What to Do with a Long Shank 25hp

[Erich Miller]

After 8 years of nursing my 1970 Glastron fish and ski V146 through duck and crappie season, I have decided that we are going to part ways. I have found that it just doesn't fit the kind of waters we have here with its nearly 20 inches of draft. Plus, the hull has lived it full life. Not bad for a $200 boat and trailer.

What I haven't decided on is what to do with the motor. It is a long shaft manual tilt 25 mercury 4 stroke. I have the palns for a BBIII in my office right now and will probably go with something sneakboat like in the 14-15 foot range. My question is, is it worth the hassle of holding onto the motor? One of my biggest issues with the rig was it really was useless in less than 24in of water. Can I improve on this problem economically with traditional tricks like adding a jack plate and power tilt?

 

[John Fraser]

When you build your BBIII, can you make the transom go straight across? Do not "notch" the transom (for lack of the proper word) where the outboard sits. This would give you more freeboard when you have to back into the wind while keeping the lower unit at the proper height.

 

[Shawn Linn]

Take a look at the back of a duckboss13, it has a long shaft and will run on plane in 10 inches of water maybe you can incorporate that type of transom into your build.