Rim Drive 8 kW rotatable pod

Sensitive Steering

With this function, the sensitivity of the steering lever can be determined with a single button. This function allows for very precise steering in tight spaces.

Lateral Parking

The parking function of a boat is crucial when docking. The Rim Drive provides precise control and stability, allowing for safe and easy parking of the boat.

Turning on the Spot

Thanks to the differential steering, it is possible to turn on the spot with two motors. An algorithm determines which motor needs to run forward and backward and at what speed.

Course Keeping Function

This function corrects currents and wind influences, allowing for sailing a straight course for a long time. The Rim Drive motors minimize deviations and provide a relaxed and stable sailing experience.

Travel time and range depend on the battery. In an example with a 4,000 kg boat and a 20 kWh battery, we have the following measurements:

✓ At full load, the battery lasts just under 2.5 hours and the boat reaches a speed of 12 km/h. The range was 30 km.

✓ At 1/2 power, the driving pleasure lasts for a 5-hour trip on the water at a marching speed of 9 km/h and a range of 45 km.

✓ Those who plan longer and more leisurely tours on the water can go much further with less power. At 1/4 of the power, a speed of 7 km/h was reached for 10 hours. In total, a range of 70 km with just one battery charge.

Rim Drive uses its own LiFePO4 batteries. The motors are perfectly matched to the lithium batteries. The batteries have a relatively good price-performance ratio on the market and a comparatively light weight. Alternatively, the greenboatsolutions batteries from the solar sector are also suitable.

You can see on the individual motors which batteries are suitable due to their performance and capacity. The larger the battery, the better the price per kWh. The 48 V 200 Ah batteries cost less than 500€ per kWh.

The special feature of the Rim Drive Technology drives is the shape of the ring, so that the drives do not have a classic propeller shaft. The design has the advantage that nothing can get caught in a shaft and if damaged, the propeller blades can be replaced individually. The propeller blades are very sturdy and resistant.

The electric winding is located in the outer housing (stator). The housing itself is cast and does not contain any seals. The inner housing (rotor) with the magnets and propeller blades is also cast, so that no corrosion can occur.

The Dutch company Rim Drive Technology offers electric boat motors with a power range from 0.5 kW to 50 kW. The existing products are constantly being further developed and new variants are regularly added.

All components are designed and developed in the Netherlands. RDT is committed to the spread of electric drives and compensates for all CO2 emissions. In total, RDT has been developing the motors since 2018.

The prices of the motors are clearly in the premium segment, but especially in the higher power range, there is hardly any way around the manufacturer!