Just as “cottage” can mean different things to different people—from a rustic cabin on a quiet lake to an architectural marvel on coveted coastal property—boating isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. Whether you use your boat for scooting around the lake with your friends and family or skimming over waves during coastal angling trips, there’s an ideal outboard motor for you. To help you choose the right size, horsepower, maintenance level, and noise level for your needs, we’ve partnered with Honda Marine to identify seven key types of boaters and the engines that will suit them best.
Outdoors
What type of outboard is right for you?
The "Big Water Cruiser"
Ever since you caught that first bass with your granddad at the tender age of five, you’ve been an angler at heart. But your thirst for angling adventures quickly outgrew the piers and shores of your local freshwater lake, and the siren song of the salty sea summoned you to seek bigger water and more trophy-worthy catches. When you spread your arms and say your catch was this big, you’re not exaggerating.
Your ideal boat:
- Centre console
- All-purpose fishing boat
- Charter boat
- Side console boat
- Mid-range to large outboard motor. Find and compare models here.
The "Great Lake Lover"
Like any good Canadian, you love that our nation stretches from sea to sea. But who needs the coast when you’re smack dab in the middle of the world’s largest and most beautiful bodies of freshwater! From the tempestuous beauty of the mighty Lake Superior to the breathtaking sunsets of Lake Huron, the Great Lakes are your preferred playground.
Your ideal boat:
- All purpose fishing boat
- Multi-hull power boat
- Walkaround
- Bay/flats boat
- Runabout
- Mid-range to large outboard motor. Find and compare models here.
The "Peace Keeper"
Your cottage is your quiet place—a destination where the highway horns and smartphone beeps that plague the modern world fade away, leaving you to savour the subtle sounds of the wind rustling the leaves, slurps of early-morning coffee on the dock, and your own deep breaths. And if you had your way, your lake would be just as silent. Even when you’re zipping around the bend to your favourite fishing spot, you value peace and quiet above all else.
Your ideal boat:
- Jon boat
- Aluminum fishing boat
- Inflatable
- Skiff
- Portable to mid-range outboard motor. Find and compare models here.
The “People Mover”
When you bought your cottage on a picturesque island, you knew you’d be hauling a cooler full of groceries across the lake every weekend. But what you didn’t anticipate was how often you’d be serving as a water taxi, ferrying a revolving roster of your friends and family from the marina to your dock. Now your favourite pastime is showing off the water-accessible hotspots that make your lake special.
Your ideal boat:
- Pontoon boat
- Deck boat
- Runabout
- Center console boat
- Mid-range to large outboard motor. Find and compare models here.
The “Power Fiend”
Tim “The Toolman” Taylor is your personal hero, and your speedometer never dips below sixty. When you’re not watching action movies (and questioning the purpose of dialogue between the explosions), you’re out on the water, lettin’ ’er rip, giving everyone on board delighted smiles and windswept hair.
Your ideal boat:
- High-performance boat
- Cuddy
- Large outboard motor. Find and compare models here.
The "Ski Bunny"
You could “dock start” before you could pedal a bike, and your palms bear the telltale calluses of a life spent gripping the handle while you carve across a boat’s wake. These days, your greatest joy comes from sharing your love of waterskiing / wakeboarding with your family by towing your kids and their friends around your favourite lake.
Your ideal boat:
- Small Bowrider
- Cuddy cabin
- Deck boat
- Wakeboard boat
- Mid-range to large outboard motor. Find and compare models here.
The "Wind Rider"
Your nearest and dearest have gotten used to referring to you as Cap’n, and the yacht club is your second home. Nothing feels better to you than the site of crisp, white, billowing sails and the feeling of wind on your tanned face. You harbour secret dreams of selling your house (but keeping your cottage, obviously) and sailing around the world.
Your ideal boat:
- Sailboat
- Sailing skiff
- Portable outboard motor. Find and compare models here.
