Transom-mount Electric Motor for 15' Grumman Sportcanoe?

[koochiching]

My 35 yr old expanded square-stern canoeboat needs a new motor. Looking at replacing a 3hp 2-stoke gas motor with an electric... So many choices...

Interested in a basic motor, 3-4 speeds, no cables, etc., with a large marine battery, powerful enough to drive the boat at 6 mph for 10-15 miles and back again... Will I need two batteries? Or, do I need to buy another gas motor?

Any suggestions will be appreciated...

kooch

[riverrat56]

I have a Minnkota Endura 36, at at speed 5, ( no idea how fast that moves me) The motor dies pretty quick, 3 hours tops, that is on a brand new deep cycle. I would guess going with gas again would be your best option, but maybe with 2 batterys you would be ok.

[Ufatz]

I think what you want is a 2.5 hp Suzuki outboard. Simple as a brick, dependable as the tides, as frugal as a Scottish banker.

Its that.....or a three hundred pound battery bank.

[Fisher Dave]

10-15 miles.. thats really cutting it close at full throttle with a higher thrust trolling motor.. The 6 mph is a big factor here.. its not impossible with an electric, especially on a canoe.. but your looking at a model around 65# of thrust for what you want it to do which adds another factor.. that makes it a 24 volt motor.. so rather than 2 batteries, your talking 4 for a backup pair. I know my 65 # thrust trolling motor has the capability of going 20 miles.. but not on full speed.. mid throttle it could be done with the help of the equipped maximizer.

Full speed with excellent batteries you are pushing it if wind and current are involved with a single battery charge.. it is nothing I would ever depend on.

I think the only wise option for you here is a gas motor... newer motors are getting quiet, lighter, and more efficient on the fuel(not that tiny outboards ever took much).

good luck.

[andy j]

You could probably get away with a 55 lb. thrust with a 12 volt (55 is the highest you can get with a 12 volt) but you would have to go with something with a maxumizor(MinnKota Maxium or Vector 3X). You can get 3-5 times the battery life then a standard MinnKota Endura

[koochiching]

Thanks, guys, for your good info...

The Sportcanoe is still a canoe, with a maximum displacement hull speed of about 6 mph. According to some, you need about 5 lbs of thrust for every 200 pounds of boat and cargo. So, even when loaded to the gunwales with hunters, guns, dogs, and decoys, the old MinnKota Classic 28 electric motor will take you out a mile or so, and bring you back, all on a 12 volt battery and at maximum hull speed. I only wish I had bought one this spring, when they were on sale for less than $90! I was hoping the "Maximizer technology" might have dribbled down to the lowest-priced models...

Well, if I have to get a new gas motor for my summer excursions on LOTW, Rainy, and Kabetogama... what do you think about the Honda 2 hp 4 cycle unit, or maybe the Briggs & Stratton 5 hp 4 cycle unit. I couldn't find any info on a Suzuki 2.5 hp unit... is that an older 2 cycle unit?

kooch

[riverrat56]

The Briggs is a good motor from what I have seen, my buddy has one on a 12ft Sea King Shallow V boat, it is air cooled, so you can start it up and then back it down into the lake with the motor running. I think it would be to much for your canoe though.....unless you didn't open it up ever, he can get on plane pretty quick in his boat and can go just over 10 mph, It is great on gas though, and you don't need to mix oil in with the gas.

The Briggs and Stratton motor is a good motor, but I really think it is too much for your canoe, and at 600 bucks, you can probally find a better deal.