Versatility

 Over the past ten years or so when we've done most of our sailing in Fiji, there were many days with no wind or too much but we still wanted to go somewhere or go fishing.  The 2hp Yamaha motor was very reliable and could scoot us along at a respectable 6 knots +.  On this Tamanu I have the motor mount on the left and the rudder on the right, both within easy reach from my seat.  At times when landing under power in rough waves, I would need to use both the motor and rudder to steer.  

Originally I used a conventional kickup rudder, but there is nothing worse than trying to steer with one in shallow water when it is half way kicked up.  On my next canoe, the va'a motu, I used a modified cassette rudder than not only allows for perfect steering in the shallows but also kicks up if it hits bottom and snaps back when you reach the deep.

I put a hefty beam straight through both sides of the hull that supports the motor and takes the bottom gudgeon of the rudder.  A lighter cross piece is lashed on top of the gunwales to accept the upper rudder gudgeon.  After years of clamping outboard brackets to the aft crossbeam, I observed a Rarotongan fisherman with a simple 2x4 stuck through his hull with the motor clamped to it.  Simple and strong.