On Mon, 23 May 2005 04:22:36 -0500, Cyli wrote:

On Sat, 21 May 2005 12:43:05 -0400, dh@. wrote:

(snipped)

What size
motor for about a 13' canoe?

Small. Very small. An electric at about 40 some whatever the
measurement (foot pounds per rev or some such) is or a 2 or 3 hp gas
motor. I'd advise gas. Get a 4 stroke, if possible. Less noisy and
less polluting, though more expensive.

I'm not sure I'd even want a motor on a canoe that small. I have used
an electric 40 something on a 16 and a 17 foot canoe and it's about
right. 13 footer will be nimble. You'll have to go carefully with a
motor on it. And balance the weight well.

What about using an electric
motor, if that's a reasonable consideration?

You'll have to maintain the battery. But if you're only going a few
miles, should be no problem. They're delightfully quiet.

You said islands? Out in the sea or on one of the Great Lakes?

It's just an inland lake. At first I really wanted to be on a large
body of water like an ocean, but have since come to appreciate
how much less expensive it is for fuel and to maintain a boat on
a lake like this (Lake Lanier, GA) than it would be in a different
environment.

Big
waves are possible out there. Dinghies take big waves better than
canoes do. And you can row them if you run out of gas or the battery
goes dead at least as easily as you can paddle a canoe. Rowing always
seems to me to give more efficiency than paddling. And a 10 or 12
foot dingy would probably carry more cargo than a 13 foot canoe. Of
course canoes are cooler than dinghies...

Well maybe, but I'm not really worried about that aspect of it. What
I like about a canoe is that it would be easy to store and always have
on hand on a houseboat, and it would be easy to carry on my car if
I want to take it someplace else.

Used canoes should be popping up all over the place now that it's
spring. Mostly 17 foot aluminum or Coleman plastic ones, though.
Keep an eye on the want ads and look at what eBay has to offer in your
area. But be advised that there are comparatively few 13 footers
built and bought, so the used market in them will be scanty. You may
have to buy new if that's the size you want.

My houseboat is about 13' wide, which is where I came up with the
13' idea. I want to build a frame to put the spare boat on above the back
deck, and don't want it to hang over too much on either side. It probably
doesn't really matter much if it does though, so I may end up getting a
longer canoe if they're that much easier to find.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
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