sly_karma
Crew Member
Found a good deal on a used Etec 130 with 1150 hours, of which 50% at idle according to printout. Came off a RIB tender for a luxury motor yacht, full maintenance reports and receipts are provided. I like the V4, better power to weight than the 150 hp V6. Would be excellent power for my 19.5 glass hull: cleaner, more reliable and economical than the old 2 strokes I'm used to. The old Lund hull is solid after I did a transom and stringer rebuild four years ago.
But... the Etec has a 25" leg and my transom is 20". I'm a carpenter, I can see how to build a sturdy 5" extension doweled into the existing and then have an aluminum bracket fabricated that would sandwich over the re-glassed taller transom and through-bolt into the original one below. Has anyone seen this done for a midsize motor like this? Traps and pitfalls?
Pro:
But... the Etec has a 25" leg and my transom is 20". I'm a carpenter, I can see how to build a sturdy 5" extension doweled into the existing and then have an aluminum bracket fabricated that would sandwich over the re-glassed taller transom and through-bolt into the original one below. Has anyone seen this done for a midsize motor like this? Traps and pitfalls?
Pro:
- $4500 for a lightly used modern outboard including rigging and instruments
- approx half price of lease return motor
- motor still has 2 years warranty left
- transom addition would be relatively cheap as I can do most of the labour myself
- I have a heated shop and engine hoist, can do the re-rigging myself
- less time and money than pod conversion
- existing steering cable will switch straight over
- will improve clearance to kicker - the Etec appears to be a lot narrower than the wide, bulky Merc V6 I have now. Currently the two cowlings foul just short of full steering lock.
- remote oil tank setup means more compact cowling and gets a bit of weight off the transom
- Etec weighs same as existing Merc 150
- modifying hull structure always carries some risk
- time and cost of transom work (estimate $500 for materials and aluminum bracket fabrication) - not just a simple engine switch
- stuck with same boat work space unless pod conversion is done
- engine mass will sit 5" higher than currently