Sailfish 18 which outboard shaft?

[dnamlot]

Should a Sailfish 18 have a long or shortshaft outboard?

I have just bought my first boat, a Sailfish 18 to start me off in the world of boat ownership. It did not come with an outboard but does have a bracket in place. I intend to buy a 5 Hp 4stroke (best price so far £730 Honda BF5LEB with a 3 amp charger and 12.5 Ltr external tank - Poole Marine). I was advised that 5hp was the way to go and that a longshaft was best suited to the job but I have also seen one with a short shaft. This may be blasphemy but I only live 5 mins from the River Thames so I may be tempted once in a while not to drive 2 hours to the Solent and just motor her up and down the river on a Sunday afternoon (less mast and keel wound some way up of course). I would be very grateful if anyone could guide me in my choice and let me know if I could source an engine new or used for a better price anywhere else. Thanks, David

 

[Adrian]

Great choice of first boat, our first boat was a sailfish 18. You will need a long shaft OB, we had a 5hp 2 stroke Tohatsu which was OK.The previous owner of our boat used her a lot on the Thames and regualry went from Windsor all the way to Oxford.
Have you regestered with the Sailfish owneres club? They have a register of sailfish , produce a realy useful mod's guide and are a wealth of information. if you need the details let me know.

 

[dnamlot]

Thanks for the advice on the outboard, just got in touch with one of the members yesterday, they are sending me out joining instructions for the association. Cheers David