motor for a canoe

[farmer6]

I would like to put a motor onto our canoe and need some advice.

We have a 2 man canoe that we put on the roof racks of the cruiser with our kyack and use them when we are away to do some fishing and chasing redclaw. I was keen to put a small motor on the canoe so we can get to some more places at camping areas like dams. We paddle around at the moment and thats great for exercise but if we go to far the kids get tied and i have to do all the paddling home, sometimes with the kyack in tow.

So the questions are 1.what are the pros and cons of electrical vs petrol   2. what is the power use or fuel use of the different types   3.what size do I need to push around a 2 man canoe with myself and 2 kids   4. I know you dont need a licence for up to 6 hp but what age limits are there, on a powered canoe, if my eldest son wants to cheak the pots by himself ( he's 12 )   5. what is the best way to attach the motor.   6. can you get a petrol motor with a gaurd around it like the surf life savers have.

Any photos of what people have done would be great. Thanks.

farmer6

[kranky al]

personally i reckon you cant go past a lekky motor for your application

1) quiet
2) 360 degree thrust
3) can use in dams and other systems where petrol engines arent allowed
4) lightweight
5) cheap
6) can on and off instantly without either idling and wasting fuel or having to crank everytime you want thrust
7) takes up less space
no servicing


cons
1) have to recharge battery somehow
2) not as much grunt



im sure others can add to either perspectives - ive got a 5hp petty and a 44lb thrust lekky for my little 8' plakky boat - both have their place but having said that - i use the lekky much more than the petty.

[speewa158]

What about a solar system talk to Mandrake /Steve ,,,,,,,, sorted  . Wont be water skiing   but 

[griz066]

I would like to put a motor onto our canoe and need some advice.

We have a 2 man canoe that we put on the roof racks of the cruiser with our kyack and use them when we are away to do some fishing and chasing redclaw. I was keen to put a small motor on the canoe so we can get to some more places at camping areas like dams. We paddle around at the moment and thats great for exercise but if we go to far the kids get tied and i have to do all the paddling home, sometimes with the kyack in tow.

So the questions are 1.what are the pros and cons of electrical vs petrol   2. what is the power use or fuel use of the different types   3.what size do I need to push around a 2 man canoe with myself and 2 kids   4. I know you dont need a licence for up to 6 hp but what age limits are there, on a powered canoe, if my eldest son wants to cheak the pots by himself ( he's 12 )   5. what is the best way to attach the motor.   6. can you get a petrol motor with a gaurd around it like the surf life savers have.

Any photos of what people have done would be great. Thanks.

farmer6

In Queensland, all recreational ships with an engine of more than 4hp are required to be registered when on the water.

In Queensland, all recreational ships with an engine 4hp or under are NOT required to be registered when on the water, and no license required.

In Queensland, a marine licence is required to operate a recreational boat which is powered by a motor greater than 6 HP.

To obtain a Queensland recreational marine driver license you must be aged 16 years or older


 

[Jon]

I had a 13' glass canadian canoe, weighed about 35kg. I fitted it with a 2hp Mariner(Yamaha) direct drive.
For just travelling from spot to spot it is the go. More than enough grunt for a canoe. Ran about 5 hrs on 750mls of 2 stroke.

If you do a petrol motor, make sure the final location is fairly well balanced. I had mine on the side and it nearly rooled the canoe if I got out.
Bracket consisted of a piece of 3x2 Maple on edge across the gunwhales, bolted through. Plenty strong enough.

[SUPA105]

Use a 36 lb thrust Minnkota motor (Electric) on our 10 ft tinny & have on a mates 3 person Coleman canoe......use a 100 amp hr Gel battery, over kill for our purpose but thats the battery we have.....3spd reverse & 5spd forward.....2 adults in the Canoe and speed 2 is good trolling speed....speed 5 and we move along at maybe 15 k's an hour.

 

[dno]

I beleave you can use a electric outboad in national park's to...

