I was about to say something like "200 watts isn't a lot of power" and use the reference of bicycling, noting that a middling-fit recreational bicyclist can sustain 200w for a long time. Pro cyclists do 400w or more...

Of course things don't convert all that well when you get to the inherent inefficiencies of moving a boat through water as compared to a bicycle over pavement, but that get be the beginning of the idea.

Then I realized that right at my fingertips - I had the power of Goggle to convert watts to HP without doing the math myself. 200w is 0.27 HP. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything for use on the water with that low of power rating.  Again, a quick Google search says that fishing trolling motors typically range between 0.5 and 2.0 HP. And to adding to this concern, the Temo motor is a tiller-type/straight shaft arrangement, so some of the thrust is wasted due to the fact that it is at an angle to horizontal.  At a 30 degree angle you'd be getting 87% thrurst in the horizontal direction.

So, the motor might be right for your purposes.  But if you don't get a chance to test it in advance, I'd say that you should keep expectations low and shouldn't expect it to provide propulsion beyond what you yourself can achieve with a paddle or oars.  Maybe that is evident in the advertisement for the motor itself - where it says it can handle a current of 3 knots. Advertisements are usually optimistic. My NE dory and kayaks are always going at least that fast when I've got the paddle or oars in my hands.

I had a really old 1.5 HP gas 2-stroke outboard with a small (maybe about a quart) built in fuel tank, I think it weighted 8 lbs. That was enough to push a 17 foot grumman canoe along at about 4-5 knots. Like an old Brittish Seagull only smaller, didn't even had a gear shift. And yet another Google search shows that you can get some weed-whacker type outboard motors right now (even some 4 stroke) for between $100 (!) and $500.  Weight about the same as the Temo thing. Not sure of the quality.  And of course there is fuel involved.

I'm not trying to put down the idea, just pointing out some facts and options. For now my option is still paddles and oars.

-Bubblehead

Looking at their ad copy I think that they're actually saying that it's a 450 W motor which makes it equivalent to a 1/2 hp outboard. That 200 W looks like the equivalent of brake hp which is always less than engine hp.

I think that the really interesting number in this case is the 12 Kg (26lb) static thrust. trollingmotor.net recommends 2 lbs of thrust for every 100lbs of loaded boat weight. By that measure this motor should be good for moving a 1,300 lb boat some 3 - 4 mph depending on the hull shape, rigging drag, etc. That's consistent with the 3 knot current mentioned.

Another interesting thing with that thrust is comparing it to oars. In my dinghy loaded to 400 lbs I can go 3.5 mph all day with the oars generating some 7 lbs of thrust (tie the boat to a dock with a fishing scale inline, row normally and have a friend tell you what the scale reads). This motor will do 3 times that thrust which theoretically should move me at hull speed in that boat.

Laszlo

First I'd heard of 'em.  It is a wild lookin' thing, for sure!  It's like a scaled down Thai long tail with a little electric motor instead of a whacking great gasoline industrial or automotive engine.  Oh, and at least there's an attempt at some sort of a propeller guard, unlike those Thai long tailed weed whackers / meat choppers.  An unguarded outboard prop is dangerous enough on a shaft that isn't meand to wave around in water or air through wide, three dimensional arcs.  Mercy!  <;-)

Seriously, one does wonder what it would really be like to use on a small boat meant to be powered by paddles, oars or sails.  This may bear further investigation.

.....Michael