Pro Marine Store takes a look at a perfect match of light-weight dinghy and light-weight electric outboard motor and finds out if they work perfectly together. 

Recently, a customer of ours asked about our recommendation of a very lightweight solution to dinghy and motor, for approaching shallows, around rocks, and onto beaches, where water depth is at a premium.  This got us thinking - what would be the perfect pairing of dinghy and motor to achieve this?

Ultra Light Dinghy & Motor Package

One of the stipulations of this pairing was that both the dinghy and motor had to be super light, in order that the individual could carry both simultaneously (if possible) to the water's edge and up to the car park.  This meant looking into what is a suitably light inflatable dinghy, and how it could be carried.  When researching the lightest dinghies, one dinghy manufacturer stood out as having a particularly attractive offering.  The SeaGo Go-Lite inflatable dinghy is both super lightweight, ruggedly manufactured and comes with its handy backpack-style carry bag.  This ability to carry the dinghy on your back set it apart as suitable for our design brief.

SeaGo Go-Lite Inflatable Dinghy

The new super lightweight Go-Lite tenders are made for those needing an inflatable boat that packs away small, is light and easy to handle. The Go Lites are made from 1100 Decitex 700g PVC fabric with integrated air floor, lightweight transom and short sponson, which make these boats super light for the size and capacity.  With packed dimensions of 95cm x 50cm x 45cm and weights around 19kg all in, this dinghy is certainly compact and light, but with fully featured credentials like an integrated airdeck floor, fully adjustable aluminium seat and lightweight full size transom with engine mounts.  The dinghy comes in three sizes, from 230cm all the way up to 270cm, with maximum weight limits from 270kg up to a wapping 400kg.  from smallest to biggest, the weight of the whole package only increases by 1kg.

A Lightweight Dinghy needs a Lightweight Electric Outboard Motor

Next, we looked at what outboard engine to pair the dinghy with so that the weight was kept to a minimum and the most modern philosophies of rechargeable lithium technology batteries could be employed.  We looked no further than the line of electric outboard motors by group-test winners* ePropulsion.  Indeed, the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric outboard motor or the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Evo electric outboard motor are two models that are highly suitable.

ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus

One feature that stands out about the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric outboard motor is its ability to break down into two pieces.  The battery is detached from the leg or shaft, and the two then become individually much lighter, meaning they can easily be carried by one person.  Thus with the dinghy on your back in its handy backpack, the leg of the ePropulsion in one had and the battery in the other, you can carry an entire inflatable dinghy setup single handed.  This is simply not possible when considering a traditional heavy-grade PVC or Hypalon dinghy, and a 4 or 6 horsepower 4-stroke petrol outboard.  Since the mandated revisions of petrol outboard engines, that took over from the earlier 2-stroke outboards, the weight of such outboards has increased markedly, making them almost impossible to carry on their own - let alone with a fully featured dinghy!  The ePropulsion motor comes in three leg lengths.  Each leg length is suitable for a certain range of transoms, as seen in the following illustration.  For the SeaGo Go-Lite, the XS or Extra-Short leg is the ideal, as the transom height is 39cm.

Go Light - Go Modern

Pairing the SeaGo Go-Lite inflatable dinghy with the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric outboard motor does indeed seem a match made in heaven.  For those people wanting to achieve a super light setup for easy storage, carrying and manoeuvrability, the combination of these two outstanding products could be just the way to go.  Pro Marine Store stocks both products, which are available for immediate dispatch with free delivery to mainland UK. Call us on 01799 588 292 or email on sales@promarinestore.co.uk to discuss how this setup might be perfect for you.

*Yachting Monthly November 2021 group test winners - best electric outboard motor