Hi!  I'm new here as a poster and have an opinion question.

 

For Christmas, my wife got me a (lightly used) Coleman Scanoe and a MK Endura Max C2 55 Lbs trolling motor.  I haven't been in a canoe or jon boat since I was a boy and am SUPER stoked to get on the water.  

 

I weigh about 320 lbs.  The rear seat is truly in the rear.  How do go about counter balancing so the boat doesn't flip backwards?  Is the battery in front heavy enough if I run the wires up to the bow?  Should I throw a 50 lbs weight up there too? 

 

Any advice would be appreciated so I'm ready for my first time...

Assuming that your canoe is double-ended, if you are solo - you don't sit in the seat in the stern. You sit in the front seat, facing "aft", and run the boat backwards so to speak. You would then put the battery at the other end of the boat (in the direction that you are facing).  If the boat has 3 seats, you might be able to use the middle seat depending on where its located. If neither of those options trim the boat, you might have to relocate either the forward (or middle seat if present) to get the balance you want.

 

In this photo, I sit in what used to be the "front" seat - facing aft - and have the battery in front of me where the original rear seat used to be. I removed the rear seat as I always run the boat solo.

 

 

 

Just did a photo search - it looks like a lot of the Colemans have square sterns.  If yours is one of those - then you might check out whether you can relocate the rear seat farther forward and use a tiller extension for the TM. Battery in the bow. If you can't relocate the rear seat - as you said, keep the battery in the bow and consider adding additional weight in the bow as well. One convenient way to add weight is to fill a 5-gallon bucket with water and put it in the bow...

 

What is the length of your boat?

My vessel is an Old Town square back and I do not run it backwards.

 

  In the picture below, the battery is in the back with me.  I was fishing with my wife that day (she took the photo) so she was the counter balance.  When I fish alone, a second battery goes up in the bow.

 

I will admit that you have a few pounds on me.

 

A-Jay

 

 

Thanks guys. Yes it is square back so facing aft from the stern isn't really an option. Filling a bucket with water is a fantastic idea. Hadn't thought of that, thanks.

The scanoe is 15' from tip to tip.

What are those floats on the now rear of your canoe?

Thanks for the replies!

Check out the link below-- it is a blog from a guy that modified pretty much the exact same canoe that you have, on a budget, and using mostly things that he bought from the hardware store. I think that it will do you well.

 

 

If you are halfway handy, you can pick and choose some (or all) of the features and have a stellar ride like some of the awesome ones that members above have already posted. AND you can have very little invested in doing it.

 

 

Good Luck!

Thanks, Tony!