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I had it in my head the motor was a whole lot heavier than that, although I'm not sure where I got that idea ...

The hull IS a 15, 15.3, actually, according to the BW plate and confirmed by BW when I contacted them about the HIN. And the USCG stickers says 30 HP, near as I can make out, although it's very scuffed and faded. Absolutely no doubt that the Canadian Coast Guard rating is 35 HP max; that number is embossed on their plate and clearly visible.

(Indeed, when I went to license the boat with Transport Canada, I got a bit of grief from them because it was "overpowered".)


You are correct, my transom holes do not correspond to the standard .. exactly .. but that's because they can't; the transom design of this hull does not allow this motor to sit all the way down in the well. The bottom two holes are drilled right (right right right) at the bottom of the well. I don't think they could be a millimeter lower. Even so, the top of the clamp is WELL proud of the top of the transom.

The other, older holes don't match any pattern at all. No way they could have been used with this motor, or another motor using this pattern. Mind you, 40 years ago, when this hull was new, who knows what motor was used. I think it was an Evinrude, but that might have been the second motor that went on. (What paperwork I have is very old and very faded.)

The issue for me is the stern down attitude, and I was hoping a different motor might fix it. The fact that the drain holes for the outboard well are below the waterline, when the boat is empty and tied up at the dock, just seems wrong.