A Photo & Discussion Forum for Wharram Design Enthusiasts

Tiki 38 - change inboard diesel to outboard electrical?

Hi everyone!

We own a Tiki 38 that is equipped with two VETUS M2.13 diesel engines. 12 HP each. Engine and shaft and impeller can be lowered when used. The design is heavy, takes precious space on deck and until recently had no safe holding down of the shaft -> so we ran into some problems when the lowering ropes got tangled up in the propellers.

We would like to upgrade to 2 electrical motors, possibly outboard engines. I have been looking into epropulsion but am open to any better suggestions.

Has anybody tried to electrify a Tiki 38?

What are the pro and cons?

What are the experiences with an electrical engine?

Thanks in advance

Cheers

Yann

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jozef De Roos on September 4, 2026 at 8:34am

sorry that it took so long. But now I can show you something real. The propellor you see is just to try out and see what the impact it has. Allso the energy it takes. I hope I can make this season a few trails. For the motors this is all there is, the electrical stearing has to be developed. The batteries is two times 15 kWh connected together so there is in total 30 kWh. we have build it ourselfs.

Attachments:

motor tiki.pdf, 677 KB
motor tiki opgeklapt.pdf, 648 KB

Permalink Reply by Yann & Chantal on September 4, 2026 at 9:46am

No worries!

Fantastic Jozef, thanks! It looks very neat, meaning elegant and non-intrusive.

30 kWh sounds quite reasonable.

Can you say something about the costs? And what motor (brand) did you take?

What do you mean "the electrical steering has to be developed "?

Permalink Reply by Jozef De Roos on September 5, 2026 at 2:00pm

At the moment, I do not yet have a clear picture of the total cost. The motors are from Flipsky, and my son wants to first take measurements regarding power consumption and design the propeller based on that so that it can be used most efficiently. This will also allow him to better determine the operation of the motors. I will ask him to tell me a bit more about this in due course.