FAQS
EP Carry is the only outboard designed from the ground up specifically for small boats. It is half the weight of many standard outboards, twice as efficient, easier to use, and built for the hard life aboard a small boat.
EP Carry is backed by U.S. factory staff, offering a complete selection of spare parts and owner-installable upgrade kits. After nine years of continuous improvement primarily serving boaters in the Pacific Northwest, EP Carry is now available to small-boat owners throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Yes! EP Carry drives small boats, including inflatables, up to their natural hull speed—plus a little extra in normal conditions. It’s large diameter slow turning brushless electric motor does not lose torque under heavy loads like a gas engine, allowing EP Carry motors to perform against waves, wind, and high boat loading without needing a high peak power rating. To estimate your range and speed with a specific boat, use our online calculator.
Most inflatable owners prefer a standard EP Carry with a short tiller and short shaft. If used primarily for ship-to-shore tenders, the ultralight 6.4 lb battery provides plenty of range for a gunkholing weekend, and taking your dog to shore. We also offer a 13 lb battery that delivers three times that range—a better choice for inflatables used for exploring in addition to shore duty.
Yes! EP Carry’s lightweight design makes it ideal for small rowing and sailing craft. EP Carry’s unique power management system responds in real time to add a constant propulsive power. This results in a gliding sensation between rowing strokes. And many small boat sailors also use our standard series motors in various shaft and tiller lengths. Plus we just launched custom options just for sailors including an ultralight back-of-the-transom mounting system, remote throttle and even steering linked to the rudder.
EP Carry comfortably moves displacement-hull boats at or slightly above hull speed—around 4 mph on average. Use our calculator to check estimated range and speed for your specific setup. If your boat is over 13 feet or 600 lbs when loaded, please contact us directly for personalized performance estimates.
On a standard 9-foot dinghy, EP Carry delivers real-world performance comparable to a 1.5–1.7 hp gas motor. Comparison testing on a standard 9-foot rowboat shows that a heavier 3-hp rated electric motor (Torqeedo 1013) only adds 0.5–0.7 knots to the top speed while consuming 4x the battery power.
Gen 2 EP Carry motors draw a regulated 250–270 Watts of maximum input power to match the propulsive performance of other high efficiency electrics drawing 600W. This is because our efficiency is 2x that of other electrics and 3x to 5x that of a trolling motor.
Unlike other electrics, EP Carry’s unique regulated power management system assures that run time is the same regardless of load or sea conditions, and only depends on battery size.
Our 6.4 lb battery: Provides 1 hour of runtime at full throttle and 2 hours at half throttle.
Our 13.8 lb battery: Provides 3 hours of runtime at full throttle and 6 hours at half throttle.
Third-party 24V, 50Ah battery (<24 lbs): Provides 5 hours at full throttle and 10 hours at half throttle.
Gen 2 Standard Motor: Weighs between 13.8 and 14.4 lb, depending on the chosen shaft and tiller length. Paired with our 6.4 lb battery, EP Carry is the lightest extendable-range outboard system by far.
Custom Series EP Carry: Motors can weigh as little as 11.4 lbs; the absolute lightest outboard motor, period.
Yes. EP Carry was designed specifically for saltwater environments, and with loads of motors in regular saltwater use for nine years, its saltwater compatibility is thoroughly proven.
EP Carry achieves this durability without needing replaceable anodes. We rely on careful selection of advanced materials that do not corrode, even though they cost more than die-cast metals used in competing outboards.
After operating in salt water, simply flush the lower unit with fresh water to remove any residual salt crystals.
Yes. EP Carry’s sealed brushless motor and fully potted control electronics are housed entirely in the air-cooled motor head, safely above the waterline as it should be. All connections in the motor head are direct soldered and wire insulation is submerged below the epoxy potting level to prevent salt water wicking.
EP Carry requires no annual maintenance or scheduled technical inspections. An occasional rinse with fresh water is all that is required.
Motor Head: Located safely out of the water, the motor has vents for air cooling via an air fan built into the drive shaft. Unlike a water impeller, this fan requires no service or replacement. And the internal electric motor and controller are individually sealed and potted against immersion.
Lower Unit: Lubricated by surrounding water, the lower unit has no oil or seals to maintain.
Protection: Materials used for the motor are all saltwater compatible, and EP Carry’s electronic shear-pin system protects the drivetrain from damage, even during full-speed impacts with submerged rocks.
Wear Items: The heart of EP Carry’s design is the water-lubricated propeller module (combining the propeller, main drive gear, and bushings). This is the motor’s primary wear item and typically lasts 9+ years under standard ship-to-shore use. For heavy-use applications like commercial and long-distance camp cruising, the propeller module may need to be swapped out seasonally. Replacing this $79 part refurbishes the propeller, prop bushings, and lower unit gearing.
Yes. Although the 5-hour charger for our 6.4 lb battery draws 120V or 220V, its energy consumption is only 60W so you can easily power it via a small inverter plugged into a 12V lighter outlet without needing to run an engine alternator or generator.
The Victron charger for faster charging of our 6.4 lb battery and required for our larger 13.4 lb battery also runs on AC power through an inverter. In this case, the inverter should be rated for 400W or more.
Our small K2 Energy charger restores approximately 20% of the 6.4-lb battery’s capacity per hour and takes around 5 hours if the battery starts fully discharged. If you use the larger Victron charger, the 6.4 lb battery will be fully charged in 2.25 hours. With the small K2 Energy charger, and for typical ship-to-shore use, recharging each evening takes only 1 to 2 hours.
