Any serious issues with using a long shaft?

So I recently purchased a "Shell Lake" 13ft runabout from Greg S. It was previously owned by Chuck. For all I know someone else may be familiar with this double cockpit little boat. It was at the La Conner show next to Chuck's Dorsett & Glaspar.

It is a light little boat but it came with an Evinrude 50. As some might know this is a heavy and powerful motor. I believe this is the same setup Chuck had on Rosario and that pushed her over 30mph. The point being that the 50 might be a little much. It's a kick in the pants with at least one other adult in the front to level it out a little, but I bought the boat for my boys to run. So I've been thinking about other options.

I noticed an Evinrude 35 long shaft that seems like a good option. Should I be concerned about the long shaft aspect? I think the Evinrude 50 is about 18" from transom top to cavitation plate.

Thanks -Z

A long shaft motor on a short transom will not work, period. You can buy an
inexpensive manual jack plate to raise the motor up to the proper level which is the cavitation plate level with the bottom of the boat.

Todd

[Lootas1]

If you go for the long shaft, I have one that I took off my 12 foot Gregor that was running a long shaft Yamaha until I bought a short shaft Johnson. I don't know if it was purchased or custom made but is a solid extension and worked well. It was rather nice having the motor up out of the water but esthetically, not as nice as using a short shaft motor.

Well Lootas1 I might have to take you up on that. I'm considering the long shaft in large part because I assume I can trust a club member not to sell me a piece of junk. The 35hp seem like a good choice with the drawback being the shaft length.

I'm also hoping that someone might be interested in the Evinrude 50hp currently on the boat. There are several members who have first hand experience with this particular motor and some who can attest to the performance of the 50hp on the Skagits.

-Zachary

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Shell Lake runabout

Zachery -

Welcome to the club...

We sold the Shell Lake to Chuck after doing some restoration work on the boat, which had several years ago belonged to member Lon Racus of Peshastin. I ran the boat in this January's New Year's Run after having the engine gone through by Norm Boddy of Edmonds.

I don't know about the particular 35hp Evinrude you're looking at, but in general you'd be better off finding a short-shaft motor for the little Shell Lake runabout. Something in the 25hp range would be perfectly adequate...especially if you're turning the boat over to your kids to use.

I'd be interested in talking about possible re-purchase of the 50hp Evinrude, if you decide to let it go.

- Marty (360) 301-6737

[John Berg]

What are the mechanics of long shaft not working?

Marty, I cant figure out why long shaft wont work. What am I not considering? John

[pathfinderz1]

You didn't say what year the long shaft motor is.
Most of those long shaft motor have a 5 in extion right above the lower unit that can be taken out to make it a short shaft. All you need is a short drive shaft and water tube. If nobody here has the part the guys over on AOMCI can help you. If they can't I know a guy that most likely has the parts and might do it for trade of parts.
Mike

[Straycat]

Merc Elec. Start 25 hp.

Medic One, I have a short shaft Merc. Mark 25 Electric start with controls & Merc gas tank. $900 installed, running & guaranteed to be a great little motor.
Lon

[Bigfoot]

Marty, I cant figure out why long shaft wont work. What am I not considering? John

There will be too much drag with the prop being so far down. The jack plate is a great way around this. People lift the motors a few inches to make them go faster, Mike

Thanks for the offer on a sweet looking motor. I have to say that would be aesthetically superior. However, my budget is already blown after acquiring two boats unexpectantly this summer. I think $900 might land me sleeping out in the boat with my wife locked comfortably in the house. Additionally, reliability, parts availability and ease of maintenance is very important also. Thanks again -Zachary

[GregJ]

Medic One, I might be interested in the Evenrude. I have the same engine on my boat and have been thinking of butting on a second engine.

[Tim_Mattson]

Motor fodder

Zachary,
Raising motors with plates and such is really a "Black Art " like propping.Sometimes you`ll find a quirk with a hull or transom set-up and usually it never results in a perfect set-up.......usually.
Having the powerhead higher is great for the wiring and moving pcs around the cover,transom bracket and block,but it does raise center of balance and can amplify stress on corners and the transom itself.
Bottom line is the cav plate needs to be about level with the bottom of the hull.The prop needs to only so deep or it will slow you down and also be dangerous if something is hit.
Now if you back off on HP and weight,then it can make for a long lasting and safe-to-operate vessel.
As far as choosing motors,the 25 + 35 OMC will weigh the same ,the higher hp goes to a higher RPM and will use some more gas when throttled up.
Parts are still common to many years but realize they`ve raised prices recently and I`m paying more than I expect almost everytime.
The shaft swapping also involves a shift rod too,some do un-thread but a long to short swap needs a shorter one for sure.
The models with pinion nut need the lower housing opened to remove the shaft so that type involves even more than lifting out the shaft and putting the desired one in.The little HP 6,9.9, +15s use the easy one but as best as I recall ,the 25,35,40 and 50 will need the right lower to make life easy.
I`d put a 3 cyl Nissan/Tohatsu on it for kids use,a 25 hp is a pretty light set-up and can put out 30 hp with a simple carb gasket removal and slight tweak of some settings.These rope start extremely easy and my kicker starts on the 1st pull year-round.
Power to weight ratio is key on small boats and with lighter bodies on board ,you can keep it easy on fuel by going ultra light.
The downside to the off-brand is resale ,with higher demand motors like Yamaha and Honda,you`ll worry about it being stolen.
Lots of cast-off motors out there,one should fit the needs and be one they can use and enjoy.
Tim M

[Skagitguy]

Zachary, Botton line is stay, with what the boat was design for....a short shaft. If for no other reason e-mail Thom at frankenmerc@comcast.net You might find out a low HP motor would not cost all that much and you are not that far away for after sales service work if needed. Chuck

[GregS]

Zachary, the long shaft will cause drag and possibly control problems. I did have a long shaft on my Stiletto which should have been a short shaft. I noticed the boat would tend to wander at full speed which cannot be good. I hope that 50 didn't scare anybody It does take off like a rocket..

Greg Jr.

[Stephen Tweit]

motor size

Zachary, Don't know how old your "boys" are, but unless 16 or older....9.9 is the max hp they can operate. The sheriff on our lake loves to write those tickets... St