I don't think a 55 lbs thrust Minn Kota has sufficient power for an M17 on San Francisco Bay . . . I've never sailed San Francisco Bay, but I've used a 55 lbs thrust Minn Kota extensively on my M17 . . . ----- Original Message ----- From: <bownez@juno.com> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2004 9:30 AM Subject: Towing with motor attached Hi again Bill, No boat yet? You must be anxious! The electric motor may work, I used one on a Capri 14.2 I owned in the late 80's. It was fine for the small city lake I was on. But, SF Bay is another world! I question whether the electric will have enough power to get you through the wind, current and chop. Greanted, you may wish to use it only for in and out of the marina, but there will be a time when you need to get somewhere in a more timely manner. Then, the battery issue. The weight of a good group 24 AGM like I use in UPS systems is 58 lbs. A real pain haul around if you need to for charging. Solar panels will not charge quickly enough. I'll be curious to know how it works out. I think the weight on my Yamaha 4hp, 4str is in the high 40lb range. It does have F-N-R and can use it's top fuel tank or a remote. Later, Bones