Canoe Question

[Levy]

So i just picked up my first canoe, and ended up having to buy new. I couldn't find one of these used anywhere. Heck i could only find them at the cabelas store in saskatoon. The edmonton store said they couldn't ship them from saskatoon to edmonton. But my question is. The specks on the canoe says max 5hp. Should i get that or go with a 2.5 hp? and with 4 stroke being heavier is it a good idea to get a 5hp 4 stroke, or should i go with something lighter? I was also wondering if I got a long 20" prop as opposed to a 15" would it cause any problems in a canoe?

I will be using this for work and need the biggest engine possible to transport till samples.

http://www.kawarthaboatdepot.ca/sites/default/files/Canoes%20%20Recreation%20%20Discovery%20Sport%2015 %20-%20Old%20Town.png

[FishingFrenzy]

So i just picked up my first canoe, and ended up having to buy new. I couldn't find one of these used anywhere. Heck i could only find them at the cabelas store in saskatoon. The edmonton store said they couldn't ship them from saskatoon to edmonton. But my question is. The specks on the canoe says max 5hp. Should i get that or go with a 2.5 hp? and with 4 stroke being heavier is it a good idea to get a 5hp 4 stroke, or should i go with something lighter? I was also wondering if I got a long 20" prop as opposed to a 15" would it cause any problems in a canoe?

I will be using this for work and need the biggest engine possible to transport till samples.

http://www.kawarthaboatdepot.ca/sites/default/files/Canoes%20%20Recreation%20%20Discovery%20Sport%2015 %20-%20Old%20Town.png

You just answered your own question :). Go with the biggest motor you can safely put on your boat. If I were you I would try to find a gently used two-stroke 5hp. Or if you will be pushing a ton of weight (not sure what a "till sample" is..) you could look into beefing up the transom and going with a 7.5hp or 8hp. Before all the haters jump on me for suggesting he modify the boat and exceed the manufacturers specs, there is a way to do it legally and safely, perhaps you just don't know about it:fighting0030:

[BeeGuy]

You just answered your own question :). Go with the biggest motor you can safely put on your boat. If I were you I would try to find a gently used two-stroke 5hp. Or if you will be pushing a ton of weight (not sure what a "till sample" is..) you could look into beefing up the transom and going with a 7.5hp or 8hp. Before all the haters jump on me for suggesting he modify the boat and exceed the manufacturers specs, there is a way to do it legally and safely, perhaps you just don't know about it:fighting0030:

Why dont you tell us how it's done?


For the record, if you put too much weight on the transom, you will be riding very low in the back and likely have waves washing into the canoe.

Whatever your choice, keep the weight down.

[fishdude17]

I have a simular canoe, its a 12' with a Johnson 2 hp motor. If I am by myself I have to put 5 gallon pails of water in the front to balance the weight out. Not sure what the maximum hp is for mine, but the 2hp makes it zip along really well.

[Okotokian]

canoe wouldn't have been my first choice if I needed a powered boat to transport material of any weight for my work. Since it's your job I assume you don't always get to pick and choose the weather you work in.

[cube]

Where do you live? perhaps you could borrow a motor for an afternoon and see.

[densa44]

Canoes were not designed for motors. My concern is the same as one mentioned already, how will it ride empty? That is you, fuel, and motor all near the stern. If you are able to try 2 different size motors that would be better.

Do you have to be able to portage the canoe and motor?

How much do till samples weigh? Do they stay put if it is windy?

[wwbirds]

although you have a square stern it doesn't look nearly wide enough to carry substantial weight and remain stable. You should be looking at freighter canoes if planning on carrying any substantial weight in adverse conditions.
Mine is not nearly as wide as the one pictured but will take a 9 horse motor and carry 800 pounds of cargo with 2 passengers. nearly flat bottom and you can stand in it to shoot, unfortuantely peterborough canoes no longer makes them so the closest thing is a $2500 unit out of BC but I can't remember the brand name. they are used as water taxis out of Moosonee and Moose Factory on James Bay and many northern settlements where canoes are the main transportation in summer.
Good luck
Rob
p.s. I think this one is rated for a 40 horse, now that is sailing!
http://www.scottcanoe.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&Itemid=98

[fishdude17]

Canoes were not designed for motors. My concern is the same as one mentioned already, how will it ride empty? That is you, fuel, and motor all near the stern. If you are able to try 2 different size motors that would be better.

Do you have to be able to portage the canoe and motor?

How much do till samples weigh? Do they stay put if it is windy?

