Cross posting this to try and get some responses.

I am looking for a solution to mounting a small gas motor on a canoe we are looking to take into the cabin.

The canoe is a mad river canoe. Looking to put a 3 hp gas motor on it to expedite our trip in and through the various lakes on the trip in.

What have you guys used? What are your suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Anyone of the ones like this will work (this one happens to be from Bass Pro)

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Sho...hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions


BUT you have to be careful with them. When you make a turn with the motor that turns the motor towards the Canoe, they have a VERY strong tendency to try to flip the canoe because of not being on the center line of the canoe.
The prop digs in, and tries to go under the canoe very quickly !!

Good point. I had forgotten that. We run some square stern canoes so it isn't a problem on them. Plan on cutting engine before getting anywhere where we would have to maneuver and might be tempted to crank the tiller around.

I've traveled many miles with a side mount 3.5 hp on a 17' canoe.....I much prefer it over square stern.....power down for sharp turns but for most travel you won't have any problems.......keep your load low in the canoe as usual.

Vern, Why do you prefer the side-mount over the square stern? Just curious as it seemed everyone wanted a 19' square stern grumman when I lived there.

I can't speak for Vern, but a regular canoe is so much better to paddle when you aren't running a motor.

Also, my royalex will carry almost as much weight as one of our grumman square stern and is quite a bit lighter.

I imagine you are talking the extra classy Gruman Sport boat? Looks like an over-wide canoe? A lot of folks run bigger propped motors with a jack-up plate, even Mud Buddys and air boats with props driven by air-cooled motors designed for inflating hot air balloons.

Getting the motor out to the side makes it a lot more comfortable to run for long distances or long trolling sessions...

I don't think TomM1 was referring to the Sport boat. IIRC it was only 15'. In the '60s and '70s the 19' Gruman was THE square stern canoe to have. In our experience it handled big water better than any other.
Tarkio, are you just taking the one canoe in? Reason I ask is my father used to take a boy scout troop on yearly wilderness canoe trips in northern Ontario, and on lake crossings would tow several double end canoes behind his square stern Gruman with a 3.9 Merc. Didn't work so well on twisty rivers, but on lakes it would save a lot of time (and paddling). If you go with a side mount, as Bgun said, be careful! I've seen many unexpected instant flip overs with them.

I have used canoes with 6hp Evinrudes for many decades and have spent more than significant time in many different canoes. I have never seen one flip with a side-mounted motor.

L O L .... Obviously you were never in a canoe with my brother-in-law .
Cost me my wallet and all the BS that goes along with no hunting/fishing licence (when your a guest in a foreign country) , drivers licence, credit card, let alone the cash in it. We were on a northern pike fishing trip up in Quebec on the Dumoine River.
If anyone finds my wallet, I'd still like it back....

I have a small 2 hp Evinrude that I have used on both square stern and side mount canoes. For the side mount I made a simple accessory to help prevent any scratching or damage to the side of the boat. It was two 4"x 8" pieces of 1/4-3/8" plywood connected by a couple pieces of short webbing. You would simply drape that over the gunnel and the mount would clamp on it, which helped reinforce the canoe side. It was easy to install and remove, as well as reposition if needed.

That particular motor could turn 360 degrees within the mount. We never had an issue with it coming close to flipping the canoe, but then again it was only a 2 hp...


SS