A novelty dating from 1881
We owe the first electric boat to a French chemist, Gustave Trouvé in 1881 with lead batteries. When the 1st electric outboard motor with propulsion of 50 lbs was marketed, it was in 1921, straight from the USA from Jewell-electricâeurosmotor. It was intended for fishing and hunting boats of 5 to 6 m.
Today, a large number of brands are present in the electric propulsion market, for outboards on the transom. However, there are few that are able to offer traction (not propulsion) motors that are installed on the bow.
We owe the boom of the front engine on the market to the American competitions since 1971, in particular during the Bass Master Classic where most of the boats were equipped with it. In Europe, it was only in the 1980s that this type of motorization emerged.
The main brands of electric motors for fishing available:
Use of the electric motor in fishing
In fresh water, it allows :
- to approach the posts in all discretion
- to fish upstream while having your hands free
- to stabilize on a position without putting an anchor on the bottom
- to practice vertical fishing
- to fish without worrying about the direction of the depth and the speed of advance.
At sea, it allows :
- to slow down its drift
- to approach the oyster beds and bouchots in silence
- to stabilize the boat on a flush or on a wreck
Getting equipped: the criteria for choice
- Sea or fresh water the materials are not the same. For the sea, the engines are treated against corrosion, while for fresh water, they are made of oxidizable parts specific to the natural environment.
- Weight and length they will determine the power required from 40 to 112 lbs and from 12 to 36 V
- The height of the bow for shaft length from 80 to 2,20m
- The location i have for the motor and the battery(ies)
- The removable support or not on a rigid or semi-rigid hull
The manufacturers also offer many options such as remote control, the sensor incorporated in the keel, the connection to the depth sounderâeuros¦ Ask also to the distributors for the fixing of the engines on your boat. At Minnkota, for example, you will find the slides that allow you to remove the engine in two clicks. This is very useful when you are on the road with the boat on the trailer, or when the sea is too rough for its use.
Depending on the criteria selected and the options chosen, you should expect an investment ranging from 400 euros to 4500 euros just for the engineâeuros¦
