I purchased the ePropulsion Spirit to fish small waterbodies and access spots that couldn't accommodate my go-to boat and trailer. I attached it to a lightweight, 12-foot aluminum boat, which used to be powered by a two-stroke gas outboard.
The Spirit claims to have the equivalent power of a gas powered three-horsepower outboard. The total weight of the motor, including the lithiumpolymer battery, is 19.6 kilograms (43.2 pounds) — it’s reasonably easy to tote and handle.
The unit comes with its own charger that plugs into a standard electrical outlet. When the battery is completely spent, it takes about eight hours to recharge. It does not have quick-swap battery packs.
Good features include an adjustable trim pin and a trim release lever that lets you tilt and lock the shaft to a 75-degree angle. There’s an antigrounding mode to use in shallow waters where there’s a danger of hitting submerged reefs or rocks. For transporting or stowage, the tiller handle can be folded down parallel to the shaft.
The motor face has an LCD display that shows several safety indicators, error codes, battery life remaining at the present speed, and the amount of power being drawn. A button powers up or shuts the motor down. There’s also a magnetic kill switch with a lanyard that connects to your wrist.
I put about a full week΄s worth of fishing on this motor on my tinny — I use my big rig far more often. I can report that it’s a joy to use and is, overall, a great little motor.
The power of the outboard is not enough to get my boat up on plane, but I didn’t expect that from a three horsepower (1 kilowatt of rated input power; 20.8 A rated current). Still, it does move my little boat along okay at around 5 mph — faster than either my two-horse outboard or the Minn Kota.
The throttle worked smoothly, both in forward and reverse. Jigging, casting, or trolling — even in strong winds — was a breeze.
At fishing speeds, there was still plenty of battery life left after five hours. Of course, there are limitations. The big drawback is that at full speed, the battery life is greatly diminished. Which means it really isn’t suitable for trips to places that might take a couple of hours or more to get to. At full throttle, the Spirit is rated to run approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes. At half speed (around 3 mph), it'll run about 20 hours.
I swapped from a gas outboard because I was seeking a quiet and peaceful fishing experience. Before the ePropulsion, I tried using an electric Minn Kota with 55-pounds of thrust. It was great for low-speed trolling, but not so good for going any distance. In addition, the external battery for the electric was a definite pain in the butt. Upgrading to a lightweight lithium battery to power the Minn Kota would still have meant a separate battery and cables.
Originally published in Ontario OUT of DOORS’ Fishing Annual 2025
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