---

I currently have an older 13 sport (short transom) that I redid a few years back. Faired, painted, barrier coat, new wood and steering. Rocking an 2004 Mercury 40hp 2 stroke with decently low hours. Well my wife is unable to drive it by herself due to no power trim and tilt and more importantly the carburetor nonsense that often requires the appropriate throttle response or idle issues if it sits (which it does.) I have a young boy who is a few years away from operating a powerboat, but I anticipate him driving it in the next 5 years. My work schedule has been insane and I have almost no time to do work anymore and my sailboat I race takes priority.

A good friend of mine offered up a 2017 tohatsu 30hp fuel injected with power trim and tilt, for a decently low price. He did rebuild the engine after a client of his cooked it. It has a 20” shaft which requires a transom bracket, which I have no issue installing myself.

With either motor any major work can be done by the same friend for the cost of parts and quid pro quo. Yearly standard service and maintenance i do myself.

The question is do give up 10hp, 2 stoke reliability (even if carb cleaning and balancing is a yearly issue) and probably less weight. In favor of a more family friendly operation and less yearly maintenance hours on a motor that a certified tech rebuilt and claims is perfectly fine? I would also have to bastardized an almost original classic whaler with a transom riser which would hurt my soul.