have a 1974 macgregor venture 17 would a long or short shaft 5 hp outboard be best,it has an outboard bracket on the boat
outboard motor shaft length
- Thread starter tgrayson
- Start date
& I have a Tohatsu 6 HP sailpro on my Hunter 26. I can hit hull speed at 3/4 throttle so what @kloudie1 said about a 3 or 4 HP is spot on. The smaller the O.B. the less gas they burn, the easier it is to take it home with you (so it won't get stolen) the easier it is to take it to a shop for repairs, the less squatting it produces etc. etc.
I opted for the 20" which is the "long" shaft version. They also sell a 25". I wish I had opted for the 25". @Whatfiero1 mentioned hobby horsing but you can also motor sail and if your O.B. is a short shaft and is to windward, the prop will come out of the water when you heel. In an extreme situation like a T-storm micro burst, you can find yourself heeled over even with the sails down and again, if your O.B. is to windward and is a short shaft, your prop will come out of the water and you lose all propulsion. Not a common problem but not the sort of problem you want when other bad stuff is already happening.
It seems to also depends on the motor mount on your vessel and how much it raises/lowers. In addition to accounting for the prop coming out of the water, you'd want to be sure the powerhead doesn’t go under when the bow rises (or a big following wave). Anyone checked specs on mounts to see which give the greatest vertical adjustment? Logically, combining the greatest vertical adjustment and longest shaft length seems to offer the most flexibility.
The long shaft is definitely preferable. On my V-17 I have a 4hp 2 stroke Mariner long shaft which works perfect. It easily takes it up to hull speed and has enough reserve to handle heavy wind and waves when you really need it too. A smaller motor might be adequate for most situations, depends on where you are going to be sailing. A short shaft will pop out of the water whenever you encounter some real waves but could work in calm waters only.