Trolling motor for a canoe

[Jorgie]

I'm looking for a cheap way to actually get on the water this year. My dad said I can have the old aluminum canoe, which is nice, but I'd like a way to get around a lake to do some fishing other than using my arms. I've been looking at the Endura series of Minn Kota and they seem like the best option for me. No frills, just a basic reliable trolling motor. The canoe doesn't have a flat back, so I'd have to get a side mount, which is fine. Here are my questions:

How many pounds of thrust should I look for to push the canoe (16 footer), me, my gear (not much) and occasionally another person?

How much battery life will I get?

Thanks for the help.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

i have 2 old town discovery flat backs which i run electric or gas. 2hp evin & 3hp johnson. what i found to be a really slick deal is find a minn kota that is a few years old with the composite shaft they are usually cheap. the shaft length is irrelevant so buy whatever. get your mount on the canoe,set the motor on the way you want it,mark the shaft and cut it off with a hack saw.the composite cuts easy and clean. leave some length for adjustment. be sure to have the wires out 1st! the excess wire that is left over can be tucked in the head cover,or cut and spiced. you won't like running a 42" shaft on a canoe! either the prop will be hitting bottom,or you will be reaching above your head to steer. i think i cut mine down to 24". i found the motor on a garage sale for $50 5 years old. with a good deep cell it will run a long time. most of the time if i'm fishing,i prefer the small gas motors as they are lighter in weight than 1 deep cell battery. hope this helps.

[fishane]

I use a trolling motor in my canoe a lot, both on lakes and rivers. I use an Endura 30, meaning 30 inch shaft and 30 lbs of thrust and it is fine. Canoes push very easily because they are so narrow. You know when they advertise trolling motors starting at $99, well the Endura 30 is the one they sell for $99. The short shaft is a key feature. it is much handier from a canoe. Most others have a 36 inch shaft, much more awkward. I can expect to get 2.5-3 hours under full power from my battery, a decent deep cycle. Of course just using it to put around and fish it will last most of the day. One other handy thing to have is a drift sock. If you are going to drift fish they are very handy as canoes drift fast because they are light and have a lot of surface area to be hit by the wind. I got a cheap one from Cabela's for 30-35 bucks. Without a head wind I can hit 7 miles per hour in my canoe with the trolling motor if I am lightly loaded.

[fishane]

Mariner has an excellent tip about cutting the shaft. I never thought of that. It must be too obvious I guess. Thanks for the tip!

[Flaco651]

The Endura 30 pushes my River Ridge very well.

[traveler]

I've had several motors on a couple different canoes. Caught lots of kings at the french out of my old green coleman with 2 hp Mariner:) Those were the days...sigh. Several of us use our electrics on trout lakes up north, doesn't really matter what # thrust, I've even got an OLD 2 speed/no reverse Shakespere electric, I don't even know what # thrust it is, the smallest I've ever seen for sure. Motor weight (within reason) is not real important, my 2 hp weighed about 35 lbs. and always hung off the side; you get used to it. You can always have your battery offset to counter balence the weight. Anytime I fish solo, I load a good amount of rocks/weight up front, improves handling/balence. I always joked with my buds that I'd sooner have my load of rocks up front than another person...better balence and better conversation! I also prefer a side mount to a square stern, I can use the motor for an armrest, steer it with my arm...I don't like holding my hand behind me to steer. One friend has an aluminum square stern with the front seat set so far forward he has to use a makeshift extension to steer his electric, although with that it works fine for him.

[Jorgie]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will keep this all in mind when open water season comes around.