Navagear has made no secret of the fact that we’re fans of the Torqeedo line. So announcements like this aren’t really much of a surprise to us! Still, it’s nice to see Torqeedo getting the recognition. Here’s the release: Taking its commitment to the environment to the next level once again, Torqeedo was recently awarded an Innovation Award for its revolutionary Travel 503/1003 electric outboards at the Miami International Boat Show. The company’s continuous drive to improve its already technologically-advanced outboards won it the Environmental Award, a category in which only the judges can submit entries. The Innovation Awards are organized by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and judged by Boating Writers International (BWI).

The new motor offers a GPS receiver and tiller-integrated display that provides information on the remaining range at current speed, power consumption and state of charge. Zuzana Prochazka, Miami Innovation Awards chair, member of BWI Board of Directors and technical editor for Latitudes and Attitudes magazine added, "Torqeedo continues to show its commitment to providing alternative propulsion solutions and we felt this was an admirable step in the right direction toward environmental causes."

Lightweight and small in size, Torqeedo’s new Travel motors offer tremendous power and range. The Travel 503 is equivalent to 1.5 hp, while the 1003 is comparable to 3 hp. Tougher than their predecessor, they’re completely waterproof to IP67 standards. Also, the 1003 has a battery with 30% more capacity and an even higher level of efficiency than before. A solar panel is available to help recharge the lithium-manganese battery.

Well, not “glass”, really. Polycarbonate, actually. In any case, these thermoform kayaks (using a UV-stable ABS) from Vancouver, BC-based Seaward Kayaks look like fun.

This is the 10-foot Intrigue model, and I’ll bet that kids of all ages will find the ability to look down into the water…um…“intriguing.”

Dean Sevon of Popeye’s Marine & Kayak Center has a selection of kayaks and related gear on display upstairs at the north end of the Concourse upstairs. I guess I’ll have to stop calling the Concourse “Electronics Alley”.

[We’ve written about the Torqeedo line before. In fact, those earlier articles are consistently top-rated pages at Navagear, suggesting that there is a lot of interest in the product line.

Judging by the comments we receive, some folks even seem to think we are in the business of SELLING Torqeedos! Um, we’re a gear and gadgets blog. We write about stuff. So far, we don’t sell anything but advertising.

Anyhoo, on with the press release! —Tim]

Revolutionizing the standards for electric propulsion, electric outboard manufacturer Torqeedo offers boaters more power and range from the same battery supply. With thrust equivalent to a 9.9 hp gas outboard, the Cruise 4.0 R achieves an efficiency of more than 50%.

The innovative Cruise converts supplied battery power into propulsion, measured as speed times thrust after all losses. This includes propeller loss at a rate comparable to an 8 hp gas outboard in displacement mode. Extremely powerful, the Cruise 4.0 R recently pushed a well-stocked 24′ pontoon boat with 25" pontoons and seven people aboard at a recorded speed of 6.1 mph.

It operates on 48 V lead-gel, AGM battery bank or two high-performance lithium manganese batteries from Torqeedo’s Power series. An integrated board computer combines information from the motor, batteries and the motor’s GPS receiver, so boaters always know how much battery power and range is remaining. This information is easy to view on the remote throttle display, which also provides current speed, speed over ground and current power consumption in watts.

Perfect for boats on green lakes, pontoon boats, sailboats and catamarans, Torqeedo’s Cruise 4.0 R has a suggested retail price of $3,699. It comes with a cable set, fuse, main-switch, remote throttle control with integrated board computer and magnetic on/off switch and a link-arm for connecting to standard steering systems.

Founded in 2005, Torqeedo offers the most technologically advanced electric outboards on the market. Combining lithium batteries with leading-edge motor technology and propeller design, their award-winning outboards offer unrivalled strength and efficiency for superior range.

Hot on the heals of last week’s “Here come the Mirage Hackers!” post, small-boat enthusiast Mack Horton informed us of his Strider project. Wow!

Mirage Hacking is a good term. I’ve built one hull specifically for the Mirage drive, and I’m building the next one which has a more refined hull shape.

Keep us updated, Mack!

I knew it was only a matter of time. The Hobie Mirage Drive has so many benefits over conventional pedal-driven propulsion systems, somebody would figure out a way to install it in a boat other than a Hobie kayak.

Let’s call these hypothetical folks “Mirage Hackers”.

Wooden Widget produces innovative dinghy designs, “easy to build, easy to stow.” Their Deckster is a hard dinghy with a hole in the middle designed to allow it to be stowed around the mast of even small cruising sailboats.

A hole in the middle, eh? Could that hole, perchance, be configured in such a way that it could accommodate a Hobie Mirage Drive unit? Yes, it could. 

