If you have ever wondered what it is like to add a small outboard to your canoe this is your video. We bought a new Yamaha 2.5 outboard and hit the water on a beautiful spring day. What a good time! Please like and subscribe!
Awesome! A couple weeks ago you were camping in -28, now you're on the water already. Big brown dog at 2:56 was like, Ya that's right, we got a motor on this canoe. Good flow to the video, Thanks again.
Hahaha...Hugo definitely enjoyed the cruise 🚢. It was just so so nice to be out. I’m sure your craving the backcountry just like us. Thanks for watching and commenting Jay. We always appreciate it.
I thought winter was pretty much over then bam, s storm a couple days ago. Lol. Had an electric motor rigged up when I had a canoe. It was great for fishing and was excellent for those days when a break from paddling was welcomed. Looks like everyone, dogs included were having a blast. Thanks for sharing your new toy!
We all had a really nice day out on the lake. I feel like we are really cheating but you're so right. For those days when you just want to go out and relax and do some fishing this should be perfect. Hope the weather warms up for you!
Ha ha, we are practically neighbours! I recognize exactly where you were and we love paddling there in the yaks and the harbour put in nearby. Word to the wise, I paddled with a fella that had a small motor rigged up on their canoe and they ran a shoot and flipped. That motor sunk like a stone, they should have bolted it, lol.
You know the area for sure! Appreciate the heads up. I should have chained the motor up. I don’t want to see it sinking to the bottom of the lake! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. Maybe we will see you on the water sometime Mel!
I have a trolling motor set up on my prospector, strictly for fishing. I like that it’s still quiet and the perfect trolling speed. I used to have a flat back canoe with a 4hp 2stroke but I’ve since upgraded to a tinner for the family.
Sounds like a nice little setup. Im sure you would rip around pretty quick with a 4hp on. Probably nice to have reverse as well! Thanks for the comment!
Great video, like your setup. My ol man was a guide in the early 90s and had a big Old Town Tripper with a 2hp Evinrude on a side-mount. He could motor upstream and fish the way down without having to do the car shuffle with a client. Worked when I was too young to help much with paddling too. Just picked up a canoe and thinking of a similar setup with the Yam 2.5
That’s awesome. I can see that working very well. I think that’s where these little motors are almost perfect. Just give you that little boost up river or fighting a stiff headwind when you cannot shuttle or don’t have time to camp. Thanks for the comment. We have been really happy with the Yamaha 2.5 for what it’s worth.
Happy Spring!!!! I paddled first day out on bay in Maine. My new Esquif Avalon maiden voyage . I cannot say enough how much I like this boat. It handled solo ( 16’2”/34”) PERFECTLY with my 80 lb German Shepard $ me. Shallow Vee hull shape and low profile make for sweet harbor canoe or big lake with current and wind. Thanks Canada, we need you 🇨🇦💚👍🏻
Sounds like your having an awesome start to the paddling season. I haven’t paddled that canoe but if it’s anything like the other Esquif canoes I’ve paddled I’m sure it’s a blast. Thanks for watching and commenting. 🇨🇦 🇺🇸
Awesome. Many years ago : I had a boat a bit bigger than a canoe and it had a flat transo and had an electric trolling motor. The battery was pretty heavy but it seemed to be fine, ( as I recall). Now, with my screwed back, the idea of that 2.5 tickles my fancy. There’s still hope to get out fishing in those hard to get at places.
I have a suzuki 2.5 with a clipper square stern. Lightest 4 stroke in its class at 29 lbs. Great traveling setup, uses 1 liter of fuel in an hour and goes 14 km/h. Nothing wrong with the Honda but it is aircooled and uses a clutch. Basically a Honda generator engine on a outboard driveline. They are noticeable louder and I like water cooled engines better like the Yami or Suzuki.
You guys professional film makers now? That footage looks too notch! The Yammy turned out to be a mean little setup! Gets me so fried up to finally see some open water. Well done you two!
Hahaha....we are just trying to keep up with everyone else on youtube. Everything seemed to work out great yesterday. Couple more weeks and hopefully well all be one some backcountry lakes! Thanks as always Teunis.
@@CanoeTheNorth Which model/length canoe do you have? Right on! When you turn with an engine do you feel like you have to lean into the turn or away from it for balance? Thx mate
Great video. I have been considering using a 2.5hp motor on my sportspal square transom canoe for a trip to Mccoy Islands in Georgian bay where I have to cross a large area of open water. Do you think it will help to handle waves better than two people paddling?
