I also have an older M17 with the motor notch. And, a nice stainless adjustable motor mount, which came with the boat, but I would have had to buy one if it didn't. Motors big enough to have reverse are overkill (HP and weight) for my M17, so I have to be able to swivel the motor 180 for reverse. As already posted by several, can't do that if it mounts in the notch. I have the 2.3 HP Honda. I did try mounting it in the notch to verify it can't swivel...it can't. Comes close, but no dice, no cigar, none of those vices. I steer with the tiller in un-constricted waters, but being able to steer some with the motor comes in handy for docking/mooring in close quarters. And necessary for motors with no reverse. cheers, John On 6/27/21 11:46 AM, Rob Bultman wrote:
I have a 5HP Tohatsu 4 cycle that I use on my 77 M17 in the notch. With this configuration, you can't use the motor to steer as the motor barely fits in the notch. I picked the 5HP because that was the smallest I could get with a reverse gear. 5HP is way overkill for the M17. I would rather have a 2HP hanging on an external motor mount if you could also spin the motor around in order to get a reverse. The 5HP is getting a little heavy for me.
Regards, Rob FIN
On Sun, Jun 27, 2021 at 12:26 PM Cap Keith <orionkeith@msn.com> wrote:
Hello all,
Just a quick question… I own a M17, 1980 model. Purchased with an attached, adjustable motor mount thru-bolted where the cut out for an outboard. Question: Why not use the existing, cut-out for say, a 4-5hp motor? (Wanting to re-power).
Keith K Ginger Snap
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