I've been watching Craigslist for a 4hp long shaft motor for my M17 all summer. I can't afford a new one and don't want to spend much over $700. I want to use the cut-out in the transom rather than an outboard bracket if I can. I'm not too concerned about 2-stroke vs 4-stroke since it will not be used that much. The boat will be at a mooring that I can sail to and from. The motor will only be used occasionally for docking and to get me out of trouble! Yesterday I got the bright idea of weighing the 1972 (these motors run forever!) Johnson that I use on my VN23 Chiquita. I got out my bathroom scale and was surprised to see that it weighs only 53 lb. That's better than the specs I see for most new 4hp motors with FNR gears at 57-60 lb. So I tried putting it in the cut-out on the M17. I found that if I mount it slightly off center in the opening I can get full turning motion to starboard and almost full turning to port. Raising the tiller handle on the motor to 90 degrees gives full turning to port. I know that 6hp is a bit of overkill for the M17 but given that the 6hp Johnson is several pounds lighter than a newer 4hp, is there any reason to keep looking for a long shaft 4hp with FNR? They are hard to find, but used 6hp motors are plentiful around here and go for under $400. Another question: I have an old short shaft Evinrude that I use on my inflatable dinghy. It runs well but is totally unsuited for the M17 as is. I tried mounting it in the cut-out and the prop barely reached the waterline. It also has no reverse or clutch and cannot be spun around in the cutout. Could it be made to work if I used an external motor mount? I know that I could mount it low enough to get the prop at the proper depth but would an external bracket allow it to spin around for reverse? If so, is the performance hit of moving the motor further aft worth it considering this motor only weighs 38 lb (verified by my bathroom scale.) -- Henry https://picasaweb.google.com/heinzir