Thanks very much Haitao. We were thinking about using it in similar situations. I don’t think it would handle any better then 2 people paddling on big water in terms of dealing with waves. I think the main benefit on using a motor for open water crossing would just be to eliminate the chance of weather changing half way across a major crossing. We have had that happen a couple times and that can get really intense really quick. Thanks for watching and commenting. Let me know if you end up getting a little motor. Lots of fun.
We had an awesome time out on the water Crystal. Always nice to be outside on a beautiful spring day. Hope the weathers warming up wherever you are. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Awesome set up. Might want to tether that motor to the boat, vibration can do funny things. Hate to see your motor slip of the end of that board. Great video.
This is a great setup..!! Is there anyway to get pics of the DIY Transom mount. I notice that its built to lower the outboard allowing the prop to be a little deeper. Very good.
Zips along very nicely and the good thing with side mounts is better comfort when steering. Reaching back on some square sterns can be painful for long trips but can be overcome by using a handle extension. I have even tied a crooked branch onto a handle in a pinch using 17 foot square stern grummans. Now have a 1975 15 foot Grumman Sportboat and have a number of vintage 2 strokes to try out next summer. Be real careful in swells with a side mount setup as it can be a balancing act when cresting waves.
Like the setup. Some time agoe I had a canoe 15 foot aluminum , spent a lot of time running around Lake Mead and the river below the dam. one difference from yours is the motor was a 7 1/2 hp. motor ( Made a few modifications though, the center rib going crossways on the canoe was replaced with a steel rib, all the aluminum rivets were replaced with steel bolts, motor mount board was replaced with a heavy-duty marine plywood. ) it would do at least 15mph.
I use an electric motor, and use the batteries for counterweight, so you'll probably appreciate the water-filled dry bag. What would be the range in km from a tankful of gas ? Do you bring extra gas ? Many thanks from Qc !
Nice to have to quiet electric motor I’m sure and the built in counterweight. Our little motor goes maybe 12-14kms full throttle on a tank which is .9 litres I believe. We bring a small gas can with us so even with 10 litres we can go well over 100kms. If you don’t run full throttle it seems to go forever before refilling. Thanks again!!!
Thanks Paul. If I had a smaller canoe I think I might do that. The canoe I’m in is super stable as long as I have the counterweight got the motor. Thanks again!
I've been thinking of a small outboard motor for a canoe to be able to get faster and deeper into the backcountry. Once I'm at the first long Portage I could stash the motor to pickup later on the return leg.
I’ve thought about doing the same thing. Only thing I worry about storing the motor is mice or even bears getting at it. I’ve been at a few fly in fishing camps where they have had problems with bears chewing into gas cans.
I have a clipper square back with a 2.5 suzuki, at 29 lbs it's the lightest. I road raced motorcycles so I have a bad shoulder, that and my son likes to fish more than canoe. It fits nice on the shoulder and 5 liters of gas, plus liter in tank takes you 80 km. For us the small amount of extra carry is nothing to cruising at 14 km/h on the water.
Hay thanks for the video! I’m looking at the same motor for a 10 foot Jon boat I just picked up. It will definitely suit my needs. I can go up to 5 hp, but idle speed is more important to me for fishing as well. Nice “family” the 4 of you definitely look relaxed and happy on the Canoe!
@@Jeff-wv7bb - I have electric. It’s not always adequate and I don’t plan on paying double for a Torqueedo that has marginal range. We can get sudden winds that sap enough power as it is to get back to the ramp. Unless you know more about the situation, maybe you should be careful about what you recommend out of total ignorance.
@@shitloveaduck yes, it’s true I don’t know where you live or the conditions you deal with, but I do know that all gas engines pollute and emit carbon through their exhaust. Carbon is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever before causing rapid global warming, not from the eruption of volcanoes as was the case millions of years ago, but from fossil fuel emissions. Where I live, we are experiencing a 20 year mega drought. Last summer, temperatures reached 120°F and over 100 people died from the heat. Our lakes and rivers are drying up and millions of acres of forest have burned in wildfires that are burning hotter and faster than ever before and are expected to continue doing so. So, I am concerned about the environment. I don’t expect peoples behavior to change, but I hope people start thinking about their choices and long-term consequences.
