Benoît Coquelet, a delighted TEMO user on the island of Embiez

Embiez Island is a small French island located in the Var department, a few minutes by boat from Six-Four-les-Plages. Renowned for its verdant nature, its coves and inlets with translucent water, many boaters have made it their home.

Among them, Benoît Coquelet, happy owner of a TEMO · 450 electric motor for several years and now brand ambassador.

Check out the interview!

Can you introduce yourself?

Hello, I am Benoît, I am a yachtsman on the island of Embiez where I practice my passion for sailing and thus enjoy this wonderful region which goes from Marseille to the French Riviera with the sailboat and with my wife.

How long have you owned a TEMO ? 450?

I've had my TEMO 450 since June 2021. Shortly after, I acquired my first boat. And I was looking for equipment for my dinghy. It's a 2.5m 3D Tender.

Why TEMO? I had a 29-foot boat and I didn't have much space on my boat to store the dinghies, paddles, etc. and the motors.

That was the first point. A question of size and then the idea of ​​not using a combustion engine because it involves storing gasoline, it involves smells and it involves additional weight.

The choice was therefore quick and at the time TEMO presented a solution that suited me perfectly.

When do you use your TEMO·450?

It's when we're at anchor that we can easily launch our dinghy and our TEMO. It's easy to set up and stow away . For us, ease of use is what matters most.

The battery life is about an hour, obviously depending on how the power is used. For anchoring, it's perfect. Then, for recharging, I have a 12V socket, so I can recharge it on the boat while I'm out of the way.

Have you encountered any difficulties with this electric motor?

A problem? Well, it's my fault, yes. I didn't, how shall I say, winterize my engine properly.

When I changed boats, I went six months without sailing. My battery suffered as a result. So I called TEMO's customer service, and I must say it was quite amazing. I spoke with very responsive people who took care of me immediately. Especially since it was just before the season.

So they came to my house to collect my battery. They sent it back to me a week later. It was perfect. It was a problem I had created myself, but it was resolved very efficiently.

From TEMO·450 to TEMO·1000?

What got me to 450 today can get me to TEMO·1000 tomorrow.

The TEMO·1000 is more powerful . The boat is a bit bigger, so there's a bit more resistance against the current. With a bit more resistance against the current, you can move further away from the edge of the beach or the edge of a dock.

Next, I had the opportunity to see the practical side. Another point I found very successful in the TEMO·1000 is the removable battery , which allows the weight to be almost halved. Even over reasonable distances, this works very well.

We've already seen people modify their combustion engine to mount it on their dinghy. It can sometimes be a challenge. I'd say the challenge is a little less complicated with the TEMO·1000.

Any projects involving one of the TEMO electric motors?

My wife and I are planning to go sailing along the coast again in September or October, and we'll probably stop in Corsica. There are some amazing anchorages in Corsica that I don't know, so we're going to explore them together, and with our TEMO·450 or TEMO·1000, we're sure we'll have a fantastic time!