[jclures]

I have used a Mercury Thruster electric motor for many years, and my motor is still going strong, I use it on my 12’6” boat.

[Blinky Bill]

Hi all,

Slightly off topic but still on the subject of canoes & motors.

After watching a youtube vid of a canoing accident where people went in the drink and got their gear wet, I got to thinking about one of those devices that keeps it stable and helps stop the dreaded 'wobbles'. Not sure what it's called. An outrigger maybe?

Anyways it looks like a small floating device (almost like a mini canoe), connected fore & aft (  ) & running parallel with the canoe. Imagine sort of catamaran (ish) here or if you like in motor cycle terms 'a side car'.

Obviously I know zero about them but the benefits seems to be:
* greater stability
* something to attach the motor to
* capable of carrying more gear

Possible disadvantages?
* a bit more stuffing around before hitting the water
* limits the places you can go
* less agility

Anyone know anything about them?
Are they better or worse?
Does it offer a platform for the canoe motor?

Is it a huge PITA which is why you don't see them getting about?

Cheers - Wayne

[craigtempo]

Blinky yes they are called outriggers . and they would be alot safer so good idea.

there are quite a few yaks out there that are powered by motor as standard equipment .

have a look at viking kayaks http://www.vikingkayak.com.au/fishing_kayaks.htm the tempo in particular .u might get some ideas .

many manufacturers have been doing this for many years . hobie have also come into the frai with a leci in the last year and have stated that they where the first to do this .

any way

goodluck

craig

[farmer6]

Thanks for the replies guys. I think I'm starting to lean towards the electric motor as it probably suits our situation more.

How does the hp of a petrol motor compare to lbs of thrust on an electric as far as moving the caneo forward ? kranky al you have a 5 hp petrol and a 44lb thrust electric, do they give about the same amount of 'push'? or is that just what you have.

speewa158, yes I have a 100w setup from Mandrake but if I go the electric I may have to upgrade.

griz066, thanks for clearing that up. Its been a long time since I got my boat licence.

Jon, the rolling or balance is one if the reasons I am leaning toward the electric as they seem lighter and more compact against the side of the canoe. It think it would also makes it safer if the son is running around.

Supa105 15 km/h sounds good. How long would you get out of a 100 amp hr battery. About how many amps does a 36lb or 44lb motor use at full speed?

dno, I hadn't even thought of not being able to use a petrol motor in national parks so thanks. A bit like generators I guess.

jcclures what size motor did you use. Was it around that 36 to 44 lb size.

Blinky bill I have been thinking about the possibility of an outrigger for a while and even thought of attaching the kayak some how but, as you say, I thought it would turn into a major issue rather then something simple and fun. Family friends in Bundaberg have done this and even added a sail and its great but I think I need to keep it simple for on the roof racks and going camping.

craigtempo I will have a look on the website and see what they use. I got very excited about the hobie and thought about getting one before we got our kayak but then I saw the price and decided I probably didn't need one that much.

I think now it's rained again I need to do searching on the internet. At least now I know a bit of what I need to look for after your help. Thanks again everyone and keep the ideas coming.

farmer6

[Bob]

Here's a couple of pics of an old local gent and his electric motored canoe.
These pics were taken on Tallowa Dam, by Kangaroo Valley in NSW, the motor is powered by a deep cycle battery mounted in the middle of the canoe, the trip we did up the Shoalhaven is approx 14 kms either way, the battery powered the canoe no problem, and the old gent had a ball pretending to paddle as he glidded past, he had no problem keeping up with us in our 2 man sea kayak.
Sorry I haven't got any specs on the motor or battery, but the canoe is made of fibreglass and the motor was mounted to a wooden mount bolted to the seat area as you can see in the pics.



It was great to see this gent obviously enjoying his self, out and about in the bush well into his 80s, gives you hope eh!

