New outboard, great price, wrong shaft length.

[lil' beaver]

So In the search for a new 150 merc for my manatee 21, one of the dealers I was talking to has a new 2 year old leftover 175 opti pro xs still in crate. he quoted me a price of $8700. The only problem is it is a 25" shaft and I have a 20 inch transom.

I have a few choices. Install a jack plate, rebuild the transom to a 25", or pass on the deal. That being said, the transom, deck, and stringers are solid and dry. The rear of the boat sits low in the water already, so adding the extra 100lbs of the new outboard and the setback of the jackplate doesn't appeal to me as a first choice. The extra 5" of height on the transom will be welcomed if I choose to rebuild and raise the transom, but I hate the idea of tearing into the transom, deck, and stringers of a solid boat. What would you guys do in this situation?

Just an fyi, the best price I have been quoted so far for a new, non leftover 150 opti has bee $10800 and a 150 4 stroke $11600. Haven't priced a 175.

 

[smokeonthewater]

IMHO,

pass on it OR snag it and find a different boat that it works well with.

 

[Teamster]

If I had the money I'd be begging for the info on where the motor was at,....lol

Jaco's has good pricing listed online, But not that good,....

Couldn't you look for a good used 20 inch lower??

 

[ondarvr]

You don't need to dig that deep to raise the transom 5", it can be done rather easily when compaired to replacing a transom.

 

[lil' beaver]

You don't need to dig that deep to raise the transom 5", it can be done rather easily when compaired to replacing a transom.

Are you saying that I don't have to remove the whole transom and replace? If so, how would you go about it?

 

[ondarvr]

You're only adding 5", not ripping it apart.

Probably best to post a pic for better answers, we don't know exactly what you're starting with.

 

[Frank Acampora]

As a 21 foot Manatee owner, I would raise the transom! Simply cut the top cap. Make a filler piece out of marine plywood. Cap the front (splashwell side) and rear of the transom with aircraft grade aluminum plate about .080 thick and at least 12 inches in height.. Bolt both pieces through the transom with about (16) 1/4 inch bolts. Space to clear the engine transom clamps. Fabricate some additional 1/4 thick aluminum angles and bolt inside the splashwell through the transom and through the side of the splashwell.

It will be stronger than the original.

I will try to find a photo of a smaller boat I did this way.

 

[Frank Acampora]

No Title

Here are a couple of photos. In the little blue boat I raised the transom in two stages hence the multiple pieces of aluminum

 

[lil' beaver]

Frank, that little guy is an interesting looking boat. Does your 21' manatee sit really low in the rear? With my 140 rude, 9.9 johnson kicker, and a full tank of fuel the water barely trickles into the splashwell drains at rest.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Yes, with a battery, a 30 gallon tank and a Force 150, at rest she does sit low at the stern. One of the problems is that for a 21 footer she is very narrow at the transom; Only 5 1/2 feet at the end of the deadrise--that is, chine to chine. They took an 18 foot hull and simply added 3 feet to it, never changing the width. Because of this, even on plane, when people move around in the boat she rocks from side to side due to weight distribution. I must admit though, due to the wide flaring bow, It is an excellent rough water boat.