F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

Hello,

I bought new tohatsu 5hp four stroke outboard. It is short shaft but lenght is 17inch or 44cm. Ideal shaft lenght is 38cm..right? Is there engine where short shaft lenght is 38cm? I looked new honda motors and short shaft is also 434mm. What is your shaft lenght what you use honawave?

Hi Muza,
A short shaft outboard mesures in between 15" and 17".. they do vary slightly depending on year of manufacture and the actual manufacturer.
If you can get the cavitation plate in line or there abouts with the lower section of the hull, thats about right.
You may need to pop a small piece of flat wood on top of the transom and lower the engine onto the wood to raise the outboard height/
If you do need to do that, ensure the outboard will clamp correctly and safely to the transom.

Martin

To be honest I think you’ll find all new/modern outboards will be very close to or just under 17” Anything close to 15” will probably date back to the eighties.

As Martin suggested, add a packer on the transom under the clamp. I’ve certainly not had a modern boat/motor combination that didn’t need or benefit from this.

Thanks for the advice. I have to wait a couple of months to test drive new motor because sea is frozen here.