@@Jeff-wv7bb - I know ever you tell me. There will still be a need for ICE engines for a long time. I had a Jaguar I-Pace, now I have a Jeep Wrangler 4xe. The range, especially in winter with the Jaguar was just not safe. If you run out of juice you are crewed in a snow storm!! The Wrangler was just a better option. The Wrangler is my wife’s actually and she uses it currently about 72% of the time as an EV. The other time is for longer trips to the city etc. we live in the middle of nowhere so this is our option. We have also had solar added to my shop such that we are fully self sufficient and the garage on the house is separated and operated the same, so the 4xe is charging based on solar energy only. There’s a downside,,,, in the next 20 years or so,,,,,, what the h*ll we going to do with the damn batteries and the fact they are only slightly recyclable. A throwaway society is one of the primary reasons we have such a high carbon footprint. HUGE carbon footprint with the current battery technologies. So we cut carbons to stop a melt that was going to happen anyway, just not in our lifetimes or our grandkids lifetimes. It was definitely going to affect the great grandkids regardless. Where I live, a few millennia ago, there was more than a mile of ice on top of the land. I’m near the forward most point where the ice crept to before the earth (globe) started warming. If we freak out about the ice melting a few hundred feet and thinning by a couple of feet,,,,,,, what about back then?? It was receding a mile or more each year and losing hundreds of feet of thickness,,,, hahaha. There’s so much we can do, I agree, but there’s a certain reality to it as well. If I use an electric motor where I go, I will be at great risk of not returning until a change in weather occurs,,,,,. Wherever I go, I may be there for several days BUT, when I get there, I run my electric trolling motor for that entire time of of a couple of LiFePO4 batteries. The third battery powers our camping location. There’s a limit to those batteries as well and solar panels are not practical except for the battery running the camp. The more we haul, the bigger the boat. Bigger boat, bigger motor, more emissions. See,,,, there’s always a give and take. What are you driving?
No worries Nelson. I debated that decision myself. I went with a short shaft and it works great. My motor mount can move up and down in height but I think even at it’s highest height a short shaft would be long enough. Hope that helps.
Do you think the 2.5 horse power would be enough for taking a canoe up river? We live in Edmonton and I’m thinking of getting this same motor. I love the North Saskatchewan River so id like to take it upriver. Any info would be great!
I would think it would propel you up river. Probably not super strong rapids or anything but moderate current I don’t think you’d have to much problem with assuming your canoe isn’t completely loaded with 1000lbs of gear. Not sure if your canoe is a square stern or not but on a traditional canoe i don’t think I’d want anything more than a 2.5 hp anyways. Square stern you could probably get away with a bit bigger motor.
How did yall deal with the extreme instability of the canoe with such a motor? I went out with my wife and dogs and thought the slightest movement was sending us over board
We have ours counterbalanced for the motor weight which seems to make a big difference. Our canoe is also huge and extremely stable as is which I’m sure goes a long way to making everyone feel secure.
Hi! Great video, currently thinking of doing the same with my 16' fiberglass canoe. Would you mind answering these questions? 1. What was your top speed with all that gear? 2. Which motour mount did you use? Homemade or purchase? 3. I think that motor weighs about 35 pounds. Was it stable with the canoe empty? Thanks!!
No problem. Top speed is probably somewhere around the 12-15km/h range depending on wind and waves of course. The motor mount was custom made. As far as canoe stability with the motor our canoe is 20’ long and incredibly stable without the motor. With the motor we have to add a fair bit of ballast to offset the motor weight. We use a dry bag filled with water. Hope this helps.
fiberglass, is the only concern.. and yep use a large DRYBAG filled with water at the front of the Canoe.. don't get a clutch less engine. they don't allow you to move or Steer when in idle which will make docking, mooring, landing a pain, especially in flowing waters. and you want an engine that, has a lot of low bottom end power range otherwise it's stop or slight twist of the throttle an your GOOOOOOONE ( not good) when it come to how fast?! in a canoe you need to go slow, or you'll flip. ( to begin with) you need to get the correct triming, rockering and "ballist" ( water filled drysack up front) on the canoe, plus leaning to handle the canoe at low speeds. before you start motoring at any speeds.. if you just go straight flat out, you'll risk really mangling up ya boat, especially fibreglass.. you don't want to plain on a canoe, also a AIR FED engine will be a LOT MORE NOISY a WATER FED, is a lot more quilter . go for, well know brands Honda Yamaha Susuki max 2.5 - 3 😁 remember.... adding a motor to a canoe is another level of health and safety hazards, to be aware of.. (mainly crashing into the waters edge, "beaching" and hitting other watercrafts), is not a good thing to do, (and I guarantee it will happen at full throttle ).. speak with the local waterfolks ask them to teach you how to maintain/ fix your engine ( which is very simple) but essential, if you break down on your own, ( carry a tool kit, spare Sparkplug ( NGK,) and engine oil. ((( buy the waterfolks LOTS of BEERS, for their, TIME and INVALUABLE KNOWLEDGE ))) whatever you do have fun and SAY SAFE.
