old 1971 polar kraft ..should i go with a tiller motor ?

i have a semi vee sixteen foot polar kraft tin boat .. with a 25hp bigfoot.
with a homemade side console.. its kinda a micky mouse mess..
and it has two big floatation benches on each side...just thinking ? if i was too go with
a tiller motor . should give me more room.. and be a simpler setup.
all i do with this boat is very little fishing.. we ..( the better half and i ) just cruise around
and explore...and camp out now and then.....
my bigfoot motor does not have tilt..so i could trade it in for a yammaha high thrust
9.9 tiller ....with tilt...
i bought this boat at a garage sale really cheap..lol
the motor off craigs list..had ten hours on it..short shaft remote steer.
what would you guys do ?
p.s. im 6 foot two...300# ..the wife 140...and two fifty pound dogs and a big ice cooler..

If room is an issue, removing the console will definitely help with that. My boat had a side console when I got it and I ran it a few times to see how well it worked. It didn't take me long to decide on removing the console and converting my motor to tiller control. That little bit of change made a huge difference in the available floor space and moving from front to back in the boat now is so much easier. But I think it depends on your needs and how you use your boat. Having the console steer seems like it would be a more relaxing way to go if you just ride around in your boat.

JMichael said:

If room is an issue, removing the console will definitely help with that. My boat had a side console when I got it and I ran it a few times to see how well it worked. It didn't take me long to decide on removing the console and converting my motor to tiller control. That little bit of change made a huge difference in the available floor space and moving from front to back in the boat now is so much easier. But I think it depends on your needs and how you use your boat. Having the console steer seems like it would be a more relaxing way to go if you just ride around in your boat.

Click to expand...

thats a good ideal... hadent thoughts of converting my motor to tiller.. what that set you back ?
i could buy a CMC power tilt jackplate.....?

I purchased a used tiller handle and bracket on ebay for about $25 plus shipping. Since my motor was formerly a tiller control before being converted to remote steer, that was all the parts that I needed. I'm not sure if you would need more than that or not.

i hope someone who has done that will post what it cost.. my motor is a short shaft bigfoot 2002 model.
has hardly any hours on it.. ..
p.s.
my brother thinks i should putt a lazy boy recliner on the bow deck...and stick steering..lol

now ? the more i think about it ... i could just build a wooden enter console. mount it on the bow deck..then the whole center of boat would be open...
be way cheaper.... add a cmc power tilt... then it would be a nice cruising boat.... hummmm ?