Spirit 1.0 Longshaft

The Spirit 1.0 is both a mechanical work of art and a serious machine. The fit and finish are exceptional and the attention to detail is superb. The most remarkable feature is how quite this motor is; you could run it in a library. The throttle and steering controls are engineered to be very ergonomic. The amount of friction in their adjustments make them easy to use and fine tune, but still they keep their settings hands free. I am quite satisfied with the performance. Yesterday my wife and I took our SeaEagle inflatable fishing boat out for a trip of just under three hours of cruising time traveling both with and against the tides. For a one mile stretch we headed into a narrow shallow passage with a 2 mph current against us with swirling waters. To move ahead at 2 mph land speed required about 60% throttle; the Spirit handled this with ease. The responsive steering and throttle made the tricky passage safe and easy. Overall with two people in a loaded boat we navigated 8 miles on 45% of our battery in a mix of headwinds, currents and tides. Top speed in my inflatable is just under 6 mph. Fully loaded with two people I estimate my cruising range to be in the 20 mile range on saltwater with wind, tides and currents. I would imagine more range with one person, light load, on protected still inland waters. The best feature is the ease of loading, unloading and mounting on the transom. I am older and have a bad shoulder. I can easily mount the 20 lb lower unit on the transom by myself and then add the 18 lb battery afterwards. This is far easier than mounting my old 40 lb gas motor, or hoisting a 60 pound lead acid battery on board for a traditional electric. Once underway, the Spirit is so quiet you won’t scare the fish away and two people can have a normal conversation with soft voices while underway at cruising speed; impossible with a gas motor. The unit did well in some adversity too. I hit a bed of kelp and seaweed and tangled the prop. Just a quick reverse thrust and it spit the vegetation back and my prop was quickly free and we were moving again. Is the Spirit more expensive than a traditional gas or electric trolling motor? Yes, but in my book, the advantages it yields and the performance it gives makes it the best of both; the power of the gas, with the quiet of the electric. It is solidly built, and it is a serious machine with fine workmanship; so far I am quite pleased with my purchase.