Long Shaft vs Short Shaft

Looking for some inputs on long vs short shaft? I have only ever had a short/reg shaft on my outboard but am interested in learning more on long shafts...looking to upgrade and they seem to be readily available, let me know some views?

It depends on the length of your transom. If you have a short transom you will need a short shaft boat. Or some type of jack plate to lift the motor up so that the anti ventilation plate is even with the bottom of your hull.

Do you already have the boat and looking for a motor? How tall is the transom? Short shaft motors are for ~15" transoms and long shaft are ~20". You run into a lot of headaches and additional cost trying to run a long shaft on a short transom and it's not practical to try to go the other way. Best to buy the motor to match the boat.

2015 Tracker Grizzly 1448 MVX
1996 Evinrude 25hp 3 cylinder looper

Got It! Thanks guys, going to find a short to properly fit the boat, cheers.

If you venture into rough open water where swamping
is a distinct possibility, boaters lean towards the high
transom and motor (20") for a higher margin of safety.
You will experience more efficiency with a motor that matches
your boat without making modifications to make one work with the other.

jus my Dos Centavos


and :WELCOME: to our bayou

It alll depends on your transom height.
A lot of smaller Jons use a 15" transom, similar to my 1848 Alumacraft.
I had a long shaft on it at one point, but the best thing I ever did was going to a short shaft, but I need to get through some shallower stuff later in the summer.

Here in rural Missouri used short shafts are hard to find and they sell quickly, especially anything 30hp or under. As was stated the smaller tin boats usually have a 15 inch transom so they use a short shaft and since they tend to be relatively inexpensive people that own them tend to keep them even when they don't ever use them.

I added a 40/30 Yammi jet to my 1448 and it needed a 20" transom. Since the wood in the original transom was getting "iffy" I totally replaced the transom with an all aluminum custom one that is heavily braced and 20". Probably should have just gotten a new hull along with the motor but I'm fond of my 1448 and it works great for where I fish.

If you can't find a short shaft, research adding a transom extension to raise the motor up to accomodate the long shaft. You don't have to totally replace the transom but don't run a long shaft on a 15" transom...you just won't get good performance from that and will more than likely tear up your prop quicker.

Match the motor to the transom.