I have a 1995 Nissan 5 hp on my Seaward Fox and a 2010 Nissan 5 hp on my Montgomery 17. Tohatsu, Nissan and the Mercury are same motors in this hp range manufactured by Tohatsu. I have not had problems and they are very reliable, and easily push the boat along. On my previous M17, I made a new rudder out of a piece of mahogany wood that matched the same size and width of the rudder I was redoing. On my current M17, I have an Ida Rudder, which is pretty awesome. I don't think gluing your split rudder is a good idea, especially when sailing on some big waters like Lake Michigan. I put a Garlick motor mount on my Seaward....its not that heavy and had a the caution to remove the motor before heading down the road...which doesn't seem right. The motor mount on my Montgomery is really strong and easy to use. Bob might be able to tell where to get one or may you could get one through him. Randy Sommerfeld No Worries, M17 -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Andrei Caldararu Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 9:17 PM To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats Subject: M_Boats: Help re. engine and rudder Hello, I have two questions related to my 1984 M-17, Seaweed. 1) While sailing Lake Michigan on Sunday my original wood rudder cracked. The crack is about 10 inches long, and starts at the top of the rudder, going vertically down the middle of the rudder. It is just a crack in the wood, and the rudder is still in one piece. Should I try to fix it, and if yes how? I was thinking of putting a wedge in, then filling the space with 3M 5200, removing the wedge, letting it cure clamped down, fiberglassing the whole top of the rudder (it is not under the water), and repainting with Cetol. Would this work? The other option would be to buy a new rudder, either a wood one (does Bob sell them?) or an Ida Sailor one. Any recommendations on one over the other? 2) I was thinking of replacing the 2 stroke 4hp Evinrude I currently have (original 1984 issue) with a 4 stroke motor. To be honest I don't quite know why, since the current motor does a great job, and works every time. In the process I bought a Tohatsu 4hp 4 stroke short shaft motor for $500, but found that with the current fixed motor mount it does not reach deep enough in the water. I can replace the mount with an adjustable one -- does anyone have a recommendation for a good mount, and comment on how hard it is to install? Or else I have found someone who sells a 6hp Tohatsu long shaft for $750 which would do the trick in terms of shaft length (and I could sell the 4hp for what I have in it), but I have read some negative comments on it. Does anyone have any experience with either of these two motors? Thanks, Andrei. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet!

Hi Andrei, I have a Tohatsu 6hp 4 stroke long shaft. I love it. It's extremely reliable; fairly easy to flush (I keep it year long in a salt water slip). It only weighs 55 lbs and has plenty of power. I can motor at hull speed at half throttle and here on Bogue Sound where the current runs 2 kts I can motor against it at close to 4 kts at 3/4 throttle. Mine is a 2006. It now has about 100 hrs. I have run it for 8-10 hours a day for 3 days at a time with no complaints from her. That's my 2 cents. Joe M17 Seafrog ----- Original Message ----- From: Andrei Caldararu To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 10:17 PM Subject: M_Boats: Help re. engine and rudder Hello, I have two questions related to my 1984 M-17, Seaweed. 1) While sailing Lake Michigan on Sunday my original wood rudder cracked. The crack is about 10 inches long, and starts at the top of the rudder, going vertically down the middle of the rudder. It is just a crack in the wood, and the rudder is still in one piece. Should I try to fix it, and if yes how? I was thinking of putting a wedge in, then filling the space with 3M 5200, removing the wedge, letting it cure clamped down, fiberglassing the whole top of the rudder (it is not under the water), and repainting with Cetol. Would this work? The other option would be to buy a new rudder, either a wood one (does Bob sell them?) or an Ida Sailor one. Any recommendations on one over the other? 2) I was thinking of replacing the 2 stroke 4hp Evinrude I currently have (original 1984 issue) with a 4 stroke motor. To be honest I don't quite know why, since the current motor does a great job, and works every time. In the process I bought a Tohatsu 4hp 4 stroke short shaft motor for $500, but found that with the current fixed motor mount it does not reach deep enough in the water. I can replace the mount with an adjustable one -- does anyone have a recommendation for a good mount, and comment on how hard it is to install? Or else I have found someone who sells a 6hp Tohatsu long shaft for $750 which would do the trick in terms of shaft length (and I could sell the 4hp for what I have in it), but I have read some negative comments on it. Does anyone have any experience with either of these two motors? Thanks, Andrei. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet!