Torqeedo 1103 (Eleven O Three)
No question, it looks very similar to the old Torqeedo 1003. But the 1003 is now discontinued and Torqeedo's new flagship portable outboard has several completely new parts: the motor, motor casing, shaft and clamp bracket.

The most important difference is that the 1103 has a direct-drive brushless DC motor – instead of a fast-spinning AC motor – which means, unlike the 1003, no reduction gearbox. That means it’s much, much quieter. (On the 1003 most of the noise was from the gearbox.) In fact it's even quieter than the Epropulsion Spirit - which we would already describe as "near-silent" when you're using it in the water. The Torqeedo 1103 you might just as well say is silent; if the boat is moving through the water then the sound of the water splashing against the hull is louder than the motor!

The Travel 1103’s new motor is rated at 1100 Watts, rather than the 1003’s 1000 Watts. So it’s 10% more powerful. They have also beefed up the shaft and modified the tilt mechanism on the clamp bracket.

We have also been told by Torqeedo that they have reprogrammed the software, so that the 1103 is much less prone to deciding it doesn’t want to turn the propeller when it’s going through weed and suchlike. The 1103 has no gearbox to protect, so (more like the Epropulsion Spirit than the 1003) it just keeps ploughing on.

The slight disadvantage of the new 1103C is that the new motor is physically bigger and heavier, so the bulb housing is larger (longer, fore and aft) and the total weight of the motor has increased by 2.4kg to 11.3kg (plus battery when fitted). And of course it costs a bit more. The weight issue is probably not such an issue for most users, as 11kg is still pretty manageable (and lighter than any petrol outboard on the market).

Range & Run Time
The 1103C is supplied with a 916Wh (Watt hour) rechargeable lithium battery that sits on top of your motor, just like the petrol tank would on a small petrol outboard. On a typical inflatable dinghy, running at 400-500W (equating to about 5 knots), you should have a range of 9-10 nautical miles. If you run the 1103C flat out it will only last half as long – but (as we emphasise many times on this site) flat out probably isn’t much faster than half power anyway. If the operator is a bit “trigger happy” and uses the throttle more like an on/off switch (teenage son/grandson?!) you should still get about 5-6 nautical miles. Still quite a long way in a dinghy.

And it’s not dissimilar to the range/speed you might expect from the 1L tank in a typical 2.5hp petrol outboard – but a lot easier to use, quieter and less troublesome.

The thing to remember is, if you slow down slightly the run time and range will increase exponentially. This is of course also true of petrol outboards; it’s just that you become more aware of it when your energy supply is finite, and can’t be replenished from a jerry can.

Electric outboard “range anxiety” with a battery of this size is common, but largely unfounded. For this reason the tiller-mounted LCD – displaying battery capacity, range and speed (the latter two derived from an in-built GPS) – is very reassuring.

Charging – Mains & 12V DC
The 1103C is supplied with a 90W AC (mains, plug in to the wall) charger as standard. The battery capacity is 916Wh so it will take just over 10 hours (916 divided by 90) to recharge from flat, and proportionately less if partially discharged.

If you would like to charge from a 12 or 24V DC source (such as on a boat or in a motorhome) there is an optional DC charging lead with a cigar lighter socket attachment. From a 12V DC source this will take about 20 hours to recharge a 916Wh battery from flat.

Portability/Storage
The Torqeedo Travel 1103 breaks down into three main components: motor/shaft, battery, and tiller. There are also a couple of smaller components, the battery retaining pin and the magnetic “kill cord” (safety switch).

Fully-assembled, the total motor weight (including battery) is 17.3kg. With battery removed – undo two cables, slide out retaining pin – what’s left only weighs 11.3kg. While the heaviest of the three 1kW electric outboard motors we sell, it’s comfortably within most adults’ abilities to carry the motor/shaft in one hand and the battery in the other.

A very popular Torqeedo Travel accessory is the bag set. This consists of two carefully-tailored and well-padded bags: one for the motor/shaft and tiller; the other for the battery. There are dedicated storage compartments within these for the smaller loose components such as charger, kill cord, battery pin, instructions etc.  

Being electric, there is no petrol or oil to leak out, so it doesn’t matter where or which way up you store the main motor/shaft assembly. Indeed it can be put inside your yacht or motorhome cabin to reduce the risk of theft, and without fear of making it uninhabitable.

Shaft Length
The Torqeedo Travel motors are supplied in “S” or “L” shaft lengths. These are both longer than conventional petrol outboards – the S is more akin to an L petrol – but there is good reason for this. The most efficient way to use the high, and instantaneous, torque from an electric motor is a relatively large propeller, turning relatively slowly… but if you have a larger propeller the shaft has to be longer to make sure the propeller is fully immersed.

Having said that, the S shaft 1103 is a bit longer than strictly necessary for most small dinghies. If this bothers you (for example if you land frequently on a slipway or beach) you may wish to consider the “XS” model of the Epropulsion Spirit (which is about 4” or 100mm shorter than the S).

Accessories/Options
The following accessories/options/spares are available:

- Bag Set. As mentioned above under Portability.

- DC Charging Lead. Charge direct from a 12 or 24V DC system. (A mains charger is included as standard)

- Torqeedo 1003 Spares Kit. Spare kill cord, battery retaining pin, and steering lock pin, one of each.

- Spare Battery. The 1103 is compatible with Torqeedo’s 532Wh battery, but with this 1100W motor we’d recommend the 916Wh version (as it has approx 70% more capacity).

- Remote Control. This can be connected in lieu of the tiller, for example where you wish to use the boat’s steering system and operating the throttle remotely is easier/more convenient.
 
Spare Propeller. Not usually needed but some customers like to have one “just in case”. NB this is not the same as the propeller for the 1003.

In Summary
The Travel 1103C is Torqeedo’s top-of-the-range 1kW portable outboard and has much to recommend it. Its older (and now discontinued) sister, the 1003, was on the market (largely unchanged) for over 10 years – so many of the components are well-proven, and the changed components answer the main criticisms levelled against the 1003. It’s quieter and even more robust.