guide

Which electric motor should I choose?

This is the most frequently asked question when discussing motors. Haswing offers more than 30 motor models — tiller-controlled, remote-controlled, bow-mount models, in 12V, 24V or 48V. So how do you choose the right one?

The first parameter you need to know is the dimensions (length, width) and weight of your boat. It's best to choose a motor with some power in reserve so it isn't at risk of overload. The width of the boat matters most, since width generates the greatest resistance. The manufacturer's specification states the maximum boat length a given motor can be used with.

Motors are usually controlled by a tiller, a wireless remote, or a throttle. You need to think about what matters most to you.

Another consideration is whether to choose a motor with a maximizer or a gear switch. What is a maximizer? You'll find the answer further down in this guide.

Another important aspect is where you'll be boating — a lake, a reservoir, the sea, or a river. When it comes to boating on a river with a fast current, we generally do not recommend using electric motors. If a customer still decides to choose a motor for river use, add 10lbs to the table below for calm rivers, and up to 30lbs for a stronger current.

When choosing a motor for a pontoon boat, keep a reserve of at least 10lbs. For example, for a 4m boat we'd choose a 40lbs motor, while for a 4m pontoon we'd choose a 50-55lbs motor. A pontoon creates more resistance in the water than a boat.

Selection for calm and rough water:

• Boat width x Thrust
• 130cm - 30lbs
• 135cm - 40lbs
• 140cm - 45lbs
• 145cm - 50lbs
• 150cm - 55lbs
• 155cm - 65lbs
• 160cm - 75lbs
• 170cm+ - We recommend a 24V motor

Which electric motor brand should I choose?

The best choice is a motor for which service parts are available and servicing is available within the country. You should gather as much information as possible about a given model — how long the company has existed, what models it sells, what the warranty terms are, and so on. There are many companies and motor models on the market, but keep in mind that buying a motor from an unknown source at an attractive price can later come with a whole series of problems.

I'm not going to say here that you should choose brand X or Y because they're trouble-free, the best in the world, and so on. Use common sense — if you're not sure, get in touch with the distributor, ask about the details, and then make your decision.

I understand that a lot of information can also be found on various forums and groups. I read and browse this information myself, and besides expert knowledge and genuinely useful advice, there's also a lot of information that's simply untrue, or even absurd. As the importer of Haswing motors, we're always happy to help you choose the right model.

What is a maximizer?

Put as simply as possible, a maximizer is a device that lets you adjust motor speed smoothly (similar to a throttle on a motorcycle). Control via a standard gear switch has one basic drawback: for example, on gear 2 you might get a speed of 2km/h, and on gear 3, 3.5km/h — there's no way to get a speed in between, which matters a lot when trolling.

Besides smooth control, a maximizer has another very important advantage – it saves battery power (increasing the boat's range compared to a motor with a standard 5/3 gear switch), for example: a motor with a 5/3 switch on gear 3 reaches 3.2km/h at a current draw of 22A, while the same motor with a maximizer draws only about 7A at that same speed. At maximum speed the current draw is the same for both, data from our test: 55lbs motor, boat 3.2m/1.1m.

What is a gear switch?

This is a device in the motor with a defined operating range. Most often motors have 5 forward gears and 3 reverse gears. When steering with the tiller, one "click" of the switch shifts the gear up or down. The key thing here is how you use a motor with a gear switch.

It's not recommended to shift straight from gear 1 to gear 5, as this will quickly wear out the gear switch. Shift gears (speeds) in numerical order. First gear 1, and after three seconds the next gear, and so on. Between gears you need to wait for the motor to "spin up" to the given RPM. When shifting down, you can skip intermediate gears, even going directly down to "0".

Motor power — what do lbs, HP and KM mean?

In various descriptions you may come across motor power given as KM (metric horsepower) or HP (mechanical horsepower) — in most descriptions this has nothing to do with actual motor power, it's just a naming convention. LBS stands for pounds of motor thrust. How do you work it out?

1KM = 735W

1HP = 746W

1000W = 1.3596KM or 1.341HP

When comparing electric and combustion motors, you'll most often see a comparison of a given motor's thrust — for example, a 160lbs motor would be compared to the thrust of a 6HP combustion engine. Comparing the raw power of a combustion engine and an electric motor doesn't really serve a purpose. As mentioned earlier, electric motors are built around thrust.

How much current do electric motors draw?

In each motor's specification, the manufacturer states in amps the maximum current the motor draws at its maximum RPM (full power). Haswing motors draw anywhere from a few amps up to 125A, depending on the model. The gear switch or maximizer also affects current draw. These values are given for the maximum permissible load. In practice, actual draw is usually a few amps lower.

A lot of people don't pay any attention to how much current a given motor draws. For example, a Protruar 1.0 drawing 45A at full power will push a 4m/1.2m boat to, say, 6km/h, where a Protruar 5.0 drawing 100A will push the same boat to, say, 7-8km/h. (not to mention what batteries — and two of them — would be needed to power that motor). There isn't a huge difference in the speed achieved on the water. Of course, everyone can choose whichever motor they like, but I just want to make clear what's involved. That said, for larger boats, 6.7m, choosing a 160lbs motor would be entirely appropriate.

What speed will I reach with an electric motor?

The first and most important thing to remember: electric motors are thrust motors, not speed motors. Many people choose motors with a large power reserve, thinking speed will be much higher. That's not really the point. You should choose a motor that gets the boat up to its maximum speed in as short a time as possible. Speeds achieved with Haswing motors range from 4km/h to 15km/h. It all depends on a great many factors, including motor power.

