Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by Etops73 on 04/22/12 - 12:06 PM

Hi,
I have a '88, 22' BW Outrage, and have an opportunity to purchase a used '08 Etec, 225 for a great price. The problem that I have is that the engine has a 30" leg and my hull calls for 25". Should I shorten the leg from 30 to 25 (ideas on coast and feasibility) OR purchase a hydraulic jack plate from Bob's to raise the engine 5 inches?
Thanks.

Posted by Finnegan on 04/23/12 - 10:39 PM

22 Outrages look good with a 30" engine on a jackplate. A manually adjustable plate is all you need. Actually, Boston Whaler's later 22 Guardian models were all made with 30" transoms, for single 30" engines.

If you don't want to do this, you might also look into how Evinrude accomplishes the 30" length. If a 5" extension is used from a 25, you might be able to simply remove that extension to return the engine to 25" length.

Posted by Etops73 on 04/24/12 - 12:38 PM

Thanks Finnegan.
I just got off the phone with a Evinrude mechanic and he said it would be really expensive to convert. Looks like I'm going the jack plate route.

Posted by BobD on 04/24/12 - 6:53 PM

The engine will look a little odd on there if that matters to you much. I have a 25" shaft Evinrude on my 22 on an 8" jack plate and it looks high enough as it is. With another 5 inches higher I think it might look flat out goofy. Remember as your jack plate takes you back off the hull you have to come up with the motor just to keep up with the rising wake off the bottom of the hull. On top of that you have to come up 5 more inches to make up for the long shaft of the outboard. You had better be getting a REALLY good deal on this outboard as an odd installation can affect resale.

I have also seen a 22 with a 30" Yamaha mounted on a 5" raised aluminum transom plate. It did not look too bad, but would have looked better painted desert tan instead of aluminum.

On the plus side your powerhead will be very high and nearly impossible to swamp in rough conditions.

Posted by Etops73 on 04/24/12 - 7:58 PM

Thanks BobD. That's really good input. I'm getting the motor for a great deal so it's worth the trouble. I'm interested to know what year your 22 Outrage is?

Posted by dgoodhue on 04/25/12 - 2:37 AM

I would call the jack plate manfacturers to verify it will meet your height adjustments. You going to need to be able to raise the motor 6-7".

Posted by Tom W Clark on 04/25/12 - 6:08 AM

6 or 7 inches of lift will not be enough. With any kind of set back distance at all, even just 4 inches, you will beed 8 or 9 inches of lift. That is going to require a VERY heavy duty bracket.

You could also rebuild the transom to the 30 inch height, but since you want to buy this motor to save money, that is out too.

I'd just buy a 25 inch shaft length motor. It will probably be less expensive and much easier in the long run.

Posted by Etops73 on 04/25/12 - 10:47 AM

dgoodhue- The plate that I would use is by bob's machine shop. (hydraulic) It'll raise the motor 7 1/2". It's very well built.

Tom- I may decide to raise the transom anyway because in a few years, I plan on re-powering with twin Etec 115s. (25" CR) This may be a good time to just get it done. I've read several posts that you were a part of, and it seems that you are a strong advocate for setting engines an inch or two higher than most people/manufactures do.
Thanks guys!