Clever!

Thanks to Boat Bits for telling us about this.

The folks at Feathercraft loaned me one of their two-person lightweight BayLee inflatable dinghies, and I got a chance to check it out Saturday morning.

Daughter Arwen and I spent the night on Two Lucky Fish Friday, and after cleaning up the breakfast mess, we unpacked the BayLee and got to work.

I used a cheap 12-volt air pump from the sporting goods store. This is a low-pressure, but high-volume pump…not much more than a really noisy fan. But it inflated each of the BayLee’s two air chambers in less than a minute. Probably less than thirty seconds; it was fast. I topped them up by mouth.

Unrolled:

Half inflated:

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What if there were a heavy-duty, three-person rowing inflatable that weighed less than 15 pounds? That packed into a stuff-sack 25.5″ × 10″ × 12″? That was made in Canada, not overseas, by a company with over 30 years of experience making small, portable boats? That was price-competitive with heavier inflatables of comparable quality?

I don’t know about you, but if I ever ran across such an item, I’d want to learn more! Which is why the highlight of my visit to the Seattle Boat Show today was, without question, the Feathercraft BayLee. Wow!

[This is actually the lightweight two-person model, which weighs less than ten pounds.]

These aren’t “toy” boats. Feathercraft has been a leader in skin-on-frame collapsible expedition kayaks for a long time. This company enjoys a reputation for producing extremely high-quality products at its plant in Vancouver, BC.

This reputation is very important because once you see this boat, your first impression is likely to be “It’s gotta be a gimmick”. The BayLee boats are so lightweight, and consciously or not we often equate lightweight with cheap, poorly made, insubstantial, and inadequate. “A tender-quality craft in pool-toy weight?,” I seem to hear you saying. “Can’t be done.”

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[This information provided by the manufacturer. —Tim]

The leader in electric propulsion, Torqeedo introduced a revolutionary drive at this year’s METS in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the Ultralight 402. With a total weight of 15 pounds, including battery, it’s the first viable motor for kayaks on the market.

Completely submersible and IP68-rated, it will operate even when fully submersed.  With a simple mounting ball it can be easily mounted onto most rigid hull kayaks.

The propulsive power of the Ultralight 402 is equivalent to a 1 HP gas outboard.  Depending on the type of kayak, it reaches a max speed between 5.0-6.5 mph for about half an hour.  At slow speed, the Ultralight 402 can drive a kayak for a range of 12-15 miles.

Its impressive speed and range are due to the latest technologies employed in the batteries and drivetrain.  The high-efficiency drivetrain converts 50% of stored battery power into propulsive power, measured after all losses including propeller losses.  The equivalent value for trolling motors amounts to some 20% while internal combustion outboards have even smaller overall efficiencies.

An integrated board computer combines information from the motor, batteries and a built-in GPS.  The kayaker has battery charge, speed and remaining range at current speed always under control.

The Ultralight 402 is the perfect choice for kayak anglers, family kayakers and sea kayakers. It allows for trolling, provides additional range, gives support against local currents and is helpful when kayaking with friends and family, who may prefer the convenience of an outboard.

Each Ultralight 402 comes with a motor mount, motor unit, lithium-manganese battery and remote throttle control with integrated board computer and magnetic on/off switch.  Torqeedo’s new Ultralight 402 has a suggested retail price of $1,799.

I wrote last winter about how impressed I had been with the Airis inflatable kayak I saw at the Seattle Boat Show last winter. I got a chance to put one through its paces this summer during my cruise, and it was a BIG hit, especially with my girls.

Kiera and I used this one to avoid parking hassles at this fall’s Boats Afloat Show. We parked, for free, near Kenmore Air on Lake Union, inflated the Airis Sport 11, and paddled over to the show. We can both sit in the Airis together, but just barely.

Now if only they made a tandem…

Coming January 2009, four exciting new inflatable kayak models will be added to the Airis website. Get a sneak peek, download the spec sheets here:

• Angler / Yellow Angler
• Tandem
• Tender
• Velocity

It sounds like we’ll get to see these new models in person at the mid-winter boat shows. Let’s just say that I’m VERY interested…

We’ve made no secret of the fact that we’re enamored with Hobbie’s Mirage-drive-equipped pedal-powered kayaks. So what would you get if sailboat people, rather than kayak people, made a pedal-powered boat?

You might get something like the Nauticraft line of pedal-powered boats:

Where did these unusual boats come from? Glad you asked! Fisheries Supply has the Nauticraft’s forerunner on display just now: The 1985 Hoyt-Harken Waterbug. In keeping with our recent James Bond theme, let me point out that

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