How about selling that old wide square stern canoe and scrapping
the motor, the gas, the registration,etc. and buying a decent
touring canoe that paddles efficiently? It might take you about
20 minutes longer to get to where you are going but everyone
will be better off. Personally I prefer an Adirondack Guideboat
which can be rowed at about 5 miles per hour on little more than a
cold beer and a tunafish sandwich, but I may have my priorities in a
different place than you.

Walt wrote:
Im thinking about putting a small 3.5 hp 2 stroke outboard on the square
tansom of a 16 foot long canoe.

My intention is to extend my paddling exploring range by using the
outboard motor to go the three to five miles to where I want to paddle.
At times, the canoe may have 2 adults and 2 kids.

Im expecting that this arrangement will cruise along at maybe 5 mph and
that going to higher horse power (say 5 hp) wont really buy me much in
speed. I also like the weight of the 3.5 hp 2 stroke outboard at 35
pounds which makes it very portable.

Ive never used this arrangement before and hopefully can find out
beforhand if it will do about what Im expecting.

Any coments or experience would be appreciated.

Wally Hall
Denver

That combination will work fine. When my father was prospecting he used a
16 ft Peterborough canvas-over-cedar square transom canoe with a 3 hp
Evinrude Fisherman (1930's vintage). A canoe is not a planing hull so
adding more horsepower will only waste fuel. A 3 hp outboard will drive
most boats up to 15 ft at "hull" speed.

There is a photo of the canoe on top of my grandfather's pickup truck at
my website (see below). Click on "Himself", and "1964, Restoule, Ontario"
under "Body Shots"
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