On Sun, 22 May 2005 09:20:10 -0700, "John Weiss" wrote:

"John Kuthe" wrote...

What about laziness or disability? Or extremely long distances, and a
combination of either of the aforementioned?

OP said use was to go from houseboat to beach. Doesn't sound like a long
distance involved...

Not from the houseboat to the beach. That's what's good about a
houseboat...you can beach them but you can't beach cruisers. I don't
get mine on the beach, though they "say" it won't hurt an aluminum
hull. I keep mine off with a gang plank, but that's another whole thing.

I take the houseboat out to the islands, sometimes several miles
away. I take the runabout to get back and forth to the marina, the
dock, my car... I want a spare ride for when the runabout is down for
some reason. My dad used to hang an outboard motor on the side
of a canoe. We knew how to paddle it, but the motor was a lot faster.
So I figure a canoe would be good because I could build a frame and
always store it on the houseboat, with the motor. And I could paddle
it a lot easier than the runabout--which pretty much sux to paddle--if I
had to. I also have a couple of kayaks which are a whole lot easier
than a canoe if it comes to that, but I couldn't haul anything much
back and forth in a kayak, and don't want to be relying on having to
paddle one several miles each way. The canoe/outboard seemed
like the best idea to me, and I thought maybe some of you folks would
have some experience with it. Here's a pic:

http://gilgilpatrick.com/images/canoe-motor.gif

In case of disability, a canoe should definitely NOT be considered before a more
stable dinghy, regardless of whether it will be rowed/paddled or powered.

Laziness? Could be, but IMO this NG is not here to promote it.