E-POD 3000 Disaster

[gypsycoder]

I purchased my system (cash up front) in September of 2007. Kevin
dribbled parts out to me over a period of several months in 2008. I am
still waiting for the ammeter and PakTrakr.

I installed the system in late 2009 during a total refit of my 1981
Hunter-Cherubini 33. The boat is still on the hard due to weather
caused delays in refinishing the interior and exterior. I attempted to
turn the E-POD motor shaft yesterday and discovered that it is frozen
solid.

I attempted to email Kevin Plank today at his old email address and at
his new address. Both bounced back.

I will be pulling the E-POD off and replacing it with an internal
motor system. This is going to be both expensive and painful as I will
have to purchase a new prop shaft and shaft log in addition to the new
e-motor system. Oh, and I have to undo all of the fiberglass work I
did to fill and fair the hull where the prop shaft exited and the prop
strut was mounted.

If anyone catches up with Kevin, please let me know.

[Robert P]

Which e-motor system are you going with? I'm in the same boat
(figuratively) as you are. The only response I received from Kevin was
that he didn't like it when I started sharing my customer experience
on his youtube videos. Here's what he said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keveeee2000 (Youtube)
Subject: E-POD Motors

Hello,

This is Kevin from RE-E-POWER.
I'm sorry that you've had more problems with the motors. I saw that
you were trying to send me certified mail, but the address you were
sending them to is a location that I'm not at during the day. There is
no one there to sign for it and so it was never received.

I understand that you want a complete refund for the full purchase
amount of the motors.
I'm sorry but that is impossible. I'll send you another email with the
purchase agreement and the warranty that we had posted on line during
the time the motor was purchased.
There has never been a satisfaction garrantee expressed or implied in
any manor. However I will work with anyone on getting their system
going and in most cases I've helped people beyond the warranty time.

As for my responses to emails and calls. I don't know if you noticed
the website being down. I (myself personally) and the business have
gone through a fairly traumatic time over the past 7 months. I won't
get into the details on that.

We WILL warrant the motors and send parts for exchange (the new end
bells that have the improved brush assemblies). We do not however pay
for shipping or the cost of repair on your end. If you ship the motors
back we will repair and replace the parts. Test the motors. We can't
afford to pay for all of the shipping but we may try to help with some
of those expenses.

I'm working very hard to rebuild the company. The original
manufacturer of the motor and it's components has made the changes (at
my expense) and I truly believe we have the best product available
now. I can fill you in on the details of the changes we've made in
components and design if you are interested.

This is the best I can do. As for running a campaign to smear the
company. It won't do anything to help me help you. If people don't buy
our new motors because of bad word of mouth we will be forced to close
down. I'm a VERY small company. Right now it is pretty much myself and
one part timer.

Try giving me a call again on our number at 574-807-0057.

Kevin Plank
RE-E-POWER.com

[Michael Nikisher]

Hi Robert,

It is interesting that Kevin finally responded to you. I usually got a response from him when I threatened legal action but he always protested that he was unfazed by my threat. Sure he was. I might be tempted to work with him on getting the motor sorted out but I am afraid it will be a waste of time and money. Plus, my wife is very concerned about getting caught without a functioning motor when we might really need it. So working with Kevin is a non-starter for me.

I have decided to move the motor back into the boat and use the MARS 3001. There are at least two companies out there that are packaging those motors with controllers and the other bits (with one critical exception) needed to make up a system. The critical exception is a plate or frame on which to mount the motor and the necessary speed reduction pulleys.

I have a bit of electro/mechanical design experience so I am not intimidated by designing the system myself. My boat is a Hunter 33 displacing about 5 tons. The rule of thumb is that you need about 1KW of power per ton so a MARS 3001 mated to a Kelly KBL48301 controller can provide the power. I am keen on the idea of pulley-based speed reduction as it really provides an inexpensive and physically easy way to match the motor to the prop.

I am not thinking of buying one of the available kits as I want a joystick throttle control and instrumentation that doesn't look like it belongs in a laboratory.

I do plan on sharing my solution with the general public free of charge. It is very frustrating to read of e-power solutions that are described in either vague terms or leave out critical data.

Let me know if you are interested in my solution. I will be happy to keep you updated on my progress.

Regards,

Michael