The 13 lb battery requires our Victron 5-amp charger that takes 6 hours when the battery has been fully discharged. This larger battery has a Bluetooth monitor that displays the battery charge state on your phone or tablet so you can track charging as well as discharging.
You bet! Every EP Carry manufactured since 2017 is designed to give owners freedom of choice regarding power sources. This feature means that you have access to loads of run time and range for a as low as 10% of the cost of the same range using proprietary batteries.
EP Carry’s exclusive closed-loop control system automatically adapts to power sources operating between 20V and 42V DC so owners can use almost any standard 24V or 36V battery. And lately, these batteries have come way down in price.
12V Direct Power: All gen 2 motors, as well as all gen 1 motors that have had their firmware updated, can run directly from 12V batterie or a portable power center in a limited-power mode. Portable power centers that can supply up to 10 A at 12V will work.
12V Boost Kit: For full-power performance from a 12V battery source, we offer an optional 12V Boost Kit compatible with all gen 1 and gen 2 motors. Be sure to choose a 12V battery that can supply up to 23 Amps.
Yes!
Direct Solar: When using EP Carry’s ultralight battery, a 24V solar panel rated up to 100 watts can be connected directly to the battery. Companies like DuraVolt offer plug-and-play 24V panels fitted with connectors that mate directly to our charging adapter for plug-and-play convenience.
Off-Grid Cruising: For typical ship to shore use in the summer months, a 60-watt DuraVolt panel can keep a 24V battery topped off as you cruise without ever plugging into a charger or shore power.
Custom Systems: EP Carry also pairs seamlessly with third-party 12V, 24V, and 36V solar setups. In fact, EP Carry’s founder has now traveled over 1,000 nautical miles in a 14-foot camp cruiser powered completely from solar panels and an EP Carry motor—without ever plugging into dockside power! In the summer, other owners of similar setups report 35–40 nautical miles of range per day using this setup.
Yes, for reduced-power operation.
Direct 12V DC Output: Gen 2 motors can operate at reduced power directly from a 12V port so long as it is rated for at least 10 Amps. This makes a handy backup option.
12V Boost Kit Warning: Do not use EP Carry’s 12V Boost Kit with a portable power station unless its 12V output is explicitly rated for at least 23 Amps.
24V Power Stations: A power station capable of supplying 24V at 11 Amps continuous current could provide full-power operation. However, few power stations on the market currently offer this specific DC output capability.
EP Carry uses Lithium Iron Phosphate cells, also known as LFP or LiFePO₄. Our batteries are manufactured by K2 Energy (a division of Grand Teton Energy in Idaho, USA).
LFP chemistry is inherently safer and far less prone to thermal runaway than other lithium-ion variants and therefore are the best choice for marine applications. Furthermore, K2 Energy’s LiFePO₄ cells provide up to 5 times more discharge cycles than the proprietary lithium batteries used by some competing electric outboard brands.
While some battery manufacturers suggest storing at partial charge levels, our 12+ years of hands-on experience with K2 Energy’s LFP batteries shows no noticeable reduction in battery life from full-charge storage. In fact, a fully charged LFP battery can hold its charge for a decade or more.
Storage Environment recommendation is: dry location at temperatures between 40°F and 90°F.
Most electric outboards require the operator to manually engage and disengage a mechanical reverse latch. EP Carry uses a patented automatic latch system. To engage the latch; simply lower the motor into the water and it clicks into place. To release the latch, lift the tiller about an inch and then pull to both release the latch and to raise the motor.
To keep the motor raised after tilting it up, slide it forward roughly four inches along its fiberglass shaft and gravity keeps it securely raised. We chose this method both becase gravity can’t break, and this action sets the motor up for shallow water use when lowered again and navigating away from shore.
Note: Gen 2 motors also include an easily accessible manual latch release on the front of the clamp that is handy for those not familiar with the auto-release function, and for raising the clamp before mounting a boat while it is resting on shore.
EP Carry designers came from the medical device industry, so safety was a primary concern in the design of all EP Carry products.
Tethered Magnetic Kill Key: EP Carry features a magnetic safety key built into the throttle handle. Pulling the key immediately cuts power. Unlike standard kill keys that drop away, our key remains tethered to the tiller, ensuring that remaining crew can use the motor for water rescued if the skipper has fallen overboard. If you are soloing, we recommend fabricating a short lanyard with a loop in the end through which the key lanyard is threaded. Falling overboard will pull the key stopping the motor from taking your boat on its own solo trip.
Ergonomic & Propeller Safety: EP Carry went to great lengths to eliminate mechanical pinch points in the tilt mechanism. Furthermore, EP Carry’s slow-turning propeller (about half the rotational speed of direct-drive motors), even at full throttle, will not cut or tear a block of ballistic gel (ballistic gel was developed to simulate the consistency of human tissue).
EP Carry is built on Ranger’s Prairie in the North Bend–Snoqualmie region of Washington State—an area with a rich legacy of consumer products and technological innovation. One consumer device firm, Sonicare, got its start in this community, and Sonicare veterans made up EP Carry’s first operations and engineering team. EP Carry also benefits from nearby tech hubs in Seattle, Redmond, Bellevue and Kirkland—and draws from lakes and the nearby salty waters of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands for product testing.
“EP” stands for Electric Paddle, our original brand name when the company was founded in 2010.
Don’t confuse us with similar-sounding electric motors that start with the letter “e”, made overseas—EP Carry is the original, and the only one built right here in the USA!