Boat motor ideas
John, Good questions. I would say you'd want a motor with at least 40 lbs. of thrust-- maybe a Minnkota? My parents have an canoe at their lake house in MN that we power with a 30 lb. thrust Minnkota and the thing scoots at full payload (800lbs.?) --I think folks have rigged in the past a way to run the pos and neg lines from a batt. in the forecompartment of the 170, through the empty space under the starbd. seat and back to the motor mount. It's somewhat tricky perhaps, but doable. You might need to cut an access port about half way back along the decking below the seat in order to make the run. See the photo forum I posted on the 170 site to see an access port installed. As for gas growing old, I once took my old gas to the county hazardous chemicals recycling station, but now, if gas is in the re-fill can for longer than a couple months, I pour it into my old '96 beater of a car when refueling her, effectively mixing the older stuff with brand new petrol. My car hasn't burped at this, and it's a great way to "dispose" of older gas. Here I use our boat & motor monthly during the winter and many times monthly during the summer, so fuel staleness isn't really a big issue-- but the fill can often sits a while, since the four stroke Yamaha is so efficient and I don't burn much gas motoring through the inlet into the lake. Regarding outboards, if you vote against an electric and go with a new gas motor, might I recommend a four stroke? They're heavier (but then so is a battery) but quieter and require no oil/fuel mixing. Best, Mike G.
