Or I might just get a 80lbs bow mount electric and expect it to pull me all day long.

 

I have a 2hp Evinrude that has the tank on top.
Typically troll most of the day on a 12' Smokercraft.
If I am juicing it up to full speed I need a refill.

7 1/2" Wide but you need to take into account the space it takes to turn too.
It also spins completely around for reverse.

Don't know if that helps but a little bit to compare to.

 

A 2.5 hp motor will have just one cylinder. The shake, noise and rattle will drive you crazy. After a couple of trips you will start to loathe the wretched thing. Don't ask how I know this.

 

Like Tinman said above, it will vibrate and will be loud. I bought a 2.5 Suzuki in 2019 to mount on my Oldtown Sportsman duck hunting canoe. It makes an awesome setup for the lakes we hunt. But yeah, after a while your hand will fall asleep on the tiller.

 

I use a 2hp a lot. Did the electric motor for years and really didn't like the weight of two 12's and the uncertainty of whether or not i'd make it through the day. Times, i didn't. The 2hp is a Honda has always been reliable but noisy. Nicknamed The Lawnmower. I had a 2hp suzuki troll by one day and it sounded a whole lot quieter than mine. For how i use it, I'll take noise and vibration over electric unreliable

 

Like Tinman and others have said.....one cylinder will vibrate a bunch and drive you nuts....kind of like one cylinder motorcycles. Even my 8hp Honda and Yamaha trollers vibrate a good bit. I hope we see higher hp electrics for trolling in the future.......Tesla Outboards anyone?

 

I used a two stroke zuk 4hp. It was cheap, did not want to spend a lot on my first kicker. Now have a tohatsu 6 4-stroke with 200 hours in the first year.
Both single cylinder water cooled.

The two stroke was smoother obviously it fired each time. At low rpm or idle I was cleaning plugs and swapping each trip, ran 100:1 but wife was not happy with oil smoke. I made a ******* extension of upper exhaust routed it down into water this made it super quiet and I was dumping the oil/smoke in water. Great but back pressure made idle adjustments a pain. 38lbs, built in tank got filled 5x-6x on a 8 hour day.
6hp tohatsu, vibrates, noisy but 60lbs. I fill the tank 2x-3x a day. No oily smell for wife, she sits up front so noise not issue for her. I have modified this motor with foam inside cowl, lowered the idle rpm it's a lot better now. Since it runs at 960-1000rpm 95 percent of time it works great.

2.5 if that is what you can afford for space, weight and can live with some noise, vibes go for it. They use a plastic prop with cotter pin and sheer pin so easy cheap to fix, the water cooled version will be quite, Honda is air cooled.

 

I liked my 2.5 Suzuki - it ran well, sipped gas and while it vibrated a bit it wasn't terrible. I sold it to Black Point Marine - don't know if they still have it or not....

 

Thanks guys. I think you talked me out of a 2.5hp gas motor. I have a 55lbs electric transom mount now that "works" on Columbia and Willamette. I just wanted more power for wind and waves and pro-trolls. I think I will upgrade to 80lbs transom mount. I'm leaning towards Motorguide as my Minn-kota has been a lemon. Problem with the 80lbs motors is the transom bracket gets wider and I will have to trim some bracket plastic to make it fit between the trailer strap eyelet and corner brace. No one has any 80lb Motorguides in stock and there is $50 rebate right now .

 

I realize you said you are not going to go with the 2.5, but for frame of reference, the 2.3hp Honda is the most popular with the Hobie Island crowd as a backup motor namely for the fact that its air cooled.

If you are not price sensitive (but are weight sensitive) check out torqueedos line of electric trolling motors and outboards.

 

Just pulled the trigger on a 80lbs Motorguide transom mount. Tested a buddy's (thanks roost4u!) Motorguide 80lbs motor which fit and was more than enough power on the Columbia with pro-trolls. I will make it my fishing season motor. I will save the 55lbs motor for duck & crab season for backup propulsion. I will swap between motors depending on season.