How fast and far will an eLite electric outboard push a Potter 15 into the wind? I found out.

I outfitted my Potter 15 with an electric outboard: ePropulsion eLite with 500w output, roughly equivalent to a 1.5 HP gas outboard.

I was eager to try it out. The weather forecast for Maryland’s Eastern Shore was for temps in the low 60s and NW winds 6-10 kts. I would launch from the town of Choptank, about 12 miles upriver from Cambridge.

I made the mistake of sailing with a return deadline – a business meeting in Denton at 3:30 pm that I could not postpone without consequences. I launched the P15 at 10 a.m. Plenty of time, I thought, for a sail 5 miles downriver to Secretary and back. A big miscalculation.

With the forecast for NW winds, I thought I would be sailing down on a broad reach and back on a close reach. Another miscalculation. And I wasn’t paying close enough attention to geography. This was my first time solo in the P15, and I was fiddling a lot with the rig, centerboard, and rudder. I was trying to figure out why she had such strong lee helm and immediately headed down wind when I let go of the tiller. It was 12:30 before I realized that I needed to head back to Choptank.

I started tacking back upriver, straight into the wind, finally feeling anxious about my deadline. I was 4 miles downriver and had to get to Denton (20 minute drive from Choptank) in 3 hours. It was time to put the eLite to the test.

Small Craft Tasmania reported similar results from their test of an eLite on a Wellsford Navigator in calm conditions. Their test was planned and provides more precise data on eLite performance in those conditions.