Canoe!

No, really.  I just drug home a "free" 15' 8" Scanoe.

It's got a flat stern for a little outboard. I really don't know much about them. I did some Googling over the past few days, seems like 5-8 HP is the sweet spot for these things. Most folks seem to prefer and recommend 2 stroke twins, opposed to single cylinder 4 strokes, apparently the 2 strokes run smoother.

I've been shopping sub $500 used outboards, prefer sub $300, there's quite a few options for vintage/antique stuff, but I don't really want a project. I may be delusional, set me straight.

I know I'm not likely to get electric start on an outboard that small, but I would like to have a charge circuit to keep a trolling motor, light, and aerator battery topped off.

Dumb question, but do these little motors usually have reverse, or no?

Open to suggestions.

Current contenders on the marketplace, based solely on price, location, and the fact that they're brands I've heard of?

I got a motor mount for my regular canoe.   I’m looking for a cheap trolling motor and battery setup for the summer.  

My mount is only rated to 3hp or so.  I don’t see the Benefit over a trolling motor setup. A nice knock on effect will be putting the battery in the bow to help keep it down. 

Really cool score. 

All of the small engines I’ve sworn at did have reverse. 

If you’re going to put in a trolling motor, I’d argue to forgo the outboard and just get the maximum thrust for your battery power  

Good call on the 5-8 hp. 10 would be the edge of reason for me. 15 would be downright terrifying. And awesome. 

A square stern and 5hp outboard has been on my boating wish list for some time now. 

3hp is enough to flip one over with dumb use of throttle and nobody in the bow. I watched my brother do it once. It was funny. We were required to ride doubles with the motor after that. 

5 hp would be about right. There should be a metal plate with the hull number, maximum number of people and maximum horsepower somewhere in the boat. Only the 2-3.5 hp models will not have reverse.

I like Honda outboards, but they are only going to have a centrifugal clutch on their 2.5. The Honda is also going to have an above water exhaust, so it's pretty loud. I'd stay away from those.

There's only a few manufacturers of those small outboards. Mercurys are made by tohatsu, and aren't bad. I bought one used last year, but then I bought a Miata and autocross took over my spare time. I still haven't used it.

I think Yamaha makes their own. Currently, the Suzuki's are considered very good, but I don't know how they compare to the Yamahas.

If you go with an electric, don't get less than 45 lbs of thrust, 55 would be better. I have a 45 lb Minn Kota on a bracket for my 16 foot double ended canoe. It will do five miles per hour with just my weight and some fishing tackle, but that's wide open. Speed isn't the most important factor, but smaller motors will be much less efficient and also leave you at the mercy of any wind. These things really get blown around easily.

You will also need a high quality deep cycle battery and a good charger. Just a high quality deep cycle battery it's going to cost you around $200 and will weigh at least 60 pounds.

As for outboard motors, any 2-stroke you look at going to be really old. Two strokes can be real temperamental, and hard to start. Parts may be NLA also.

What is your plan for usage? If you're going to fish out of it, an electric motor maybe a very useful addition just for positioning the boat and managing it when a fish is hooked. A 3lb bass will drag you right into the weeds.

Floating Doc said:

5 hp would be about right. There should be a metal plate with the hull number, maximum number of people and maximum horsepower somewhere in the boat. Only the 2-3.5 hp models will not have reverse.

 

What is your plan for usage? If you're going to fish out of it, an electric motor maybe a very useful addition just for positioning the boat and managing it when a fish is hooked. A 3lb bass will drag you right into the weeds.

I recall seeing the maximum occupancy and weight rating.  It's 3 people, and I forget the weight, but it was more than I expected.  Though, I don't recall seeing a HP rating, I may have overlooked it.

Fishing, pan fish and bass mostly, maybe trout.  I've got a great trout river relatively close, thanks to cold water from a Flood Control Act dam, and a Game & Fish Commission hatchery stocking it.

I've looked at fishing kayaks several times, but never went that route, because by the time I got one I wanted and outfitted like I'd like, I could buy a decent aluminum boat and motor.  I wasn't looking for a Scanoe when I got one, I was just helping some folks out, and they decided their Scanoe needed to be my Scanoe, so here I am asking questions about outboards for it.

bigdaddylee82 said:

Floating Doc said:

5 hp would be about right. There should be a metal plate with the hull number, maximum number of people and maximum horsepower somewhere in the boat. Only the 2-3.5 hp models will not have reverse.

 

What is your plan for usage? If you're going to fish out of it, an electric motor maybe a very useful addition just for positioning the boat and managing it when a fish is hooked. A 3lb bass will drag you right into the weeds.

I recall seeing the maximum occupancy and weight rating.  It's 3 people, and I forget the weight, but it was more than I expected.  Though, I don't recall seeing a HP rating, I may have overlooked it.

Fishing, pan fish and bass mostly, maybe trout.  I've got a great trout river relatively close, thanks to cold water from a Flood Control Act dam, and a Game & Fish Commission hatchery stocking it.

