Can I put a Honda 90 extra long shaft on my 22 cruiser.

[easy does it]

It is a good deal , only 5k but I can imagine bumping on rocks on lake Powell. I have a Honda 50 original equipment…(big gasp) ha. Anybody got any motors for sale? Cheers

[jkidd]

If you mount a jack plate so the motor can sit above the transom then it might work. The motor is suppose to be mounted so the anti cavitation plate is 1" above the bottom of the boat. As heavy as the motor will be you could get away with dead even. I wouldn't do it unless you can keep the cavitation plate at the proper height.

[thataway]

There has been a boat for sale in San Diego with a longer shaft. I feel that it is potentially asking for problems down the line with the transom. You are increasing the lever force on the transom

You don’t want the longer shaft in the water,. Performance including steering will suffer. There can be problems with the boat on a plane.

[kennharriet]

I have a new Honda 90 XLRT 25” long shaft mounted on Lochsa. Although it was not intentional, I ended up with a long shaft. After talking to some marine fabricators and friend who built his own boat for rough water Alaska use, they pointed out some advantages of the long shaft. I had the aluminum transform bracket pictured fabricated that puts the cavitation plate at the correct height. I believe the bracket actually strengthens the Cdory transom by better distributing the weight. It is made of 1/4” plate on both sides of transom and a larger footprint than the Honda bolt pattern and motor bracket. With the motor in the up locked position there in more motor weight distributed forward when towing. It does make it more challenging to change a prop on the water from the swim step however. I am not a marine engineer, so take my experience with a grain of salt. I am not unhappy with the outcome.

[im http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=Lochsa&id=4A95E641_79F4_4666_8F17_7CC8415CE858&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php g]

[/img]

[kennharriet]

[im http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=Lochsa&id=5404E6D1_813F_47B1_81D0_443F2ACA716E&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php g][/img]

[thataway]

I agree that sandwiching the transom, with plate on both sides, you do distribute the force much better. It was just bolts and washers which cause a potential issue.

In a least one C Dory25 the splash well laminate was about 1/2" off the transom laminate--a void of 1/2"--and the 1/4" thick splash well failed--first with a large fender washer, then with a bar across the upper bolt battery. This was solved by boring out the splash well to 2", and then working 6oz glass circles about 3 1/2" in diameter soaked in epoxy resin, thru the 2" hole and taking the load of the splash well. Finally the cut out part was delaminated with taper, and there is solid glass from the inner splash well to the transom, and then the area in the transom, is filled with thickened epoxy.

[digger]

I wouldn’t do it. I knew of a Hewescraft that was fitted with an extra long shaft Suzuki on a jackplate to put the cavitation plate in the correct area. Even with that, the boat porpoised due to the different moment arm of the xtra long shaft motor. The boat was refitted with an etec of the correct length and boat handling restored. Plus, the transom height with the jackplate is not fully supported across the new elevation of the bracket. Perhaps if the full width of the plate went across the entire transom width the results would be better.

[srbaum]

EasyDoesIt,
I would recommend not modifying the transom for the extra long shaft, as the transom would then be compromised with a lever arm, well above the designed height.
Can you provide a photo of the engine? Maybe a different approach, is to buy the outboard and have the extended spacer removed, which may include replacing the drive shaft, shift shaft and water tube.