Last week we finally got our hands on the very unique Temo electric outboard, supplied by Tenob Wholesale Marine who are the exclusive distributors of Temo in New Zealand.
Or more precisely the world’s first electroportable propulsion solution. Well I say unique but to be fair what this French company has done is taken principles of the Long-Tail boat, from Thailand and taken it into the 21st century.
While the Long-Tail boat uses a common automotive engine as a readily available and maintainable powerplant, the Temo is all electric. Designed by French company Temo France, the drive system is total portable and adapts to any small tender or dinghy. We have been writing about the Temo 450 for some time now, but it was only now that we were able to try one out. We fitted the very first Temo 450 in the country to a Southern Pacific Puffin 215, a package that we are giving away as a subscription prize over the next few months.
First thing you have to do is mount a small bracket on the transom which holds the Temo in place. A very simple task which took only a few minutes. This required two holes to be drilled in the transom for the stainless bolts that hold the bracket. This has a receiver for the TEMO 450, which allows you to attached and detached the unit with the spin of a locking knob. We were able to still leave the standard outboard plates in place, so if you want to revert to a standard outboard in the future, everything was still in place.
Weighing less than 5kg and with a unique design combining motor, battery and control unit, the TEMO 450 is practical and ultra-compact. Whether you’re in your car or the boat, you can take it anywhere with you in its protective carrying case without effort.
The telescopic pole goes from 130cm to 170 cm so it has the versatility to be fitted to most small dinghies and tenders. Its multi-position ambidextrous handle ensures your in full control in all situations. The TEMO 450 is a single unit and requires no external componentry, such as a battery. That is all encased in the long pole.
Stepping aboard the Puffin 215 it was simply a matter of attaching the magnetic safety lanyard to the top of the TEMO 450 and pulling the trigger grip on the handle. It has a progressive acceleration on the trigger and at the push of a button it goes into reverse. I have to admit, it took a little time to get full control of the Temo 450, but once you have it mastered it is an effortless drive. No noise, no pollution and it certainly had the power to push the Puffin 215 with ease. Okay it might slow down with four people but it still works and will get you where you want to go. Test have shown the Temo 450 on a similar size RIB in France still providing plenty of thrust with 3 people aboard while heading into a 15-20 knot headwind.
Hard out, it will last about 40 – 50 mins, but considering what the TEMO 450 will be used for that is plenty of time. If you are not so aggressive on the throttle then you can expect over an hour of run time. Back on board the boat or at home you simply plug it into the charger. You can plug it directly into a 220V, 12V or 24V socket and in about 3 ½ hours the TEMO 450 is fully charged.
The TEMO 450 has a 450W electric motor that provides 200W of propulsive power and 12 kg of static thrust. The ideal angle of inclination on the transom is 30 deg but it will work above and below that. A heavy plastic shroud protects the plastic propeller from damage or having something jammed in between the blades.
Check out our stand at the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show and enter the draw to win this amazing package, valued at more than $6000.
Or for more information on the Temo 450 : www.tenob.co.nz