 

I've looked at fishing kayaks several times, but never went that route, because by the time I got one I wanted and outfitted like I'd like, I could buy a decent aluminum boat and motor.  I wasn't looking for a Scanoe when I got one, I was just helping some folks out, and they decided their Scanoe needed to be my Scanoe, so here I am asking questions about outboards for it.

Another thing to be aware of when looking at small outboards, you need a short shaft, not the long shaft that would be used on a sail boat or as an auxiliary on a big boat. Look for 15 inches.

The higher power trolling motors will have longer shafts, my 45 lb has a 36 in shaft, which is the shortest I could get with that much power. It's possible to shorten the shaft on a trolling motor but I don't know how. There's ytube vids.

One advantage of the higher power trolling motors is that the battery will last longer at the same load and run time than a small motor. That's due to the digital control in the larger motors. This adds to the price, but makes a big difference in battery life.

I got the best price on my Motor Guide 45 lb saltwater motor from Walmart's website.

I bought my V-max battery on line too. I don't remember who I bought it from. I searched a bunch of sites. I remember that the vendor primarily sold them to people setting up solar power systems and RVs. Optimas are over priced junk.

For the battery box, I went with a Minkota Power Center. Definitely a waste of money. I was going for easy, had to repair it and modify it after one use. 

Lots of info on line if you search.

Did it come with passports and birth certificates?

In reply to Appleseed :

My passport is expired, I could use one.

How about an electric trolling motor + deep cycle battery + small gas generator w/ DC output?

All of the electrical equipment you mentioned would be supported and you’d always have close to a battery’s worth of reliable get-home power available while also enjoying periods of quiet, exhaust free operation.

I stashed the Scanoe out at my folk's barn, I was in the neighborhood so I stopped to take a look at it again.

I didn't notice the smaller text when loading/unloading, I really didn't look it over, because, well, free canoe!

Seems max recommended motor size is 5HP, is that a firm rule, or just a guideline?  If I get a smoking deal on a 7.5 or 8 HP outboard, is it going to kill me, and drown a bus load of nuns in the process?

I could see too much power, causing the rear to squat and swamp the thing if you were stupid with the throttle.

The 8hp Honda I had would rip the transom right off of that plastic boat. Or sink it stern first.

I'd look for a little 2-3hp for that thing, although an electric trolling motor is really all you need. 

Unless you you can get it up on plane (a terrifying thought), it will only go so fast no matter how many horsepowers you add.

I sure wouldn't consider over powering that. There's these factors to consider:

Although enforcement isn't always consistent, you will be in violation of Coast Guard regulations.

I agree with the previous post that it won't be any faster.

Planing hulls will gain speed with more power; the top speed of a displacement hull is determined by the length at the waterline.

It will be much more dangerous, and will be really easy to flip, due to the weight as well as the power. 

If you choose to ignore the coast guard plate and put a larger motor on it, your liability goes through the roof. Anything that goes wrong will be attributed to your choice to overpower the craft. Liability wise, it's comparable to street racing.

Be advised that in some states, once you put a motor on any sort of small boat, you've got to register it and possibly pay taxes on it.

5 HP is more than plenty for that. If you're just looking to move around, a 30 pound thrust trolling motor will move it along faster than you can paddle it. You'd probably want a 30" shaft. The cost of a brand new trolling motor and a deep cycle battery will probably be less than buying a used outboard that isn't a basket case. Get one battery to run the trolling motor, and another small battery to run any fish finder or other electronics you may want. I've heard of people using wheelchair batteries instead of full marine batteries if they don't intend to be running the motor all day long, too.

The Root beer Lady used a flat back grumman and 3hp for her trips all over the boundary waters(before they were the boundary waters canoe area)..  That seems to be about the right ticket.  5hp seems a bit much.

https://www.amazon.com/Root-Beer-Lady-Dorothy-Molter/dp/081664196X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546918487&sr=8-1&keywords=root+beer+lady

Suggest that book if you can find it at the library.  

Little guys don't have reverse, but swivel 360 degrees.  $25.

This is really out there, but I just spent two weeks in Brasil. We stayed on a house boat and spent 8-10 hours a day in a jon-boat with an Yamaha outboard.  There were tons of similar boats around - no roads, just water to travel on. I would say Yamaha was on 99.9% of the boats. I saw one Suzuki and one Mercury. We were a 4 hour drive from what would be considered a convenience store. I gather reliability would be a positive since Amazon don't deliver there, nor a parts store up the road.

When we were kids we had an aluminum square stern that we put a Merc 9.8 on the back. Yeah, a  canoe WILL plane and if the two kids sit in the middle you can steer it just by leaning to one side.

Not my fault that I am still alive.

Safer less thrilling alternative

Pete

Necrobump, I know, but I'd stay away from the old Mercs if you dont want to start a collection.  They didn't start using stainless driveshafts and prop shafts till way longer than they should have, I think they weren't using them in the early 70s. As a result the lower units go to E36 M3 quite easily.

Johnson/Evinrude did that well back into the 40s.

In reply to lisandro :

Canoes should be paddled. 

I wouldn't go any more than 5hp and would rather stay in the 3hp or less range, or else use an electric trolling motor.  You'd just be adding extra weight and additional strain on the transom, and trying to go fast in a canoe is kind of missing the whole point of having one.