[jclures]

From memory my motor is a 28lb motor, there were only a couple of motors around when I brought my motor. I think shakespear made a larger one at the time but I decided on the Mercury motor, as it had a good solid design, over 20 years later it is still going strong.

[Kit_e_kat9]

I beleave you can use a electric outboad in national park's to...

Go the Electric Motor. 

Quiet, so you can sneak up on fish ... Quiet, so you can sneak up on birds ... Quiet, so you can sneak up on the missus and scare the beegee's out of her!

Kit_e

[Barrabart]

G'day Farmer,

Mate i had both an electric and little 3hp Yamaha on a 30yr old De Havilland flat bottom punt a couple of years back. My choice would be the petrol, mine had the built in tank it was light and would run the punt for hours on the little fuel tank, also no real drama to cart a small 5ltr fuel container for a spare though i doubt in an average day you'd ever need it. Also with the petrol motor some advise i got, was get one with a throttle tiller and a forward nuetral gear selector (not many if any little motors have reverse, as they can spin 360) and not get a lever throttle on the side of the donk and direct drive, reason why is if the lever is at full throttle when you pull start the little motor goes straight to full revs and as it's direct drive the boat shoots off......... not real good if you are standing up.
With the electric i never liked not knowing the charge or condition of the battery, and did run the battery dry on a couple of occasions, due to water current, load etc, also lugging the battery and electric motor just added to more stuff. My little yammy was near new when i bought it, had hardly been used and was only a year old, i picked it up for $600 never missed a beat. Just to give you some idea the 3hp would get my punt with just my 12 yr old son in it up and planing at quite a good pace, however me being 6'3" and still too short for my weight did get it working

That's my thoughts anyway.

[farmer6]

Well after some research on the internet I'm leaning back towards a small petrol motor. The electrics seem to use a little more power than I thought. Power is always on my mind while camping as we normally try to camp away from 240v power and just rely on batteries and solar so having another thing that uses power may be an issue. Also a decent sized battery adds quite a bit of weight. Carrying 5 lts of fuel seems less of a hassel. So I'm still undecided. I spent most of the time on the internet looking at electric motors so I better have a good look at petrol motors now.

There was something on a site that I fould intresting. It taked about battery energy density. Most of it was very boring but there was a section showing the mj/kg which I assumed to be the energy you get compared to the weight of something.

0.4 mj/kg                lead acid battery
up to 1.0 mj/kg        lithium battery
44   mj/kg               petrol
144,000,000 mj/kg    uranium

So if someone has a second hand nuclear reactor that fits in a canoe then my problems are solved.

farmer6

[darren]

Would you use a fision - fusion charger??

[farmer6]

Would you use a fision - fusion charger??

 

I'm not sure darren, I will ask the question in the nuclear section and watch the sparks fly.

[kranky al]

44lb thrust motor is "supposedly" approx 4hp - i call bs - more like 2 - but thats what the guy in the shop reckoned

as for power use - a 44lb will use approx 50amps per hour on full noise - this also from the guy at the shop - seems about right- but exponentially less on lower settings - with the solar panel in the boat and set on 1 or 2 of 5 settings - its almost indefinite power as long as you have sun. 1-2 is a great trolling speed. 1 downcurrent - 2 upcurrent

upcurrent in a fast flowing river obviously has you using more - although in a canoe - not so much


hope that helps

[albany_nomads]

Its been Interesting reading this thread in regard to motor suitability for Canoes
Have you got any photos of your set up yet FARMER6..kind regards

[austastar]

Hi,
  I have a 2HP Honda on a 3m Beaufort inflatable. It only has a plywood insert floor so it is as hydrodynamic as a large jelly.
 With 2 adults and at 3/4 throttle it will keep up with a sea kayak paddled normally.
If I were to put it on the kayak, I would certainly look at the outrigger option.
One thing to be aware of is the noise of small air cooled outboards, they are no where near as quiet as a water cooled unit.
cheers

[LC]

what about this



or this



the national parks might not like them, but they will be whole lot of fun!