Can I do the short shaft?

[ToyBox]

I recently asked about outboards for a 78 C27. I got one response that said I didn't need a long shaft. Can anyone add to that. I assumed I needed the long shaft. Thanks,

 

[Joe Ford]

Long shaft

Get the long shaft... unless you only motor in flat water, and never cross large wakes. I was surprised to see that comment also. I haven't seen anything other than long shafts on the many 27's here in SoCal. I could be wrong though, if I had any doubts, I'd contact Catalina for clarification.

 

[Brad Elbein]

Short shaft

You can certainly do the short shaft, and if you're really, really fortunate, you'll live to regret it. Why do you need an outboard? To motor out of trouble. What does trouble mean on a sailboat? High wind and high waves. What happens to a short shaft when there are high wind and high waves? It spends most of its time out of the water, cavitating, raising hell, overheating and dying. It's ridiculous to put your life on the line for a thousand dollars.

 

[Echo Gulf]

Long!!!!!!!!

We're running a Mariner 9.9 "long shaft" on our 1980 C27. It's handled everything we could throw at it in a most dependable manner, even fighting 35 knots of wind while trying to dock. I very strongly recommend you acquire something similar, safety is synonymous with dependability!

 

[A.C. Whitlow]

Longer is Better... or Size Does Matter

I watched a couple with a short shaft engine on a 25' sailboat lose control in a brief but intense storm. As others have responded to your question, the engine spent the majority of the time fanning air. Had the engine been a long shaft it may have been able to compensate for their lack of experience, but it wasn't and couldn't, and the boat wound up ashore with a bent rudder shaft and a hole in the hull. We installed the extra long shaft engine (Honda) on our C27 and it never - NEVER - cleared the water.

 

[Joe Passanisi. pass@fcgnetworks.net]

The shaft

I had asked the same question. My Catalina 27 is a 1974 with the outboard in the stern well. I got a reply from a guy in California. Who stated you definatley need the long shaft. I would guess because the stern rises high out of the water in a following sea. Hope I helped. Also I now have a long shaft Yamaha.