Looking for feed back on Square back canoes

[Alex Chang]

Hello folks, I'm in the fortunate position to be considering a new boat purchase. But before I pull the trigger, I wanted to get some feedback from the community. I'm not looking for opinions on specific brands/make/model per se (although I would welcome any recommendations on the topic), but more along the lines of:

1. Does this boat style make sense as my "next boat" given context and use case? If not, why?
2. If you where in my shoes, what other boat styles would you consider?
3. To keep the feedback realistic, lets say I have a budget of $5,000. (a tricked out bass boat is out of the question lol)

The next boat I would like to purchase
17-18 ft square back canoe with a small electric outboard (because I strongly dislike paddling the slow stretches). Currently looking at an Esquif Cargo: https://esquif.com/en/canoe/cargo/

Context and Use case
Here is what I like to do with boats:

• Primarily fish ozark streams and rivers of all sizes for trout and smallmouth, although will begin exploring rivers up north in Wisconsin
• Day trips and multi-nighters camping on the gravel bars with enough gear for two people

Here is what I currently have as a boat:

• 16ft tandem canoe

Here are attributes that I like about my current boat and would like to have in my next boat:

• Car top transportation/no trailers

Additional Notes
Obviously getting a larger canoe with greater capacity plus an outboard is not a bad choice But, hoping to leverage some knowledge/lessons learned from members of the community who may have experienced the ozarks with boats other than a tandem canoe.

[fishinwrench]

Manual start outboards on canoes just doesn't work very well on Ozark streams.   There's a good reason why you seldom see anyone using them.   

If you truly need a pusher on your canoe you're going to be far better off with a good deep cycle battery and a 12v trolling motor. 

If you're dead set on a prop outboard craft for Ozark rivers, and you have 5k to spend......I only had 2800.00 tied up in this one.  

It got the job done in style. 😉

 

[Lvn2Fish]

We have a few guys in our float group that roll canoes with 12v trolling motors . They just cut a 2x4 and latch the motor on the side of the canoe . Works like a charm for those long slow pools , can easily pull it up when in shallow rapids . Cost you about 100 bucks to add it to your boat . Surely you couldn’t possibly need more capacity when going solo in a 16 ft canoe . 
 

[Gavin]

A troller will work great on your canoe. Old Town used to make a motor bracket (not sure if they still do). I have one of these old Town brackets in the garage, and I’ve used it twice in the last 30 years. Would sell it for a fair price if interested. I don’t intend to use it since I got a 17’ paddle jon. Works great for 20-30 mile downriver trips on the G nade/Meramec.

[snagged in outlet 3]

10 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Manual start outboards on canoes just doesn't work very well on Ozark streams.   There's a good reason why you seldom see anyone using them.   

If you truly need a pusher on your canoe you're going to be far better off with a good deep cycle battery and a 12v trolling motor. 

If you're dead set on a prop outboard craft for Ozark rivers, and you have 5k to spend......I only had 2800.00 tied up in this one.  

It got the job done in style. 😉

 

If you are just going to drag it anyway wouldn’t it be easier WITHOUT the motor😁

[gotmuddy]

Check out Ghenoe's, they are set up for motors and very stable.

[grizwilson]

Having owned a squareback canoe, it was a pain to try to run it directly behind me.  I have used the motor attachments that @Gavin speaks of, still have one and occasionally use it would never go back to square back, plus more function and use of canoe.  That said also have a 17' paddle john, that is far superior to the squareback, a much more stable fishing platform, floats as shallow as my 17' royalex hauls a ton of gear.  Like @fishinwrench I like the boat.  Have thrown it on top the suburban but I was younger and stronger then.  my advice is add a paddlejon and a small outboard and or TM

[fishinwrench]

6 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

If you are just going to drag it anyway wouldn’t it be easier WITHOUT the motor😁

Drag it 30-40 feet.......Run 2-3 miles......drag 30 feet.......Run another few miles.  It ain't that bad.

As long as you have 14-15" of water you're good to run a prop outboard.  

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Drag it 30-40 feet.......Run 2-3 miles......drag 30 feet.......Run another few miles.  It ain't that bad.

As long as you have 14-15" of water you're good to run a prop outboard.  

Sure looked like more than 20'-30' to get through that riffle ahead of you.  Probably the camera angle😂

[fishinwrench]

14 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Sure looked like more than 20'-30' to get through that ruffle ahead of you.  Probably the camera angle😂

A ruffle 🙄 

We're navigating rivers here, not the pillow isle at Bed Bath & Beyond. 

 

Riffle, ya moron !   😅