Torqeedo Evolve error code

[sparky1423]

Yesterday at the CBKA I had an Evovle hiccup. While trolling I accidentally snagged a bridge support with a plug. I bumped the throttle to perform a quick 180 to get back to the scene of the crime. I was near the shipping channel and boat traffic was increasing so I wanted to quickly resolve the problem. Unfortunately, I was trolling more than one line.

After completing the 180 I realized that wasn't the greatest idea with multiple lines in the water, after about 50 feet of motoring, an error code popped up on my throttle screen. I knew what happened, my worst fear...braid in the prop$$$. I heard the horror stories of sending the motor away for repairs. All I thought of was destroying my chances of the fall striper season.

While beaching the kayak I saw leader material around the prop bearings, easy fix and back to fishing without motoring to be cautious. I decided to remove the prop this morning and found about 80 feet of braid wrapped around the bearings and melted to the housing. So I carefully dissected the braid and hopefully everything is okay. The motor sounds good and the prop spins true, time will tell. Just wanted to share my fishing foul and hopefully this will help the next victim.

[daddyg]

Not good but as long as you didn't have to pull it out from the seal you sound be good.

[Cowpokey]

Dang! Hope it didn't get any damage. Is that pin (second from bottom picture) supposed to be that shape? Looks a little bent, but I suspect (maybe) that is a sacrificial cog keeps the prop from spinning on the shaft.

[sparky1423]

Dang! Hope it didn't get any damage. Is that pin (second from bottom picture) supposed to be that shape? Looks a little bent, but I suspect (maybe) that is a sacrificial cog keeps the prop from spinning on the shaft.

I originally tried to pull the pin out with pliers, not realizing how soft the metal was. I was about to remove the motor and place it on a vice and really take my time. But the pin just helps seat the prop, no harm done. I will replace eventually for piece of mind and job well done

[Cowpokey]

I originally tried to pull the pin out with pliers, not realizing how soft the metal was. I was about to remove the motor and place it on a vice and really take my time. But the pin just helps seat the prop, no harm done. I will replace eventually for piece of mind and job well done

If it's that soft, it would lead me to believe, even more, that it is meant to fail...to prevent damage to the shaft/prop/motor.

[Shady]

Ooof, same thing happened to me when I first got mine, but the line got inside and it was someone else's that they carelessly discarded...

[Yak Fish]

Ooof, same thing happened to me when I first got mine, but the line got inside and it was someone else's that they carelessly discarded...

That's a good point. It could happen through no fault of our own.

This happened to me on my second trip on the Torqeedo. I'd accidentally bumped my throttle and only got a little line in there. No error codes. I just went to shore and pulled about 10 yards of line from it, and there were no ill effects.

Good luck sparky. Let us know how it works out.

[AbuMasgouf]

Yikes bro! Hopefully the work you did will remedy the issue without further incident... Now I understand your comment at the tournament

[J.A. Veil]

Sparky -

Sorry you had a prop issue. I hope your repairs have solved the problem.

I too had a prop issue yesterday. After pedaling my Slayer Propel steadily for 4 hours trolling 4 lines in various areas south of the Kent Narrows, I had caught 20 small stripers and one 19.75" striper. I hoped to keep at it another 2-3 hours to find some bigger fish. I trolled across the mouth of a small indentation on a grassy shoreline. The water level was high, and I did not see that I was moving over top of a wall made of vertical wooden planks. The top of the wood was 4-6" below the water surface.


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I heard a loud thunk, the Propel unit jumped up a few inches, then settled back into place. After clearing a snagged lure, I began pedaling again -- but things did not feel right. There was very little forward propulsion. When I lifted the Propel up, I found that one of the two blades of the prop was gone (sheared off).

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I was nearly 2 miles from my launch point. Fortunately the Slayer Propel paddles very well. Instead of taking the direct route back to the launch, I used the paddle to put in another two hours of trolling. The fish did not cooperate -- I caught just one additional fish (not large).

The plastic prop is easily and inexpensively replaced. This is not a common event -- it never happened to me before nor had I heard of others having it break. I think when the Propel jumped up, the moving blade banged into the underside of the hull hard enough to cause the damage. The shear pin was still intact.

[dsiekman]

Wow, John, you really did a number on that prop!

[Bulldog]

Inexpensive part?, might be worth it to get two and fasten one inside the yak somewhere for the next time.....Jack

[J.A. Veil]

Inexpensive part?, might be worth it to get two and fasten one inside the yak somewhere for the next time.....Jack

I agree. I ordered two new props this evening.

[Cowpokey]

I agree. I ordered two new props this evening.

Have you heard of them failing/breaking? The Propel props, that is.

[J.A. Veil]

Have you heard of them failing/breaking? The Propel props, that is.

This type of breakage is extremely rare -- I had not heard of it before. The Propel unit, like the Mirage drive, is a complex mechanical device. They work well almost all of the time but occasionally some component is damaged by operator error or lack of preventive maintenance (e.g., just last week one of my fishing buddies pedaled a Hobie over a submerged oyster pile and bent rods on his Mirage drive). I take responsibility for driving over a submerged object on Saturday. I have done that many times before (bumping over submerged logs), but have never broken a prop. For some reason, my accident on Saturday was severe enough to cause breakage. I hope I learn something from that experience.

[Goody]

Yikes! Glad you two made it back safely. Is there a guard to put on the motor or prop to prevent this happening?