short vs. long shaft

[supermick2]

Hello All,

I have a 14ft fiberglass boat and was wondering what purpose the short shaft vs. the long shaft outboards have? More specifically, why would somebody buy a short shaft outboard instead of a long shaft? Is there any advantages?

I checked out the F.A.Qs and ran a search on the forums and coudn't find much. Could I put an old Merc 50hp short shaft on my boat? Or would I need a long shaft?

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Mick

 

[crb478]

Re: short vs. long shaft

your transom length determines whether you need a long shaft or a short shaft. You use which ever motor ends up at he right height on your boat. If the motor is too low there will be too much drag and poor handling, too high and the prop will not bite in and it may not pump water.

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: short vs. long shaft

yup, what he said

here's a link with some further infohttp://smalloutboards.com/shaft.htm

 

[Silvertip]

Re: short vs. long shaft

Small fishing boats (row boat style) generally require short shaft (15 inch) motors. In fact a long shaft motor on a boat like that can create some handling issues. 15 foot runabout and larger boats generally have 20 inch transoms so a long shaft motor is required. Off shore rigs generally require even longer shafts.