When a canoe motor mount is flattened at the stern end of the boat
, it is a sign that the designer intended to place an outboard motor on the vehicle. When the craft gets designed this way, the user can find any number of mounts intended for a normal boat that he can place on the stern. A motor allows the user to travel through the water more quickly than by paddles alone.
Mounts can be made out of two types of materials. Wooden mounts handle smaller electric motors somewhere between two to four horsepower. The user can place them at the stern of the boat or on the port or the starboard side if he has a normally shaped canoe. The engines allow the user to adjust the position of the motor to allow the user to steer his direction.
Electric motors are often not desired for water operation. Not only do these engines produce less horsepower than a gasoline engine, they are more likely to suffer from problems while afloat. If you want to use a gasoline engine, a wooden mount will not support a more powerful gasoline engine.
Aluminum mounts are usually installed in the same way the wooden mounts are. If you have a canoe shaped with a flat stern, that is the most logical place to put the engine. Otherwise, you place it on the port or starboard sides near the rear of the craft. The gasoline powered engines start at 4 horsepower and go up to ten. A canoe cannot support as large an engine as a rowboat or a watercraft specifically designed to carry an engine.
The mounts should take about a half-hour for a user with the proper power tools to install. Before ordering the motor mount and the motor, you will need to take several measurements. Get the size of the gunwale, the motor size you plan to mount. After installing it, you will want to run a few checks to make sure it is safe. Make sure all the clamps are installed and make sure the motor is attached tightly to the canoe.
It does not hurt to do a little research on the motor you intend to buy and what kind of mount will work for it. The major difference between a wooden motor mount and an aluminum motor mount is the amount of pressure and weight each type can withstand.