The "i-Balls mounted Torqeedo"

Articles

The "i-Balls mounted Torqeedo"

Published on Monday, 05 September 2011 18:13

Written by Jay 'Yakfisher' Penfold

mount_down

Yakass member Steve, (A.K.A. Balls) has recently piled considerable amounts of time, effort, design and cold hard cash into mounting a Torqeedo ultralight 403 to the starboard side of his 2011 Adventure Island. It is an interesting piece of engineering designed to give him the ability to cover a lot (under solar power unlimited) of ground for minimal effort. The specifications for this interesting bit of German engineering are here. The motor boasts a total weight of 7kg batteries included, a control box that features a built in GPS unit to give speed over ground and expected range at the current power output. The mount itself was designed in a 3D package and custom built in stainless steel by a local Mullumbimby engineering firm. (It is recommended to take the 3D plans with you. Steve left the plans at home, incurring lots of extra expense in measurement and design.)

Conventionally the unit is mounted portside, extra design work had to be done to make the drive shaft sit horizontally when fixed to the starboard side. The mount had to be reversed to achieve this resulting in the motor swinging down past 90 degrees, explaining the slight curved section as a fix.

controller

There are however some teething problems. At full throttle the engine cavitates: the drive shaft disturbs the water so much that air becomes pocketed around the propeller, reducing it's efficiency. Steve has a custom fix in mind, a foil around the drive shaft to combat this. I tried pedalling alongside Steve at full speed, managing to keep just ahead at 11kmph, but that was quite an effort. It's an impressive feat with an interesting piece of hardware.

mount_up