New Torqeedo Dealer/ Repair Center

[nhunter344]

The #1 scenario with these units is you get a big fish and are moving and your lines get tangled and the braid goes around the prop shaft and that causes the seal / bearing to fail. I know of this happening to a couple of guys. Ching-Ching$$$

I'm glad to hear you got things taken care of. And thank you to MemoryMaker for reaching out to help another kayak fishermen.

Concerning the issue in quotes above, Ive heard that on a lot posts and forums across the internet. Supposedly the seals have been redesigned to help reduce... not eliminate... the issue. Knowing that, my modus operandi when I have the torqeedo is in gear is this... fish bites, set hook, immediately yank the magnetic key off the throttle. Once I get things more settled, the magnetic key hangs from my pfd and I can replace it and re-engage when I don't have to worry about line wrap any longer.

[Memory Maker]

Yes ........ the seals have been designed and some kind of cap was installed I think (just heard that but haven’t seen it) to help keep line out of the seals but nothing is full proof when it comes to line ........... even with gas engines. It is recommended that you pull the prop periodically to make sure you haven’t picked up anything.

[nhunter344]

Looks like a little metal cup (brass maybe?) over the seals. Ill try to take a picture when I get a chance. I usually pull off the prop after most outings just to make sure its not gunked up with trash or weeds. Which reminds me I need to order some extra sheer pins.

[RustedAngler]

Hey Guys ........... I haven’t advertised it but I am on the Torqeedo Team. I am a firm believer in their engines and their service. Unfortunately, as with any product, some things get messed up. In this case, things were not handled as they should by a new service center.

I have been in contact with Torqeedo and they have agreed to look into this and see what they can do. I can’t guarantee anything but I think they will try to make you happy.

If you guys have problems that you are having a hard time getting resolved. PLEASE contact me before posting. Torqeedo strives to make you guys happy but sometimes things slip.

I only ask that you post the results of their efforts.

The insiders edge is always an Ace in the Sleeve. Good to know!

[DOGFISH]

Another reason the seals will leak is running into the sand or obstructions when you are returning to the beach. I have to plead guilty to that sort of problem, of going through lily pads and mud looking for snakeheads, which put pressure on the lower motor pod. If you put too much pressure on the lower motor and shaft, the seals in the motor will leak. I was out of warranty. However, the good news is you can do the work yourself. I replaced the lower motor pylon and got back on the water. It was just a few bolts. That is one of the good points about the Torqeedo. You can do most of the work yourself and parts are easily available. So for anyone with a Torqeedo, try not to put pressure on the lower motor pod, which then puts pressure on the shaft and will cause the seals to leak. This can happen when hitting rocks, the bottom or a concrete boat ramp. You can do a pretty good diagnosis from the error readout on the controller.

I'm not saying that is what happened to Yak67. I am just putting this out there from my experience with these motors.

I must say it was great of Rick to jump in and help.

[nhunter344]

I didn't want to make a new thread so Ill just add to this thread. The Torqeedo customer service team recently came through for me. I was in Florida hoping to use the Torqeedo to get to some near shore wrecks and reefs. Unfortunately, while my son and I were messing around catching some bait just off the beach, we had to dodge a paddleboarder which put us at an awkward angle to the waves and we finally christened our kayak with the obligatory turtle. No gear lost, no injuries, just a small hit to the ego and lost bait when the lid to the live well opened while we were upside down.

Once we gathered everything we got set to head back out when I noticed the throttle control was filled with water. Not good. Heres where I went from mildly inconvenienced to PO'd that I knew I would be losing at least a day of fishing to troubleshoot things. After a quick trip to Home Depot for a precision screwdriver set, I opened up the throttle control and the first thing I see is a wire had been closed in the rubber seal making it pretty much useless as a seal. The zip tie holding the wires was also closed in the seal and deformed the plastic housing to the control. Major manufacturing fail on their part. There goes a week of planned fishing. Luckily my kid is young enough to be happy catching baitfish off the beach. Me, not so much.

Got back to Maryland and immediately contact Torqeedo support on a Monday and sent pictures of the damaged seal and plastic housing. Luckily, even though I technically voided the warranty by opening up the unit, it was obvious to them what the issue was and I had a replacement throttle by Friday.

So even though I'm still peeved about the original manufacturing issue and missing out on a bunch of planned fishing and hauling my yak all the way to Florida for no reason, at least they immediately owned up to the issue and had a replacement to me in short order. I didn't even have to send in the old unit, they made their judgement solely on the pictures I sent of the failure point. So they get good marks in my book for product design and customer service. A bit lower on QA/QC.

Yes, I will be voiding warranties to ensure that the new unit doesn't have the same issue. I'm not sure how opening the case voided the warranty as I didn't alter, modify or perform service on anything. I simply opened it up to see why a product designed for a kayak failed during a normal use scenario. Then again, I'm not exactly an expert on warranty issues.

The best thing to come out of this was my son. At only six, before I even had a chance to see if he was ok or say anything, was sprinting through the surf true fisherman style to grab his fishing rod and anything else that came loose (thank goodness for crystal clear gulf of Mexico water). Proud papa moment there!

[Yak67]

Good Deal!! Glad to hear they came thru for you. I think by getting out there what they are doing, helps us all. On my warranty Issue they took care of me , once they found out all the particulars.

I have been using my unit a lot lately with this great weather and winds, and real happy with how the compensated me after I had already paid for my repairs.

Yak67

2017 Hobie PA-12 Camo
2016 Hobie Outback LE#217