Hi MC Many years ago I had a 25 foot Norwegian double ended fishing boat type built in Norway. We took delivery in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and then went from Rotterdam via inland waterways to Belgium, France and finally to the Seine in Paris, where we lived at that time. (140 locks almost all hand operated!) The boat had a SABB 10 HP single cylinder diesel with a variable pitch prop. A variable pitch prop is HEAVEN! It is total control under all situations. Going up the Meuse River in Belgium, we'd have to wait for a lock to open. You just throttle back to idle; pflumpf - pflumpf - pflumpf goes the diesel, and you hold your position in the river current by gently giving it a bit of forward pitch or, if moving to much, just go back to flat pitch, .........and wait a bit. I have been mourning for my variable pitch prop ever since..................... But, how do you plan to mount the engine and get the shaft out with the centerboard trunk in the way? Connie