If these types of canoes weren't made to have motors on them, they wouldn't have transoms. :thinking-006:

[FishingFrenzy]

Why dont you tell us how it's done?


For the record, if you put too much weight on the transom, you will be riding very low in the back and likely have waves washing into the canoe.

Whatever your choice, keep the weight down.

The transom could be beefed up in any number of ways, that would be up to whoever was doing the modification. Personally I would get some 1in marine ply and cut it to fit inside the transom, glue it on with marine 5200, stainless bolts through the transom/plywood.

As far as legality, I talked personally to transport canada about whether or not my boat needed a capacity plate as it does not have one. I was told that if I didn't have one, it wasn't required. So...he could pop the capacity plate off and be "legal"

Or after the modification it could be registered as a homebuilt boat, I forget the actual procedure for this but I recall that there is a way to do it.



Not to mention I doubt anyone will ever check the capacity plate on your CANOE to see if your 2.5hp over the limit....


As far as weight, a new fourstroke 5hp weighs damn near what my 2-stroke 9.9 does. An 2-stroke 7.5 would be the same weight or less than a 4-stroke 5hp....

Im not sure how they rate boats for HP capacity, but I would imagine in this day and age they would be rating them for fourstrokes. I will agree though that if you put a bunch of weight in the back, it will ride lower in the water. You will probably need to offset it by keeping any gear as far front as possible. Possibly even your fuel tank.

[Kokanee9]

Stay with the short 15" motor. Don't consider putting anything longer on it. Think of it as the force of the prop on a longer motor adding extra leverage against your transom. You wont go any faster, but that extra strain will always be there if you go with a longer motor.

What the canoe is rated for is what you should consider as a max for HP. Those canoes are very flexible and that rib running along the bottom is to give the boat extra strength, not for looks.

Go with the 2 stroke.They are lighter with less moving parts to break down.

On a small motor like that, a 5 gal gas can will go for all summer and into fall as well.

[Levy]

Wow thanks guys a lot of good input to consider. Im currently in Iron River north of Bonnyville and i also have a place in saskatoon. I appreciate the offer Cube but now that you mentioned it I think i'll just bug our neighbour at Manatokan to try out one of his small engines. He owns one of the float planes on the lake and I remember seeing half a dozen smaller motors in his shop for his zodiac.

Those scott canoes wwbirds posted look pretty impressive! but look a little big for the pond hopping I'll be doing. We will be hauling max 200 lbs of samples. With two guys and gear im guessing we will still be under the "with motor capacity." The till samples will stay put they will just be bags of sand and gravel. They will hopefully help stabilize the canoe. We will likely take the motor off and do two trips at every portage.

Good pointer Kokanee with the length. Interesting stuff with the beefing up the back of the canoe to put a bigger engine on there, but I'll keep her light. Beeguy brought up a good point about that. Good to know it can legally be done though.

Glad i posted this. I have never owned or rode in a canoe with an engine on it before so I had no idea what to watch out for and what to expect this definitely gives me a much better idea. Appreciate the help. Can't wait to try it out.

[Cal]

I had a square stern for a short while and with only one guy in it it rode pretty squirly. When the front gets up in the air only the narrow part of the hull in the stern is in the water, at that point your 3' wide boat acts like a 15" wide boat. Whatever engine you end up buying get one that uses a seperate fuel tank and put that tank up front. If you need more weight up front ad some of those water bags that you use for camping up front. I once rode in a 19 foot freighter, with 3 of us in it and the fuel up front it was a very stable ride.

[densa44]

In spite of the reasonable point that because the canoe has a square stern it is meant for a motor, I'm with Cal. I've owned one too. Empty they are badly unbalanced, in a wind even worse.

When you are fully loaded, you, your friend and your samples, if there is a following sea, and you lose power suddenly, the boat can "poop" green stuff over the stern! It will become very unstable and can broach, not good at all.

If you have to 2 trip your portages, and the weather is borderline, I suggest that you consider 2 tripping the water section of your trip on big water. It is hard to know what the maximum weight for the boat is, but for sure it is less in rough water. It can fill in a flash, it has no self draining plug, so any water that comes in has to be bailed out. The weight will increase very fast.

Be safe out there.

[Cal]

Just to be clear I want to add that I dont think that you made a bad choice in going with that canoe. For your intended purpose it sounds like a good fit, just pointing out that a canoe under power behaves quite differently than a boat and precautions need to be taken to keep things safe. Up in the Yukon and parts of the NWT as well as out east freighters are quite popular, if they were truely as bad as many seem to think they wouldnt be as comon as they are in other parts of the country.

Just wondering if you could post some specs on that boat for me?