True - Two-stroke motors typically have smaller power heads. Our boat experienced the same issues with a narrow head 2-stroke 4 hp (no reverse) in the cut-out transom. Many years ago we had purchased a motor mount for a J-24 from Hall Spars - short story long - the mount was miss placed. SO I set out to make one with minor mod. to accommodate the 17 cut-out transom - I do not have a photo of it at hand but here is a link to the Hall Spars part - NFIW. http://www.hallspars.com/product_p/hr-j24-motormnt.htm Short bit of mast extrusion welded to 1/4" plate and HDPE mount block shaped to fit and cut away to lighten the part. Cost for home made part was +- $100 incl. welding, coating and fasteners. Modifications made were: adjust the mount plate angle to accommodate the angle of the transom (motor now sits parallel to the transom), and the Starboard plastic mount block was cut with a spade bit to accept the motor clamp screws. The metal part was powder coated and the piece has worked fine for years now. Engine rotates and sits properly re. the transom angle - rudder MAY still contact the prop as I did not want to offset the mount the distance away from the transom to clear the rudder blade - solution is to turn outboard in conjunction with the tiller when in tight conditions. No moving parts - true to Colin Chapman's credo - "Simplify, then add lightness" * *Credit to 'PaintBoy' for instilling that sailboat modifying philosophy to boat problem solving. Reason for all this OCD over a mount? - I hate ugly things hanging off the boat - motor does NOT need to lift to clear water in tilt mode with the mount. Engine is 20' long shaft. One can easily fabricate a 'prop guard' in the garage shop if you want extra bit of protection. Sorry for the rant - solution has worked well - does not wear out (no springs or moving parts) and was cheap. PM if you want a photo or dimensions of the one we built - Sailing Season in the desert starts today ! finally! Have Fun Go Sailing GO In a message dated 9/23/2015 5:02:31 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time, tjarvi@esnm.us writes: I've got a new Mercury 3.5 4 stroke in the transom cut-out in my 17 flush deck that has no reverse gear and will not come close to rotating around to get sternway. I have two paddles on board for that. The engine only turns a few degrees before some part of it contacts the sides of the motor well. The engine also has to sit as for from the rudder as possible to port in the cut-out to allow the rudder to turn (tiller to starboard) without hitting the engine case or the prop hitting the board! It still will not turn fully in that direction. I haven't sailed the boat enough to determine how much of a liability that's going to be. I've only had it out once since the restoration and there were several little things that need to be tweaked that you can't know til the shakedown cruise :) 2 Strokes back in the day must have had a significantly smaller motor head. On Sat, Sep 19, 2015 at 6:16 AM, Thomas Buzzi <thomaspbuzzi@gmail.com> wrote:
Can you flip an ob around for reverse if it sits in the cutout in the transom without the prop hitting the stern of the boat?
On Fri, Sep 18, 2015 at 4:18 PM, Rick Davies <jdavies104@gmail.com> wrote:
The Honda 2 reverses by flipping the motor around. Not quite as convenient as a shift lever, but only takes a few seconds.
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L
On Friday, September 18, 2015, <swwheatley@comcast.net> wrote:
I have a 5 hp 2 stroke on my M17 and anything over 1/2 throttle just buries the stern. (Yes, I could get a prop with less pitch, but I rarely use the motor so it hasn't been a priority). Based on that, I think 3.5 hp would be adequate. The only issue is sub-4 hp motors do not have a reverse gear. That may or may not be important to you.
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net <javascript:;>> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com <javascript:;>> Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 3:32:39 PM Subject: M_Boats: M17 motor requirements
OK, changing the topic a bit based on this:
On 09/18/2015 11:59 AM, Dave Scobie wrote:
...the 4HP Suzuki on my M17 is running at less than 50% to reach cruise speed.
So what is anyone's experience on what HP outboard is adequate for an M17?
Mine came with this nice, low hours Tohatsu 6hp sail pro model. It seems to me like overkill.
And, with Tohatsu at least, no point downgrading to their 5hp or 4hp because they are the same carcass, basically same size and weight.
Looking at Evinrude, Mercury, Suzuki, Honda...all making the same basic range of motors, same weight within a few pounds in HP class, etc.
The break point is under 4 hp, where the 2.5-3.5 hp units are significantly lighter and smaller.
Any experiences welcome - what do you find adequate for your M17 auxiliary motor needs?
thanks, John S.
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net <javascript:;> - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com