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Thread: Putting an outboard motor on a driftboat

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  1. #1

    Default Putting an outboard motor on a driftboat

    I know it kinda defeats the purpose, but I'm thinking of getting an outboard motor for my Clackacraft driftboat - which is the 16' low profile model.

    Have any of you ever done this? I'd appreciate your advice.

    My main concern for the moment is in getting an adequately sized motor for it. There's a river or two where a motor would be just the ticket to get to some otherwise difficult to access places, and although it could be a bit of a trip, I don't mind if it takes awhile to get there - and actually prefer slow going as opposed to speeding up the river, making a 10' wake in all directions. There are also some lakes where it might be nice to use a motorized driftboat, and save the rowing for when I'm going down rivers.

    I've talked to the people at Clackacraft and they seem to think that a 5hp motor would be adequate. (The boat is Coast Guard rated for up to 10hp.) They also sell an offset kit that's needed to mount the motor in place of the anchor mount, and can also custom make a prop guard to protect the motor from rocks, etc.

    John

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Detroit Michigan (Royal Oak)
    Posts
    1,079

    Default

    I've owned a few drift boats myself, Lot's of drift boats around here (Great Lakes) with motors on them, comes in handy on Steelhead rivers when you have to motor back up stream. Normally most the time a 5-6hp is just the ticket for the average drift boat. One thing to be sure to measure or ask them is to see if you will need a Long Shaft motor. Because the hull design on drift boats with the up swept stern sometimes requires a long shaft motor to get the prop down in the water at the proper depth.

    Steve

  3. #3

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    Steve -

    Thanks for the input on motor size. A 20" shaft is what Clackacraft told me to get for my boat.

    John

  4. #4

    Default

    I have a 15 foot wooden drift boat that I built myself. I deliberately made it to be as lightweight as possible because of local conditions here in MN.

    By the standard of my boat, a Clackacraft is very heavy so while a 3 HP we put on my boat was plenty, I'd say 5-7 HP should be fine. I think a 10 HP would be excessive and you'd get tired of carrying all the extra weight around.

    One think I really find handy about the small 3 or 4 hp models is you can find them with internal fuel tanks so you don't have to lug around a remote fuel tank as well. This is reallly nice because for just short blasts of use, they hold plenty of fuel and it's one less piece of gear to be tripping over in the boat.

    Grouse

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Clark Fork, Idaho, USA
    Posts
    71

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    John, If you are looking for outboards to compare try this site onlineoutboards.com These are new, however,
    you can look over the different sizes and look at the different shaft lengths to get an ides of what you will need.

    Crunchy

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    465

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    I have a 16ft+ Hyde with high sides and use an 8 horse long shaft honda outoard. I have not used it in the river--- mainly use it when fishing lakes.

    I would be a little more careful with a low side--- Clackacraft should be able to give you some direction --and limits -- on how big a motor you should put on your boat.

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