Brian: Don't know about your 3.5 hp Nissan, but I have an older Johnson Sailmaster 4 HP. It was setup with the low pitch prop and I would think this would be the best. You are looking for power, not speed. The 4 hp pushes the boat to about 4 knots at around 3/4 throttle and running easy. Wide open will get her up to a little over 5 knots, but by then the motor is running hard and the boat is squatting. And wide open uses twice the fuel for not much more gain in speed. Your 3.5 hp will get you in and out of a slip easy enough. Don't know what it will do in a strong headwind or strong current. If it's just wind, you could always try sailing! Howard M17, #278 Audasea On 6/26/05 9:21 PM, "Brian Gilbert" <hammerguy@mindspring.com> wrote:

Hi All:

I just got a great deal on a used 3.5hp Nissan 2-stroke for my M17. I had a Tohatsu 5 on my previous boat, and it was a super engine... always ran like a charm, except the one time I flooded it. Ran like a charm after ten minutes that day. Since Nissans are made by Tohatsu (I've heard they're basically the same engine) I'm hoping this little one will run well... as well.

My question has to do with prop pitch for this outboard. A 3.5HP is a touch small for a 17, so I want to get all the engine performance I can. There is a lower pitch prop available from Nissan that would work better for "moderate to high loads." (the standard prop is 7.4" diameter, 7" pitch, and their optional prop is the same diameter, but with a 5.7" pitch.) I'm wondering if anyone else is using an outboard with a lower-than-standard pitch, and has it helped? Thoughts and opinions?

Thanks BG