On Wed, 12 Apr 2006 20:08:25 -0700, dmitri.maslov wrote:

Hi,

I want to put a motor on an 8' inflatable dinghy. A big question is
whether I should use a conventional gasoline/oil based motor or go with
electric. The situation is as follows: I plan to take the boat out to a
complete wilderness (in a car/SUV) and use it there for, say, a week to
explore lakes and streams. There will be no AC outlets out there. This
creates a problem---how do I recharge the battery/batteries if I decide
to go with electric motor? Is it possible to do it through the running
car in some way? Is this a realistic approach anyway? Solar
power(likely, unrealistic)/other alternatives? I would not have asked
unless electric motor was not so nicely quiet and environmentally
friendly and thus appeal to me. Using electric motor has its value, but
it is not clear if it holds it in the above set up.

Batteries for trolling motors are heavy and take a long time to
charge. Even if you had a portable generator or oversized alternator on
your car, you'd have to run it for quite awhile. There goes your peace
and quiet.

As others have mentioned, a canoe or kayak with paddles might be the
ultimate solution. Or a small rowboat. Inflatable dinghies don't row
well enough for anything but short distances.

We've been very happy with the 2hp Honda BF2D we use for our dinghy. It's
completely self contained, with no external tank, and weighs only 28lb. It
runs well over an hour on a quart of fuel. It's dead reliable, and not
too loud. I recommend it.

Don't get me wrong, I love electric motors.

Matt O.