motors: 2.5hp gas or electric...

Go with gas
I have had a trolling motor for my canoe for about two years now, and I am pretty dissatisfied with how quickly it runs down a deep cycle marine battery. I could get a bigger batty, but that would mean even more weight. I am looking to sell or trade the endura and get the smallest outboard I can find.

Test your battery first
Dear reefmonkey,



A group 24 or 27 battery in good condition should easily push a canoe with two anglers around for two 8 hours days on lake before needing a recharge.



I’m not talking about trolling for 8 hours, that’s a different story but you should get one day out of a good battery. I’m talking about moving you to a spot for drift or anchor fishing, and then moving you back numerous times in a day.



I routinely moved an 1685 jonboat with a 40hp jet on the back in the Susquehanna with three anglers and a dog plus gear and beer, well over 1200 pounds total weight, with a 43# thrust transom mounted Minnkota for a weekend’s fishing before recharging the battery.



I’ll bet your battery is on it’s last legs and it might be worth stopping by a boat dealer to get it load tested after a recharge to see if it is?



One last thing. Deep cycle batteries require deep discharge and then recharge to function properly. Using your electric motor for a couple of hours and constantly recharging the battery will kill it quickly.



Regards,



Tim Murphy AKA Goobs

Nope, it’s always been like that

– Last Updated: Jun-25-12 11:27 AM EST –

since the day I bought the battery, and I do know how to maintain deep cycle marine batteries, though in this case the practicality of maintaining this battery is another downside, which is why the battery has gotten worse, to the point of where if I want to use it this summer, I am going to have to get a new battery. Part of the problem is the battery is kept down at a vacation house, in its garage here on the Texas coast. So fall through spring I may get down there once a month if I am lucky, and May through September it gets really hot in that garage. However, I just don't have a better place to store it. This situation makes another argument for me at least getting an outboard.

However, again the battery just didn't give me the endurance I wanted even when new.

Suppose I could get a bigger battery with more amper hours, but that means just a bulkier, heavier object in a small canoe, at which point it really just makes more sense to get a little outboard. It may be that I am operating on a bay, with more distance to croass and more wave action to fight than a lot of lakes, and no current to help me out like rivers.

Many pros and cons both ways, but based
on your first sentence and being close to big water,

I’d recommend square stern and gas outboard. Much more power to get going when you need it, and sometimes you will need it.

not satisfied

– Last Updated: Aug-17-12 11:46 PM EST –

I am not satisfied with how fast it runs deep cycle marine batteries. Leather items are always destined to be a pleasant addition not only to the [Leather shoulder messenger bags](http://www.cwmalls.com/men-s-simple-fashion-genuine-cowhide-leather-shoulder-messenger-bags-cw972101) of any person, but to the everyday life of a person.

I just bought a Honda 2.3 motor
for my 17’ aluminiun Grumann square stern canoe. It weighs 27 lbs empty and has a quart/liter gas tank on the motor. Haven’t figured out the gas mileage yet but it seems to run quite a while on a tank of gas. It runs at a pretty good speed with my wife and I in it and can run at trolling motor speeds. While it is not real loud,it is not as quiet as I would like it to be going slow. I need to take it out with my GPS to see how fast it can go and what the gas mileage is. When I find out I will come back and post it here.

electric
ON MY WOOD RIB 16 FOOT CANOE THERE IS A 35 LB THRUST MOTOR I USE A MARINE BATTERY OR ONE OUT OF A CAR BOTH GET ME 2 TO 3 HOURS TROLLING



THAT IS AMPLE TIME FISHING FOR ME

gas
i bought a pelican canoe in the spring for fishing along banks near the landings. i was gonna paddle for exercise. caught in a wind one day that caused more exercise than i wanted as a heart patient, i went with the minn kota. now i needed a transom, insurance, registration, battery but it was worth it. if…my transom wasn’t off the side of the boat causing balance problems, i’d take the 2 horse any day. my day is limited due to battery power. the small motors have self contained fuel for about 30 miles. to carry a small amount makes for twice that and a little quicker. if i find a good one light enough and good enough i’ll go with one.

Registering electric
In the last few years (maybe 06 or 08) TN changed it where like NC any motor and you have to register. Prior to that electric didn’t require registration.

Trolling with gas
4 stroke motors idle well enough that I can say there is nothing wrong with trolling at idle with them.



I wouldn’t reccomend trolling at idle with a 2 stroke, they dont idle as well and the gas oil mix likes to foul spark plugs if they stall on you, then you are looking at paddling back unless you have your tools on you.

ELE vs Gas HP
an electric with a like 2.5-3 hp rating is gonna have like 50-60 lbs of thrust a 2.5-3 hp gas is gonna have like 75-80 lbs of thrust because they are rated in a different manner, but lbs of thrust is the more accurate way to compare engines because lbs of thrust arent rated different on one vs the other.



