Outboard shaft size

[Dave]

What shaft size should I look for when shopping foran outboard? Long or short? Does it vary by make?The spot where the motor hangs is about 17". Many of the motors advertised show thier length as 15"

 

[Jamie Shreeves]

Definitely go with the long shaft

I have a sailmaster 8 horse outboard on my 26S and it runs with a long shaft. I would go with the long shaft over a short shaft every time. I had a smaller boat that had a short shaft and you would always have to be careful about where your crew was positioned when you were running the motor otherwise the engine would start sucking air.Also if you are going to be in any kind of chop the deeper down your prop is in the water the better off you are.

 

[Jerry]

Long v. Extened Long

Don't waste money on a short shaft. I tried, with a motor I already owned- it didn't work. You will not get enough thrust. The prop cavitates (comes out of the water.So, we bought a Johnson 9.9 Long shaft. Much better. Prop stayed under water. But still, we did not feel as if we were getting enough forward thrust. The Johnson was stolen (Lord works in mysterious ways). We now have a Nissan 9.8 extended long shaft. It is very nice.In short- spend a few extra bucks for the extended long shaft.