# Long Shaft on Short Transom?



## ShadowWalker (Dec 30, 2010)

What, if any, are the issues with doing this? I have a 35 HP Mercury with power trim and console steering. It is on an older fiberglass Tuffy. I want to go back to an aluminum boat for a couple reasons. The glass boat is too heavy for my S10 and I have to borrow my parents truck, or make a buddy pull it. I also started duck hunting.

Could I put this motor on an aluminum boat that has a short transom? I'm hoping I can because the glass boat is blue and has carpet. I will need to paint the exterior, and do something with the floors since the carpet is in pretty bad shape, and also blue. This is going to cost me a couple hundred (guesstimate) to do. I have found several boats (hull only) that would cost not much more. Another reason I hate to do all that is because the boat/motor/trailer only cost me $280 in the first place, and like I said, I'd love to go back to aluminum.

So has any one done this? I don't know If I'll be able to swing the money for a boat and motor this year.


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## clarkbre (Dec 31, 2010)

Here is a post I wrote a couple months ago about a long shaft on a short transom boat. You only run into a few issues:

The drawbacks would be:
1) Hitting the bottom of the lake/river/ocean with your skeg due to an extra 5” of motor in the water.
2) The extra 5” of motor in the water would create excessive drag
3) The overall performance would suffer with a lower top speed, poor hole-shot, and harder to plain since the cavitation plate would be nowhere near where it needs to be height-wise (within an inch of the bottom of the boat)

However, there is a solution and here it is:

Build an aluminum transom riser that sandwiches the transom and raises the longshaft motor to the proper height. The performance will improve greatly and you will have more clearance for shallower waters.


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## PartsMan (Dec 31, 2010)

It can be done. A jack plate will work also.

I would hold out for a high transom boat if I were you.

Or you could bring that motor down to Oklahoma and I'll give you your $280 back for it.


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## thad. (Dec 31, 2010)

You're looking at either a different boat, a different motor, or a jack plate.

https://www.cabelas.com/jack-plates-cmc-65-transom-jack-plates.shtml?type=product&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=700020&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=1304DE51-F5D2-DF11-82EF-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Dec 31, 2010)

PM Sent.


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## ShadowWalker (Dec 31, 2010)

I'm having a real hard time finding used boats with tall transoms, at least in my price range. Finding an aluminum boat with a console is a chore around here in the first place, when you're only looking for a 16 foot boat. 

Maybe I would be better off selling what I have to get a whole set up. A jack plate will add a couple hundred to the hull price, and getting a riser welded up would probably cost around 100 or so. 

I should go down to my grandma's in Kentucky with 1500 cash and see what I can get. Judging by craigslist, I could get a lot more down south for the same money.


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