Let's take an example: a boat 4m long and 1.4m wide. A Protruar 5.0 24V 160lbs motor. This motor would reach, say, a maximum of 8km/h. It would reach the same speed on a 6m boat of the same width.

How will you use the motor — trolling or recreational boating?

How you plan to use the motor also matters — will it simply move you from point A to point B, will it be used for recreational boating, or for trolling? Generally, for getting from point A to point B, you can confidently choose a motor with a gear switch. For recreational boating and trolling, it's worth considering a motor with a maximizer, which will have a positive effect on battery current savings. Think about how many times a year the motor will be used — 3 times or 30 times.

Do I need a fuse for the motor, and what type?

The rule here is simple. Knowing the motor's maximum current draw, add +10A to that value and you can fit a fuse of that rating. For a 55lbs motor (55A max current draw), a 60A fuse is most commonly fitted. It provides extra protection, for example in case fishing line gets tangled in the propeller. Both fusible and automatic (resettable) fuses are available on the market. Some motor models have built-in protection that automatically cuts power, for example when a certain load current is exceeded, or when voltage is too high or too low.

How to mount the motor on a boat or pontoon?

Every Haswing motor comes with an instruction manual that shows step by step how to use, mount, and care for that model. You should definitely avoid tightening the motor to the transom "by force," as this can damage it. An important point here is proper motor immersion depth, so the propeller doesn't partially run above the water's surface. The diagram shows the correct values and distances for mounting.

What shaft length should I choose?

Shaft lengths from 54cm to 210cm are available in the range. Each motor's description gives exact dimensions and/or the effective immersion depth. It's best to measure the distance from the transom or bow of the boat and then compare it with the dimensions given in the specification of a given motor. Keep in mind that most Haswing motors allow height adjustment along the full length of the shaft, so you can fit a given model perfectly to a boat or pontoon.

Do I need to pair the wireless remote with a Cayman motor?

No, you don't need to. The motor and remote are already paired at the factory. If the connection should ever be lost, the user manual describes in detail how to pair the remote with the motor.

What is the range of the Cayman motor's wireless remote?

The wireless remote has a range of up to around a dozen metres in open space.

What type of battery should I choose for the motor?

The market offers gel, AGM, lithium, and flooded lead-acid batteries. Keep in mind that not all batteries are created equal. We recommend checking reviews of a given model before buying. First, you need to think about how much, how, where and when you'll use a given battery. If you'll only use it 3 times a year "on holiday," there's no point buying the best 200Ah battery when you're running a 40lbs motor.

The most commonly chosen batteries for electric motors are gel batteries, although over the last 2 years there's been a visible trend toward switching to lithium battery technology. Ranking batteries from, let's say, the least "long-lived," the order would be: flooded lead-acid → AGM → gel → AGM deep cycle → gel deep cycle → lithium.

The most important thing to know is that the common name "gel battery" is nothing other than a lead-acid battery. Yes, you might think that a "regular flooded" battery is also a lead-acid battery. This is entirely true, except that a gel battery has a completely different internal construction. The electrolyte is held in gel form within individual lead cells. This concentrates a larger amount of energy, which is why this type of battery has a slightly higher voltage than a flooded battery, and is far more durable.

The key thing to read and remember is this: a gel or AGM battery should be fully recharged as soon as possible after use. It doesn't matter whether you were out for 10 minutes or 2 hours — charge it immediately after you're done. The operating range of a 12V gel battery is from 10.5V to 13V. You must never discharge the battery below this value (10.5V). It's best to discharge it down to a minimum of 11-11.5V, i.e. leave around 50% capacity, which will significantly extend its lifespan.

In conversations with customers, I often hear things like "my battery lasts me 3 days of boating without charging" — used this way, a battery won't last long. Left without charging, it starts to "sulfate." The worst thing for this type of battery (which also happens fairly often) is running it all the way to the "end." If the motor stops running, that's when the outing on the water is over. This is a killer for a gel battery. Often the battery is down to 3V, 5V, and there's a good chance that's the end of it.

Lithium batteries come in several variants, e.g. Li-ion, LiFePO4, Li-ion NMC. They differ in operating voltage range, dimensions, weight, and cycle life. From our experience, lithium batteries last at least 2x longer than gel batteries, deliver around 30% more energy at the same capacity, and can be up to 5x lighter than gel batteries. The discharge curve is completely different. They don't need to be charged immediately after use (as long as you haven't used up the entire available capacity, of course).

The recommended battery type is always given in the technical specification of Haswing motors.

What battery capacity should I choose for the motor?

There's a very wide range of batteries on the market today. Gel, AGM, lithium, and flooded lead-acid batteries are all available. Which one will be best for our motor? The first parameter we need to know is the motor's maximum current draw, given in amps (A).

Let's pick a battery for an Osapian 55 motor — we know the motor draws 55A at full power. So that running time at maximum RPM isn't just 10 minutes, we need to use a battery of at least 100Ah. The easiest way to work this out:

Motor draws 50A – choose a 100Ah battery.

Motor draws 60A – choose a 120Ah battery.

Multiply the maximum current by 2. This gives you a rough guide to choosing the right capacity.

The larger the battery capacity you choose, the longer your running time will be. Keep in mind that we don't recommend choosing a battery with very low capacity — for example, a 50Ah battery for an Osapian 55. First, it will wear out quickly, and second, it will be under heavy load and its lifespan will drop quickly.