Anyone use a trolling motor and a canoe?

[PetrifiedWood]

Tell me about it. My BIL scored a canoe in a trade a few days ago and he wants to mount a trolling motor. Just curious to see what kind of speed and/or mileage he can expect and what size battery to use, etc. He has a 45lb. thrust motor. The canoe itself is 14'.

[madmax]

We thought we had the bomb for quick trips... until FL Fish and Game socked us with a ticket for not having registered the boat and not putting 400 letters and numbers on our canoe.  It costs here.

Soured us on the trolling motor on a canoe idea.

[wolfy]

We thought we had the bomb for quick trips... until FL Fish and Game socked us with a ticket for not having registered the boat and not putting 400 letters and numbers on our canoe.  It costs here.

Soured us on the trolling motor on a canoe idea.

Same deal here in Nebraska, but we just 'experimented' with one in a backwater one night just to see how it would work.  Never got caught, but putting those ugly numbers and letters on the bow held me back more than anything else.  Never pursued it beyond that one time.

[upthecreek]

Our friend Sam Bunyan has a canoe with a motor. I'm almost certain he had to register his too. It worked great however. He pulled 2 of us and a kayak across the lake to and island we took a little hike on. Saved a bunch of flat water paddling.

Creek

[Pennsylvania Mike]

Same thing here in Pennsylvania and in Virginia, if you have an electric or gas motor you must have the boat, canoe, or rubber raft register, only if you use paddle and no motor of any kind in the canoe you don?t need to register the canoe.

[imnukensc]

In SC, canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, windsurfers, etc. are not required to be titled or registered.  Outboard motors less than 5 HP are not required to be titled or registered.  You would have to check your own state laws for its requirements.  But as to your OP:  a 45 lb. thrust trolling motor paired up with any good deep cycle battery will keep you moving along nicely for hours on end.  (You'd have to do the math - amps drawn vs. amps available to figure out how long.)  Probably easier to hook one up to a square stern canoe, but I have seen rigs available for conventional canoes.  I'm making the assumption you're not talking about a foot controlled trolling motor.  I think you'd be pleased with it.

[Duece111]

I dont know about registration never bren hassled but i got a super old electric 3 speed motor ,the lowest speed is perfect for trolling,bit hard to control at first

[wsdstan]

I think it would work very well.  As to your "mileage" it will all depend on your battery.  Get a deep cycle marine battery and it should last you the day at least.

My experience with trolling motors is that they work very well.  I have used them on large craft so they ought to move a canoe around pretty easily.  Your not going to have a long distance water ski affair though, you still are going to have to paddle across the big open stretches.

[Duece111]

Ive been toying with the idea of a portable solar panel with a charging system but i havent really researched it yet.i use a deep cycle marine battery.

[zammer]

not mine just came across it... tons of stuff on yt

[wolfy]

I recall that Bill Reviere, in his book POLE, PADDLE AND PORTAGE, suggested the best & most convenient way to steer a powered canoe was to lock the motor in a straight forward position and the person in the stern could then use his paddle like a tiller.  This prevents the unstable feeling that results from the motor trying to push one end of the canoe sideways and the tiring position of having to reach directly behind your seated position in a square stern canoe to steer with the motor.  He also said he'd rather have the double-ended canoe than the square end because the DE was more stable and quiet due to the turbulence created at the rear of the DE.  That book is out of print, but he was an old school Maine guide with an ability to write that made you believe he knew what he was talking about.
                                                           
                                                                       

[PetrifiedWood]

I did some research and it looks like it will need to be registered in our state as well. There are a lot of restrictions on where you can use a motorized boat for fishing too.

Another issue is he is supposed to display the "capacity plate" which is an aluminum plate with the number of occupant and maximum load. Unfortunately that is missing from this boat. It came off in transport somehow.

[madmax]

Just get a bigger paddle.  Red likes my gigantic Whitewater Guide paddle.

He makes a wake.

[suttree]

we have used a 15lb thrust on a 16 foot old town smooth bottom..    i chopped off a 2x4 to fit inside near the rear of the canoe and had a 2x4 approx 24" long to sit over the top and hang over the sides of the canoe... directly over the other 2x4 and used a pipe clamp to hold them together and pinch on the canoe rails..   

worked great... runs for hours and 15lbs is Plenty of power for this rig..  not sure how long it would run... since we never even came close to killing the battery..

keep the motor up..! you will be in the mud and rocks before you know it..  since your in a canoe..

[Dano]

Here is an example of a mount available for canoes without a square stern   http://www.campmor.com/harmony-canoe-motor-mount.shtml?source=CI&ci_sku=71205&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=&ds_e_ad_type=pla

I have a 19' Grumman with a square stern that can take up to a 6hp motor.  I've had a 35# thrust trolling motor on it and was impressed at how well it moved on smaller lakes and ponds.  It does get blown around by the wind a lot since there's no keel, and makes you have to constantly correct for the wind.

Before guessing at the size you could mount, I'd contact the canoe manufacturer for their recommendations as to what size they say will work.  At the same time, you can probably order a new plate from them, and possibly get a new hull ID number (which you may need to register it anyway).  If not, there should be a way to get a new hull ID plate from your state BMV.

You will have to allow for the weight of the mount, motor and battery towards the total capacity, and I'm gonna bet it will reduce a 14 footer by quite a bit....and maybe cut the occupant capacity down to just one person...

Wolfy's idea about using a fixed motor position along with a paddle does work very well.  They used to make rudder kits for canoes, but I can't seem to find any.  Here's a trolling motor shaft-mounted rudder that states it's a new product...  http://www.ebay.com/itm/BULLNOSE-RUDDER-for-Electric-Trolling-Motor-Inflatable-Pontoon-Kayak-Canoe-Boat-/301353748650?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

[FlaMike]

Personally, I don't like the idea. But that wasn't the question. 

On thing to seriously consider is the placement of the battery and what might happen should (or when) a capsize occur.

Just about any battery you'd use will take said canoe straight to the bottom. You might want to consider placing the battery where it will simply drop out of the boat when it turns turtle. And maybe some sort of quick disconnect for the cables as well.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

[Yeoman]

When I was growing up, Dad used a 1.5hp Sears gas motor on a 16' fibreglass Pickwauket (made on a vintage Chestnut mould). Later he upgraded to an electric. He'd put the deep cycle marine 12v in the bow and had wire run down the gunnel to the motor. At low speed he'd be able to troll 6-10 hours easy. At hi speed he'd have about 30 minutes.


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