Also a large electric has a prop pitched for moving a MUCH larger boat at trolling speeds rather than moving a tiny boat at a reasonable speed.

keeping a battery in good shape
There are little battery conditioners that keep a 12 volt battery charged up for only a few dollars at Harbor Freight and other stores. I have kept a used battery on one for over a year and it was ready to go when I needed it. It does not charge a battery, but keeps a trickle of electricity on it to compensate for losses and it works.

Modern two-stokes do quite well
Actually, Mercury two-stroke outboards way back in the 70s could be used for trolling at idle all day long with no problems whatsoever, and I suspect Johnson/Evinrude were the same but I didn’t hear much about people trolling with them. I guess by “modern” two-stroke motors, I’m referring to everything but the primitive old models that burned 25:1 mixtures. The “really modern” ones of today with electronically controlled oil proportioning should be even better. I would still expect four-stroke motors to be the best for trolling, even though the days of two-stroke motors performing poorly after long periods of idle have been gone for a long time.

Esquif Cargo
Hi.

Off Topic :

I’m considering to buying a Esquif Cargo Canoe : let me ask you a question :

Could Esquif Cargo accomodates 2 person side by side in one of the central seats? Or the longitudinal stability of the canoe is at risk?



Thanks for the answer.

Yes.
If the two people have narrow enough backsides to fit, and if the two people have a clue about needing to keep their combined center of gravity over the center line of the boat, then they could fit. You would not be able to fit two large Bubbas on one of the center seats.



The boat’s initial stability is good. Standing to paddle, scope, cast, spot fish, etc. is no problem. I have even been able to stand and motor with the boat using an extension handle. Further, unlike a lot of other squarebacks, the Cargo actually has some secondary stability. The water I paddle doesn’t require my to get into the secondary stability, but it handles mild rapids quite nicely. I think the most I’ve done with it is a straight ahead class 2 shoals type rapid that’s about 200 yards long. I row the canoe rather than paddle it through things like that. I like being able to brace on either or both sides if necessary. Thus far, it hasn’t been necessary.




  • Big D

Esquif Cargo
Thanks Big_D you for your answer.



2 person are 2 girls weight about 50/52 kg and height about 1.65./1.70 : I think the backsides are quite ok for this duty.



Let me ask you another question : it is possible to carry the Cargo by one man? or the canoe is hard to carry for a one-man only, from a top of a machine to the shore of a lake 200 meters away ?

It’s quite heavy.
I use wheels. I can load and unload the boat from my truck, but for moving it I use wheels. I would never want to do an overhead portage with an Esquif, and certainly not alone.



For loading, I pick up the stern of the boat and swivel it up onto the tailgate extender of the truck. Then I go to the front and pick it up and slide the boat into the bed. To unload, I do the reverse. When I had a roof rack on my old truck instead of a tailgate extender, I did a similar maneuver, but that required me to bend over underneath the boat and use my back and legs for most fo the lifting, then a shoulder press to push and slide. With practice, it was fairly simple, and I was usually able to do it more easily by myself than with assistance. It helps that I’m a bit ‘bulky’ of an individual, and a little taller than average.



For moving, I have a set of wheels that I put under the stern. Then I only have to lift the front and pull the rest of the boat along.



I find this to be a convenient way to “carry” the boat, because with the wheels, I can put the paddles, PFD’s, the days lunch, some fishing tackle, and what-have-you into the boat. I put the motor on the transom or if trolling motor I put the battery over the axle of the wheels. Then with the wheels its comparatively easy to wheel the boat and contents to the launch. This method doesn’t work very well at primitive launches, though I’m sure with some ingenuity it would all work out.


  • Big D

2.5 motor

– Last Updated: Jul-22-13 3:55 PM EST –

I bought a Wenonah backwater canoe for fishing small lakes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRexgdLjHEk.
I went back and forth about gas motor or electric.
I went with the traxxis 55 electric motor and a 70LB 105 amp hr battery.
My son sat in front-He weighs 320 lbs-I weigh 213 plus the 70 lb battery and the trolling motor.
It was pretty good for the first few runs on the highest setting but you could tell it slows a little and then you have to charge the battery right away when you go home. Running the battery down to 10 volts can really hurt it. I didn't care for it-even though it was pretty good but I looked and looked and bought the 2.5 Suzuki outboard and let me tell you.
Super quiet and much,much faster and more power.
This is for me-I loved it and so did my son-Now he wants to go to the adirondacks.
Do yourself a favor and get the gas engine. about 60LBs lighter than the electric setup.
dfg4240

power and speed
exactly the answer i was looking for. I have a flat back canoe with and electric motor and it is just too slow for my tastes. Planning a 2 or 2.5 gas engine

GAS
Electric motors don’t have the power and torque of gas and require big heavy batteries which when dead leave you stranded. A 3.5 tohatsu 4 stroke gets 45 mpg and will drive my 14.5 foot sol skiff at 12 mph. There is no electric that gets that kind of performance. An extra gallon or two of gas onboard and your good for a whole weekend.