HewesYourDaddy Posted May 5, 2021 Report Share Posted May 5, 2021 I currently have an old hand controlled Riptide motor on my bow that is a 48" length shaft (measured from bottom of control head to the top of the gear case). I have to keep it pretty low to keep the prop in the water, but where I have it set at is deep enough to not breach the surface in pretty rough chop. I have an extension handle on the controller so that I can stand up straight when using it. If I get a 54" shaft motor with Ipilot and keep the control head lower in the water (which I like for deck clearance purposes), do y'all see any issues? I guess I'm asking the advice/opinion of the guys running the 54" shafts. A few of my friends have 60' and longer units on their similar rigs. If the lower unit is the same depth in the water, and the only difference is the height of the head above the deck, is there any advantage to one over the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wthree3 Posted May 5, 2021 Report Share Posted May 5, 2021 The advantage of the 60 would be having an extra 6" in in a rough chop. I have a 54-in on my master angler, which is more than adequate 99% of the time. It has to be pretty rough for the motor to be coming out of the water when it's all the way down. Happens occasionally in the ocean when it's especially rough and everyone is standing at the back of the boat. That said, on a Pathfinder which I assume has a slightly higher deck height versus a flats boat, I wouldn't hesitate to get the 60 in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted May 5, 2021 Report Share Posted May 5, 2021 ^^^what he said^^^ I have had both a 54 and a 60" on my MA, and as wthree said, 99% of the time the 54 was enough. But when it wasnt, it was 100% annoying as hell. I have never regretted or even noticed the 60" shaft, so it seems to me that there is only upside. The only POSSIBLE downside, and I am not convinced of this, is that, when on autopilot/heading lock, the head is higher up. When the boat rocks, the heading lock tries to compensate and the head vascillates back and forth. Whether that happens more when the head is higher or not is debatable, but thought I would throw it out there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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