People have been running outboards on canoes for years; Grumman used to sell
a side-mount kit for their double-ender canoes (as opposed to their
square-stern canoes that would accept a motor without an extra bracket)

I side-mounted an Evenrude 6hp on a 17' Chestnut Prospector using a
home-made birch mount, with decent results, but had two specific problems to
solve. The first was that the motor would cavitate long before getting up
to speed. I rigged some birch bark on the motor's cavitation plate and
along the side of the canoe to eliminate this. The second was the added
weight of both the motor and me crammed near the stern of the canoe. I was
forced to carry extra weight in the bow to counteract this, which of course
lessened the efficiency of a light load, but allowed me to go against the
Yukon River current solo quite easily (the river current was around 4-6 kts
and I could go upstream about 4-6 kts). The only other problem was the
cramped position the operator required to run the motor. The Chestnut is a
high-sided canoe made for carrying a load so, even with a substantial load,
another adult and camping gear for a few weeks, I had little concern of
flipping. The torque from the motor did make initial runs feel somewhat
unstable but was soon just part of the ride.

Brad Snow
s/v Aldonza

"Al D" wrote in message
...

I stumbled accross an old Evinrude Junior outboard motor today in a
local chandlers: asking price £60. They assure me it's in good working
order. It looks like it's well over 10 years old. I have the option of
taking it back if I'm not happy. Research tells me it's probably 2hp.
Does this sound like a good deal? I want it to power a 14ft open
canoe. Have never owned an outboard motor before. Can anyone give me
any tips on faults to look out for, or where I can obtain an owner's
manual or any such helpful info? The guy in the shop says "you just
put fuel in (50:1) and off you go; there's nothing much else to worry
about." He says I can lay it flat in the boot of my car when it's not
in use. Is that correct?

Thanks for any info...

Al D