge it with a small inverter: this way, the battery will be always at full capacity.

Furthermore, a new 915 Wh battery is available on the market. It weights just half a kilo more but doubles the range of our outboard.

Technical Specification (Manufacturer’s Table)