Reply To: New to boating and looking for advice – Fastwin 18

[Mumbles]

These classic motors were designed and built in the fifties when most boats were made of wood and had keels. The anti ventilation (cavitation) plate had to be in line with the bottom of the keel, not the hull, to prevent surface air from entering the propeller area. That is why the A/V plate sits a few inches below the line of the hull. Your short shaft motor is the proper length for your boats transom, which should measure in the neighborhood of 15″. If your transom measured 20″, then you would want a long shaft motor on it.