Light but powerful electric outboard motor review | Thrustme Kicker 1kW unboxing and test | MBY

*** While filming this review I made the unforgivable mistake of forgetting to attach the kill cord. Although it's only a small motor used in calm conditions, kill cords should always be worn. I apologise unreservedly for this oversight - Hugo ***

We’re big fans of small electric outboards on tenders. They are so much cleaner, quieter, easier to store and less hassle to use than a petrol one. Priced at £1,250 (inc. VAT), the Thrustme Kicker is £400 cheaper than an ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus and over £750 cheaper than a Torqeedo 1103C.

But perhaps the bigger surprise is how little it weighs, just 4.4kg including the battery, compared to 19.3kg for the Spirit and 17.3kg for the Torqeedo.

It’s not an entirely fair comparison because although the Thrustme Kicker features a similarly powerful 1kW motor, its built-in battery is only rated at 259kWh compared to 915Wh for the Torqeedo and 1,276Wh for the ePropulsion so it won’t last as long at full power (30 minutes is the claim).

Motor Boat & Yachting editor Hugo Andreae borrowed a 1kW Thrustme Kicker for a week over the summer to get a proper feel for what this electric outboard can do.

► What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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[labtrainer]

Hugo, I'm a retired boating-magazine editor here in the States, and I think you did a SUPERB job with this review. It's thorough, clear, useful. And you point out both the advantages and the drawbacks of the "Thrust-me." (What WAS their marketing director thinking?!?)
This motor is light enough to "pack in" to remote lakes and rivers, which puts it alone in the increasingly competitive field of electric outboards. Thanks so much for your efforts, Chris

[kylequinn]

They need to make this so you can attach a 12v battery to it. The internal battery is way too small, I think this would probably be something I'd buy if I could attach it to my LiFePo4 12v battery.

[tomulator]

Power, range, and price. These are the areas that still need BIG improvements in these types of motors. Pretty cool motor though.👍🏼

[sprezzatura]

I have a Minn Kota electric trolling motor that I run off a simple lead acid battery works great. Also very lightweight. Not very expensive new and downright cheap used on craigslist.

[chrish]

Hi Hugo. A nice bit of kit. Very light and much cheaper than the E-propulsion and the Torqeedo. Great video thanks 😊

[АдэляФирдисовна]

*I bought this model for my 14 ft Jon boat. **enjoyable.fishing** recommend love it!!! It pushes my boat with ease ( 2 men 220 each). I would highly recommend this to anyone.*

[apecamper]

Great little motor. I just bought one...People need to understand it is designed to be used for short trips, lightweight. It is not designed to be used for crossing the Atlantic! Yes you can have external battery to increase range etc, but you start defeating the object of the device in the first place if you need 10kg of external battery! As with all electric propulsion range is massively increased by using less power, but it takes longer to get anywhere!

[gofull]

If I had one of these on a larger tender I would probably make a removable clamp on tie rod system. This would keep the light weight setup of it but would give more overall torque (lbs of thrust) to help move more weight. The props can still only turn a certain speed but it would help get the increased weight to that top speed better. Looks like a really promising product

[manuelvanderslikke]

Thank you Hugo for this nice show of this electric motor from Trusme a nice engine and silence thanks again

[mikeknowlden]

How about a link to the website that sells this!

[stephenb]

thats a lovely little practical bit of kit hugo.spare prop as well.nice and light and i love the housing for the prop for efficiency.enjoy your new gadget.;)

[michaelashton]

Would be quite fun experimenting with this on a variety of vessels. Would be fun to use on a dinghy in low wind

[AndysEastCoastAdventures]

I think 1 or 2 on the speed setting is rowing speed so more than ample for a small tender. I love this motor, been looking at getting an electric outboard and this fits my needs perfectly. Need it for 2 man tender plus could use on my kayak too. The fact that it's made by a Norwegian company also gives confidence this is going to be a reliable motor.

[ronsunraine]

Ron from Canada. I really appreciate your video Clips Especially down the islands. Thank you my friend

[joatmofa]

Hi Hugo - I think you are mistaken !!!!
In the description you state "its built-in battery is only rated at 259kWh...." (I think you meant 259Wh - not 259kWh)

[polygamous]

everything in life is a compromise n nothing is perfect for all occasions but this little electric motor is as good a compromise as you can get in lightness range ease of use n in the right conditions its a very good design love the enclosed prop too an extra safety feature what I would like to see on it is n plug you could plug an extra power pack for emergency get me home safety but a Brilliant design just the same thanks for uploading another great video cheers

[TeachinTV]

Very cool! Perfect for covert missions.
I noticed the Boston Whaler in the background. Now I wonder: how many USA boat makers sell in the UK and how popular are they, compared with British boats sold in the USA.

[EricFB]

Is this any different than say a Minn Kota trolling motor? I get the bigger electric outboards will out perform a trolling motor. But if you're shopping for a small electric outboard, what's the difference? Genuinely curious for my boat.

[russnurseb]

Nice little motor. thanks for the review. I think if the make some adjustments to some things like being able to attach an external solar charger to it and make bigger versions it would do well over here in America depending on the price point. It would have to compete with Brands like Minn Kota. The very first upside I see to it is you don't have to take a big battery with you. The first down side I see for using/selling it over here is the emergency kill cord. If you're moving around a 12 or 16 foot Jon boat(or similar) as you fish you wouldn't want it to disconnect. Most people in America would use it for trolling as they fish in rivers and the bays. The prop. being protected like that will help too. Of course all of this would depend on power to price ratio.

[jeffreyharville]

I went to a currency converter site, and (as of July 2022) this motor is selling for Approx. $1500 USD. I wish it were sold here in the States!!