User case: a Bente24 sailboat equipped with TEMO's POD·3000

For many small sailboat owners, the internal combustion engine often remains an unsatisfactory compromise: noisy, bulky, and sometimes unreliable. New electric solutions are now changing the game.
For Chantier du Redo, the French importer of the Bente Yachts brand, the objective was clear: to offer a modern, silent propulsion solution on a Bente24 that was perfectly integrated with the boat's spirit.

This 7.50 m sailboat, designed for coastal cruising, day trips, and weekends, needed to maintain all its ease of use and liveability.
TEMO's POD·3000 quickly emerged as a particularly coherent solution.

Boat Characteristics

Model: Bente24
Type: Liveable coastal cruising sailboat
Length: 7.50 m
Program: Weekend, leisure sailing, coastal cruising
Category: Transportable monohull
Use: Family and coastal sailing

The Bente24 is designed to offer maximum space and comfort in a compact format. One of the project's challenges was therefore to preserve:

interior volumes
simplicity of layout,
and the vessel’s overall balance and handling characteristics.

Why Replace the Conventional Outboard Engine?

For Loïc Bègue, owner of Chantier du Redo and project lead for the refit, the conclusion was straightforward: conventional gasoline outboard engines quickly reveal their limitations on this type of modern sailboat.

On the Bente24, the traditional outboard engine presented several drawbacks:

an exposed engine mounted at the stern,
occasional starting issues,
significant noise,
vibrations,
inconvenient handling,
and limited aesthetic integration.

The team was therefore looking for a more suitable alternative for the actual use of the boat.
TEMO’s POD·3000 immediately stood out thanks to its under-hull integration.

Unlike a conventional outboard:

the motor becomes virtually invisible,
nothing obstructs the transom,
and the interior layout remains completely unaffected.

As a result, the boat retains all of its functionality while ensuring comfortable movement on board.

Pack POD·3000 - FIXE - TEMO

A Much Simpler Installation Than a Conventional Inboard Engine

This first electric propulsion installation was a new experience for the Chantier du Redo team.
Supported by TEMO’s technical experts, Loïc Bègue and his team quickly discovered just how straightforward the system was to install.

According to his feedback:

“In practical terms, it’s much simpler than an inboard combustion engine.”
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Compared with a conventional inboard engine, there is:

no complex engine bed,
no heavy propeller shaft system,
no fuel circuit,
no exhaust system,
and no major structural modifications required.

The mechanical installation of the pod simply involves:

positioning a drilling template,
securing the unit to the hull with four mounting points,
and connecting the electrical system.

The mechanical installation of the POD·3000 was completed in one morning.

The entire electrical system, designed with a highly plug-and-play approach, was then connected in approximately one to one and a half days by a technician familiar with the equipment.

Installed Configuration:

Motorization: POD·3000
- Motor Power: 3100 W
- Nominal Voltage: 48 V
- Battery: 1 TEMO 2.3 kWh battery with Autoconnect Rack
- Charger: Domestic 8A + On-board (7.5A (350W)
- Options: GORI folding two-blade propeller

A Perfect Fit for the Bente24

One of the key advantages of the POD·3000 is its ability to integrate seamlessly into a sailboat without compromising its design or layout. On the Bente24, this means:

preserving valuable storage space,
maintaining the boat’s interior volume,
avoiding the constraints associated with a conventional inboard engine,
and keeping the boat lightweight and highly functional.

The system becomes almost invisible on board while delivering a significant improvement in ease of use and onboard comfort.

First Sea Trials: Highly Encouraging Results

The boat was recently launched in La Rochelle, providing the first real-world performance data.
In flat-water conditions:

the Bente24 reached speeds between 5.2 and 5.5 knots,
while consuming only 1,500 W
equivalent to roughly half of the POD·3000’s available power.

In this configuration, the observed range already exceeds three hours.
For coastal cruising, day sailing, and weekend outings, this comfortably covers the vast majority of typical use cases.

Performance Summary

Performance Report with a POD·3000 + 1 TEMO 2.3 kWh battery with autoconnect rack - Bente24 Sailboat

Flexible Range to Match Every Sailing Program

One of the major strengths of the TEMO system lies in its energy modularity.
For longer passages, users can:

add extra batteries,
or rent additional battery capacity when needed.

During testing:

the boat was operated with four batteries instead of two,
nearly doubling the available range,
and providing close to six hours of operation.

This flexibility allows the propulsion system to be tailored precisely to the intended sailing program.

A New Way of Using Auxiliary Power Under Sail

One of the most striking aspects of the feedback concerns the hybrid use of sail power combined with electric assistance.
With a conventional combustion engine, sailors rarely start the engine simply to gain a little extra speed because of:

excessive noise,
too many vibrations,
and the unpleasant experience of motoring while sailing.

With the POD·3000, the approach is entirely different.
In light winds of around 4 knots:

just a few hundred watts are sufficient,
approximately 400 W is enough,
to maintain a speed close to 5 knots.

In this configuration:

the motor can operate for more than 10 hours,
with extremely low energy consumption,
while preserving the enjoyment of true sailing.

As Loïc Bègue summarizes:
“It’s motor-sailing… but without the drawbacks of a combustion engine.”

A Particularly Relevant Solution for Modern Small Cruising Sailboats.This case study confirms that electric pod drives are especially well suited to lightweight cruising sailboats.
In this application, TEMO’s POD·3000 makes it possible to: