New Height with CMC PT130 +3.5"- Is this too much? Merc 115 TOP

[cturboaddict]

Im in the middle of a restoration of my 1972 Sidewinder 18SS. I have sold the old evinrude off the back and purchased a 1976 Mercury 115 Inline 6. The motor that I bought did not have tilt/trim so there was a CMC PT130 that came with it.

Now with the topcoat nearing on the resto, i figured it was time to find centerlines and drill holes to mount the motor after i splash her with a topcoat. So a little math, i did and it just seemed off. Let me know what you think??????

Motor- 20" down from transom bracket to anti-cav plate.
BOAT-21" down from transom top to bottom of boat.....
This would place the motor approx +1 up. Which is great.

Now seeing that the motor has two clamps on it, the CMC PT130 came with a clamp on bracket installed on it. That adds an additional 2.5" to the top of the CMC PT130. And also- this gives me 6" of setback with the CMC PT130.
Essentially that places the motor at +3.5" at 6" of setback????

Does this sound okay? I can mount a bit lower, but not too much lower as the bolts will begin to interfere with my splashwell. PLEASE let me know your opinions as I dont want to drill a bunch of holes in my new transom, just to patch them after all that work. Measure 3 times, ask 4-5 times, then drill...

 

[JB]

Re: New Height with CMC PT130 +3.5"- Is this too much? Merc 115 TOP

Sounds high to me, addict, but the sweet spot differs with different boats.

I had a CMC130 with a Johnny 48SPL on my 15' Boston Whaler. Her sweet spot was +2".

 

[cturboaddict]

Re: New Height with CMC PT130 +3.5"- Is this too much? Merc 115 TOP

Yeah, and I understand that. My worry is drilling the holes then having to drop it down somehow. And also, drilling the holes, then getting a bigger motor later down the road that will require new holes to be drilled. Im not real keen on that idea after all the work I have done over the past year for this resto.