Hahaha.....thanks James. We are getting there. Still no 80 degree weather. That’s for sure! Have fun in the sun ☀️. Thanks for watching and commenting James. Always appreciated.
You've used the Yamaha 2.5 a few times now under different situations. Do you have any follow up comments? If you had to do this again would you go for a lighter weight motor such as the Honda 2.3 or the Suzuki 2.5 or do the features of the Yamaha 2.5 outweigh the benefits of a lighter motor? I'm currently looking for a small motor that will on a side mount on a Grumman Aluminum 17' standard. Hope you are able to share your opinion.
Hi Dave. So far I've really enjoyed using the Yamaha. Have not had any issues at all with it. I was debating between the yam and the honda when i got my motor. I really liked the weight savings of the Honda but because its air cooled it is louder for sure. I really don't think you could go wrong with any of them. On a 17 foot grumman if it was me I might lean honda as long as you dont mind the noise.
@@CanoeTheNorth how has the general use been. In your fist video with the motor you had mentioned that you might balance the weight. However in subsequent videos in Welland and Algonquin I did not notice any balance weight on the opposite side of the canoe. Does it come down to just knowing how to use the motor? Did you make a custom motor bracket to lower the centre of gravity?
@@daveberry371 Hi Dave. We always use counterweight in the canoe to keep it level. I think maybe we just put water in a canoe barrel so maybe thats why it didn't look like we had anything. Once it's balanced out it feels great. The motor mount was custom made.
@@CanoeTheNorth you’ve done well training your dogs to stay in one place which can affect balance with or without a motor. My German Shepherd always came along on canoe trips.
Just bought a second grumman sport boat last night. Damn near brand new with a custom cover and trailer. Damn near stole it for 1400 bucks. I love when people don't know what they have when they sell it!
Good video, interesting set up for fishing or whenever you don't need to portage. I like the sound track you used fir the video it goes well with the cruising. Didn't recognize the artist, who was it?
Hi I bought a 2.5 Honda short shaft for my canoe It’s great apart from some water spray going in the back of the cane Yours seems to be ok What measurement do you have yours from the back of the canoe Maybe I have mine to far up ? Thanks
I’ll try to get a measurement on it this week. I think mine is fairly far forward though. We get a little bit of splash but nothing crazy. Our gunnels are quite high in that canoe which helps a lot.
I found if you lock the engine in one position you can sear with paddle. A 2 cycle engine is less weight if you can find one. I have a 2.5 and weight is 29 pounds.
Ya that’s a good idea with the paddle! I like that. It’s certainly hard to beat the weight of those little 2 strokes although I think that Honda has an air cooled 2.3 that’s weights around 30lbs. Thanks is for the comment David.
@@Jeff-wv7bb unfortunately not at 3x, if it were closer to 1.5 perhaps. Also unsure about the long term impact the mining required to produce lithuium batteries, not to mention their disposal.
Hahaha.....It was a little cool out on the water today! This is going to be a front country thing only. As much as we love the motor we love paddling way more! Thanks for watching and commenting as always!
I refurbished a '73 sportspal; I built a transom like yours but with a Minnkota electric motor, says 3hp but I don't think it goes nearly as fast as yours. Maybe see you down that way in the spring for some big salmon at the drop offs!
I think it goes for about one hour on full throttle so 12-14 Kms maybe. If your just trolling it seems to go forever. I think the tank is less than one litre of gas.
C’mon man, an Electric motor would be so much better for the environment and you can recharge them with a portable solar panel. Check out Epropulsion or Torquedo motors
Hey Jeff. Electric motors are great for sure and certainly have their place but there are some situations where they simply don't really make that much sense. For the main uses of my motor it just made more sense to get a gas motor. It's extremely good on fuel and will last me forever.
