shooboy
US Veteran
How big of a motor do I need?
- Thread starter jeepjeepwhat
- Start date
A 34#/thrust electric only sluggishly moved my Old Town Sport Boat, a plastic hulled (i.e., not very rigid) craft similar to your Scanoe, and drained an Optima deep-cycle gel cell battery pretty quickly. A 1.5 HP Evinrude "Mate" gave much better performance on the Sport Boat, and on a side-mount bracket, on my Royalex Appalachian whitewater canoe. (This is not a satisfactory arrangement...) Now, I've abandoned the electric rig entirely for GP use, and have combined a 3.5HP Johnson 2-cycle and a Grumman 16' square stern, which is a very satisfactory combination.
The electric motors are clean and quiet, but the heavy batteries are a real problem (unstable ballast, etc.) in a small, light boat. Most electric shafts are awkwardly too long when mounted on a low freeboard boat, i.e., they demand excessive draft in a boat designed for shallow water. Old Town sells an electric motor specifically designed for canoes --- short shaft, correctly "geared" and with appropriate prop pitch for canoes. It's not cheap but it appears to me to be the best choice in electric canoe propulsion.
2-cycle outboards seem to be the ideal for canoe-size craft, lightweight combination of motor and fuel (easily distributed among several small tanks) and an easily monitored fuel supply (not the case with batteries...)
In any case, there's a reasonable limit to maximum horsepower/thrust, and that's your boat's hull speed relative to Load Waterline length --- with displacement (vs. planing) hulls, you're never going to get a canoe moving very fast...
The electric motors are clean and quiet, but the heavy batteries are a real problem (unstable ballast, etc.) in a small, light boat. Most electric shafts are awkwardly too long when mounted on a low freeboard boat, i.e., they demand excessive draft in a boat designed for shallow water. Old Town sells an electric motor specifically designed for canoes --- short shaft, correctly "geared" and with appropriate prop pitch for canoes. It's not cheap but it appears to me to be the best choice in electric canoe propulsion.
2-cycle outboards seem to be the ideal for canoe-size craft, lightweight combination of motor and fuel (easily distributed among several small tanks) and an easily monitored fuel supply (not the case with batteries...)
In any case, there's a reasonable limit to maximum horsepower/thrust, and that's your boat's hull speed relative to Load Waterline length --- with displacement (vs. planing) hulls, you're never going to get a canoe moving very fast...
S/W - Lifer
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I've got a Scanoe but never ran it with an electric motor. I have run it with a small outboard - 2.2 HP - and it ran great.
The whole Scanoe thing is kind of funny, not quite canoe, not quite rowboat. It has its place but I'd be careful. It is not much for open water. You'll need to keep some weight forward to keep out of trouble.
The whole Scanoe thing is kind of funny, not quite canoe, not quite rowboat. It has its place but I'd be careful. It is not much for open water. You'll need to keep some weight forward to keep out of trouble.
Sir, BIG +1. My little brother once put altogether too much motor on a johnboat, but did not tell me this before turning me loose in it. When I rolled on the power, the bow instantly came way up (looked almost vertical from where I was sitting
You do not want a lot of motor on a small, light boat.
Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.
Ron H.
ParadiseRoad
Member
Originally posted by shooboy:
Now THAT'S a boat motor !!! WOW ! Shoo
...there were three of them in each PT Boat...4500 horsepower total...a hard day of high speed patrol would use up to 5000 gallons of gas...
.
beemerrider
Member
I suggest you call Coleman. They should be in a good position to make a reasoned recommendation based upon the boat's engineering and customers' experiences. Best of luck to you.
HappyHunter
Member
I have a 16 foot coleman conoe. In the past I have put a 34 lb thrust minn kota trolling motor on it. I rewired the leads on trolling motor to makd them much longer and placed the battery in the front of canoe.
The 34 lb tm moved the canoe faster than only one paddler but not as fast as two if they where very serious.
In Indiana it is required that the water vessel be registered if a motor is to be used on it. This little regulation cost me a ticket.
hth
The 34 lb tm moved the canoe faster than only one paddler but not as fast as two if they where very serious.
In Indiana it is required that the water vessel be registered if a motor is to be used on it. This little regulation cost me a ticket.
hth
Nicksterdemus
Member
Apply trim.
Saved my butt on Greer's Ferry. Small craft warning since the morning while I was fishing a tributary stream on the lee shore. White caps on the main body, me and a 12' flatbottom rounding a point/bluff that went 80' straight to Davy Jones locker. Wind lifted the bow and luckily I'd trimmed the old Sears n Roebuck 12HP to push up from the back coz it's old butt was so heavy & the flatbottom was a wee bit short. Wide open & I was barely out of the water astern. First cove I ducked for cover and stored everything that wasn't bolted down fore of ye mizzen mast. AARRR! Still had to open the drain plug whilst skirting the shoreline and bailing w/weak-side hand.
'Eave to ye scurvy dawgs an prepare to be boarded, lest ye tastes me grapeshot!
I'd be in the market for small 2cycle and forget about heavy battery and recharging.
I don't know about the quality, yet I've oft pondered those little 1.75HP w/flexible drive.
I'm sure they're designed for no more than light-medium duty, but that might be just the ticket for your application...
enfield
US Veteran
1 Hp is approximately equal to 15 lbs thrust as I recall.
If you go the 2-cycle route make sure that they are legal where you plan to go. Briggs & Stratton has an air-cooled light weight motor on the market. Make sure of the overall length of the motor. If you go the electric route make sure your battery box if securely fastened down, in case you flip. I have a 12 foot jon-boat and I have a nice set of oars in oarlocks. It allows me access into waters I could not reach with a motor. No registration fees/fuel/ battery charge to worry about.
