The EPROPULSION Spirit is a relative newcomer to the US market, although it has been available in Germany for about five years. For 2020 ePropulsion announced the SPIRIT PLUS which looks identical to the now discontinued Spirit 1.0 but with 25% more battery capacity than the Spirit 1.0 and some other changes most people won’t notice.

The main issues for consideration;
– Noise, the ePropulsion Spirit is silent compared to a gasoline outboard, but they are noticeably quieter than its electric competitors as well. The Epropulsion has a large propeller and direct-drive motor that make the difference in creating its silent operation. While the ePropulsion is slightly heavier than its electric competitors, it mechanically simpler. Epropulsion is pleasant to listen to and generally sounds “refined” (if there’s any wind or waves, it’s all-but silent).

– Weight. The ePropulsion Spirit (1276Wh) battery weighs 19.2lbs.  The Spirit Short Shaft weighs 23.4lbs. Total-42.6LBS

– “Remote” options. The tiller (hard-wired) and remote (wireless) are not interchangeable, you have to choose one or the other when you buy it (and you can’t later use a remote with a tiller model, nor vice versa). BUT the remote version of the Epropulsion is compatible with standard steering gear, where competitors models are not. You can also lock the steering and use the boat’s rudder.

 
– The EPropulsion has more range than competitors. 

While there are few apples to apples comparisons out there to its competitors, the differences are most likely due to propeller characteristics. The Eprop battery also has nearly 40% more capacity (new Plus model) than the largest competitor battery, this means the Eprop Spirit PLUS will take you about 40% further, at the same speed. 

– Battery options. Competitors battery options can be purchased with 532 or 915Wh batteries; BUT the Eprop Spirit Plus comes with a 1276Wh battery for less than either.

Prospective customers often ask “how far will it go?”. It depends how fast you run it, how heavy the boat is, how much tide is running in which direction, the battery charge state, the temperature… and more factors still. So the following is indicative but in no way any kind of guarantee:
– At full power, In terms of speed, ~6 knots on a dinghy. The Epropulsion Spirit 1.0 will run for an hour giving a range of 6 miles. The new Spirit Plus flat out should go about 7.5 miles.
– At half power with the Spirit 1.0 you should get more like 10 nautical miles depending on various factors. The large battery capacity, would indicate a range of 11-12 nautical miles at half power for the Spirit 1.0, and 14 nautical miles from the new Spirit Plus.
– The range/run-time will increase further as you slow down more, but since 10 nautical miles is already far more than most people ever need from a small outboard motor, no other testing has been done. 

– Weight. The ePropulsion Spirit (1276Wh) battery weighs 19.2lbs.  The Spirit Short Shaft weighs 23.4lbs. Total-42.6LBS

– FLOATING BATTERY. The E-Propulsion battery is physically large, partly because it encloses enough air for it to float if accidentally dropped. We have tried it, and it does float as you see in this video: . It’s electric competitors batteries do not float, nor are they claimed to, unfortunately (for them, and their wallets!) it’s an expensive mistake to make!

– FASTER CHARGE TIME. From zero charge, with the main charger supplied, the Epropulsion 1276Wh charges to full in about 7 hours. There is also a Fast Charger option coming for the Epropulsion PLUS batteries, specification is to be announced. There is also an option for a 12DC Charger.

– The Eprop’s tiller is folding rather than removable, which also means there’s only one cable to connect/disconnect. 

*** Fast Chargers. The price of both 1.0 and 1.0 Plus motors includes a standard mains charger, with faster chargers as an option. The $249 Spirit 1.0 fast charger will go from flat to about 90% in 2.5hrs (the last few percent take longer). There will be a fast charger for the PLUS too, exact spec to be announced. As with all fast charging though, this benefit is not without cost. It does not “harm” the battery as such, but in terms of battery longevity is roughly equivalent to two cycles of charging at the standard speed.

-BULB (Motor Housing) Size

For most applications – for example a motor on the back of a dinghy – this is not important.

But if you’re planning to put your motor in a dinghy, day-boat, or small yacht’s “well” – often with a marginal entry/exit slot – it might be. The Epropulsion Spirit (shown in blue) are similar to its electric competitor (Orange), but is quite a bit larger. The competition bulb is 323mm long with a diameter of 123mm, the Spirit bulb is 254mm long with a diameter of 108mm.

We’re not sure why there’s such a difference but it’s definitely there, and quite noticeable. Because of this it may also be less convenient to store the than the Spirit, in some situations. The battery  can be mounted separately if desired (where a gas outboard fuel tank would have gone, for example), by means of the optional battery extension cables.

 – The Eprop’s tiller is folding rather than removable, which also means there’s only one cable to connect/disconnect. 

SHAFT LENGTH – S, L, or XS?

The Epropulsion Spirit spins a much larger propeller, more slowly, than comparable gasoline outboards. This makes more efficient use of the high torque characteristics of electric motors. BUT a large propeller is only more efficient if it’s actually underwater, and that means the shafts have to be a bit longer. So, the “S” shaft electric motors are almost the same length as an “L” shaft petrol motor. However, on some small boats these “S” shaft electric outboards stick down rather deeper than necessary – as in fact do S shaft gas motors. This is inconvenient when coming into a beach or slipway or on flats at Flamingo or Key Largo – so Epropulsion now also make an “XS” (Extra Short) model. This is roughly equivalent to a petrol “S” shaft and immerses the propeller deep enough on the Takacats and BOTE Skiffs we carry. XS is the most suitable length for most small inflatable dinghies on the market (up to about 3m long), but not some with big tubes, which are better served by an S shaft.

The lengths from top of clamp bracket (where it sits on transom) to the upper tip of the propeller (in upright position) are:
– XS shaft 37cm
– S shaft 47cm
– L shaft 59cm

IDEALLY the propeller tip would sit a couple of inches below the hull, but on a small dinghy – where the bottom of transom is significantly immersed when loaded – it will still work even if there is a slight overlap. And the outboard not sticking down an extra 10cm (4″) makes a big difference if you land on shallow slipways or beaches frequently.