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On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:19:23 -0700, "Bernie Swanson"
wrote: I agree a 13' canoe is short and you have to be careful in turning it too quickly. I have a 17 foot aluminum canoe that I paddle solo with a kayak paddle. Many times when I go solo, I rig up a battery and a very small trolling motor. Used it cost me $35. It has 5 speeds and I usually paddle with it on 1 or 2 and make good speed, equal to 2 experienced paddlers. When I crank it up to 4 or 5, I put the paddle down and hang on. The boat scoots along leaving a wake and the bow pretty high. I need longer cables to move the battery forward. I go all day on one charge. You can go several miles and return, no problem. I use this rig for wildlife photography. The motor allows me to hold positon in wind or current and helps hold the bow in the direction I want. I made my own mount out of wood and use a couple of c-clamps to hold it till I buy wing nuts and bolts. Forget gas if you can. If you do this, increase speed gradually and SLOW DOWN befor any quick turns or you will be going for a swim. dh@. wrote in message ... 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 email: lid (strip the .invalid to email) |
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