Outboard too short for Whaler?

[toprodandgun]

I have a 16' Nausett Boston Whaler that was given<br />to me. It needs a motor, and I have a 1980<br />Johnson regular length 85hp mountd on it. My<br />question is, if the center or prop to bottom of<br />boat is 2 1/2", will the boat work properly? Also,<br />the fin (see photo) is about 4 inches above the<br />bottom of the boat. The motor can be lowered<br />another 2 inches, but it involves drilling lags<br />into the transom which I don't want to do. Thanks<br />in advance for any advice.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Outboard too short for Whaler?

You need a long shaft motor for that boat. The horizontal "fin" as you call it, should be roughly even with the bottom of the boat. The long shaft motors are about 5" longer than the short shaft.<br /><br />You could mount some sort of jack plate to the boat that would allow you to lower the motor, but you may not want to do that.<br /><br />The performance with your current setup will be lousy.

 

[JB]

Re: Outboard too short for Whaler?

Howdy, TR&G.<br /><br />Welcome to iboats. <br /><br />"Regular" length? No such thing, TR&G.<br /><br />Measure from the inner surface of the mount, where it sits on top of the transom to the anti-ventilation plate, that horizontal "fin" above the prop.<br /><br />15" is a short shaft, 20" is a long shaft, 25" is X-long and 30" is XX-long. I don't think I ever saw a Johnny 85 with a short shaft. Please give us the model number to confirm.<br /><br />Different models of Boston Whalers are often misidentified and many non-Whalers are often called Whalers. Measure the transom from the top edge vertically to level with the bottom center (not flat on the transom surface). On a Nauset that will be 20" +/- a bit.<br /><br />Lete us know what you find, and good luck.

 

[toprodandgun]

Re: Outboard too short for Whaler?

Model # of outboard is J85MLCSA. The first <br />measurement you described is 18". The transom<br />measurement is 21 1/2". It is a Boston Whaler,<br />I have the original paper work from when it was<br />purchased, and it was built in 1968. Nowhere<br />does it list what the model is, but it measures<br />16' 3". Thanks for your help. Dave

 

[JB]

Re: Outboard too short for Whaler?

Okay. Your engine is a 1980 long shaft and the transom is a 20" (vertical distance, not on the transom distance). They are compatible.<br /><br />The engine is mounted too high, probably to avoid the dreaded lag screw problem. <br /><br />The early 16'7" hulls wont take a later style engine bolt patterns without lag screws or a setback plate because of the design of the splashwell. Most people use the setback plate. I had to use one on my 1980 Montauk and it worked fine without extra holes in the transom.<br /><br />The one I used was a CMC with 4" of setback and I was able to adjust the mounting height of my engine to exactly where I wanted it: AV plate 1" higher than the bottom. If I recall correctly the plate cost me about $60 in 2000.<br /><br />If you want to see a pic of the installation, Email me.<br /><br />Good luck.