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We were very excited to buy and install our e-pod electric motors from Re-e-power, however there have been a lot of nagging issues, many of which are related to manufacturing quality. Currently the port motor is not working, as it appears that somehow the motor has let saltwater into its casing. In light of this development, I have posted a summary of our history with the electric motors. We've been big proponents of the Re-e-power electric motors. For months we even had an advertisement hanging on our boat advertising the motors. But perhaps our enthusiasm was premature? Time will tell as we await for the manufacturer to make things right.

Issues Summary:

Port motor problems

• motor has apparently let saltwater into its casing causing it to stop working
• motor has had demonstrated excessive vibration during use

Helm control quality issues

• helm control was wired in reverse (forward is reverse, backward is forward)
• one helm control wire was miswired into vertical mirror image
• evidence of cracking in plastic covered up
• ill fitting controls
• helm control can move without turning potentiometer since the retaining hex bolt contacts the smooth shaft of the potentiometer instead of a hole or flat surface
• lights in switches of helm control can't work with 48v
• no graduations or indications of direction, amperage markers, neutral

Motors were shipped without:

• props, ammeters, ammeter wire, shunts
• wire for ammeter, "7 feet of wire provided standard." (never received)
• dual helm control's "steel mounting plate" (never received)

Significant delays in project due to waiting on re-e-power

• delays in installation caused from waiting for Re-e-power to respond with specifics
• long delay in receiving ammeters, then received one, had to wait for second
• long delay in receiving shunts

Misc Issues

• starboard motor prop shaft threads were poorly done
• pairs of pipes for motors had different lengths between centers
• no installation instructions
• replacement props had chipped paint, had to repaint at our expense
• motor controller box was excessively huge, over twice as big as it needs to be in both dimensions



Timeline:

2008-07-16 : Received invoice for cat system order from Kevin
2008-07-16 : Sent check by certified mail to Kevin
2008-07-21 : Re-e-power receives the check for our purchase of a cat system
2008-07-28 : 7 day waiting period for check to cash ends
2008-08-27 : Re-e-power ships the pair of electric motors to us
2008-09-16 : Electric motors arrive at our boat
2008-11-28 : Props arrive (approximate date)
2008-12-15 : Haul-out for motor installation begins
2008-12-18 : Sean drilled first pair of holes for electric motors.
2008-12-19 : Sean used a template from the first motor to drill the second pair of holes for the electric motors. Sean discovered that shafts for motors had different lengths between centers (off by about 3/4"). He corrected holes for second pair of motors. We noticed there were partially open seams where wood fairing block and cylinder on motors meet. We contacted Kevin regarding that issue.
2008-12-20 : Notified by Kevin that seams won't cause leakage. Advised to have wood fairing block wrapped in fiberglass and that fairings can split if overtightened.
2008-12-20 : Asked Kevin how to mount zinc to prop shafts. Notified Kevin that controller box is excessively large for contents.
2008-12-21 : Kevin advised us to use zinc prop nuts, to install the motor cones with 3M 4200, and that we can remove the controllers from the box but that they should be installed in a protected manner.
2008-12-21 : Motors mounted. Custom fairing blocks made for level mounting with hull. Adam noticed that wood for re-e-power fairing block was made of poplar, a cheaper wood. Adam fiberglasses the fairing blocks over the next couple days.
2008-12-31 : Robert paints the cones, motors, 5200's the cones to the motors later.
2008-12-31 : Kevin advised us, regarding painting, that the cylinders are steel, but the ends are aluminum.
2009-01-05 : Discovered that the threads on the starboard prop shaft were problematic (improperly died).
2009-01-06 : Tested electric motors. Discovered the wire for the helm control to the starboard motor had been miswired (mirror-vertical) by Re-e-power. Phoned Kevin, left a message, got a call back. Rewired the pins to the appropriate positions. Both motors worked then.
2009-01-06 : Boat put back in water. Motored from work slip to boat slip (< 20 minutes)
2009-01-09 : Robert emailed Kevin asking why the motor throttles were reversed. (Forward is reverse, Backward is forward) Notified by Kevin that LED lights in switches don't work with 48V, told how to rewire the helm controls for normal operation (forward is forward, backward is reverse).
2009-01-31 : We motored the boat around inside the ala wai boat basin protected waters for about 1 1/2 hours, doing turns, circles, various maneuverings. No water in motors before or after.
2009-02-05 : Robert rewires throttles so that forward is forward, backward is reverse. Robert notices that the hex screw can slide against the smooth metal of the potentiometer that controls the motors. It would have been better if the hex screw had a hole in the potentiometer shaft or a flatted part of the potentiometer shaft to prevent it from sliding.
2009-02-08 : Notified kevin that the throttle metal cylinders improperly threaded to hold screw to helm arm (one side had only one thread).
2009-02-11 : Re-e-power ships package "cable and ammeter" to the wrong address. Robert notifies Kevin of the wrong address. Kevin advises us that we can glue the loose helm arm, says he will correct the shipping address. Robert receives notification of updated shipping address from UPS.
2009-02-19 : Notified that UPS package arrived at destination.
2009-02-23 : Replacement helm cable and one ammeter taken to boat. Robert notices there is only one ammeter in the box when we should've receive two. Robert notifies Kevin of the problem. Robert also asks about shunts.
2009-02-26 : Kevin says the shunts should have been in the control boxes. Robert emails Kevin that there may be a problem with the port motor. Port motor was making excessive rotational noise in addition to vibration during test. Kevin responds that a prop blade may be out of pitch.
2009-03-03 : We use the electric motors to move the boat to a different slip (~10 minutes).
2009-03-13 : Diver Les advised us that the zinc on the port side was loose and props were fouled. Les tightened zinc and cleaned props. Back and forth emails with Kevin on what fouled the props. "Fouled with marine grow of a hard crusty variety." according to diver.
2009-04-16 : Notified by UPS that a package has shipped from Re-e-power to the wrong address. Robert notified Kevin that the package was shipped to the wrong address.
2009-04-17 : Kevin responds that he'll re-e-route the package to the correct address.
2009-04-19 : Robert receives notice from UPS that package has been rerouted.
2009-04-23 : Robert notified by UPS that package has arrived at destination. Package contains one ammeter, new props, new cones.
2009-04-23 : Robert emails Kevin to ask about installation of new props, cones.
2009-04-23 : Kevin responds to have old cones cut off and install the new cones at next haul-out. Advises that lack of aft cones might only be noticeable during quick stop, full acceleration, or under high rpms/loads.
2009-04-25 : new props discovered to have chipped paint in many places exposing metal, emailed Kevin regarding this.
2009-04-26 : Kevin responds that he didn't inspect the props when they came back from the shop, advises us on how to paint props.
2009-05-05 : Eric emails Kevin to let him know that Robert found no shunts in the controller box.
2009-05-06 : Kevin says he can send us two shunts.
2009-05-10 : (approximate date) We sanded and repainted props (at our cost for two different paints required).
2009-05-13 : We use the electric motors to move the boat to a different marina (~2 1/2 hours)
2009-05-28 : Robert emails Kevin to check on status of shunts. Kevin responds that he'll check on the shipping history.
2009-06-07 : Robert emails Kevin that he still has no shunts.
2009-06-08 : Robert emails Kevin that he still has no shunts. Kevin responds that he'll send them again. Robert receives shipping notification from USPS.
2009-08-27 : Buoy run using electric motors. Port motor worked fine for a while then lost power, would run forward/reverse at low amps for a while then lose power again. Mostly the port motor would not move at all. Robert tested the configuration and determined the problem was with the motor itself and not the helm control, wiring, or motor controllers.
2009-08-28 : Robert dove down to check on the motor. Motor does not appear to be fouled, spins OK. Kevin responds that the condition is strange, advises us to check for water and to check motor with ohm meter.
2009-08-30 : Robert checks motors for water. Starboard motor is dry. Port motor (the motor that isn't working) has about 2 cups of water in it. Robert tests the water for conductivity and verifies that it is likely saltwater. Robert notifies Kevin of the problem and reminds him that this motor had previously had a vibration issue. Kevin asks us if we checked for water regularly and tells us that this amount of water can cause the brush holder to arc sometimes causing brush holder to melt and freeze in place. He advises us that the motor is likely serviceable but will need to be taken apart. He asks for the resistance measure between the terminals to confirm this hypothesis. Robert responds that we do check the motors for water before use and gives a measure of 250 ohms on the 2000 scale.