nlbounds wrote:Q2: Did Boston Whaler state a maximum engine weight for a 1974 MONTAUK 17 boat?
No. Boston Whaler did not specify a maximum engine weight in 1974 for their MONTAUK 17 boat. In 1974 federal regulations compelled Boston Whaler to only state a maximum horsepower for the engine. You can find the specifications for a c.1974 MONTAUK 17 in the REFERENCE section. See either of these two articles:
Dimension and Production Informationhttp://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... tions.html--or--
The 16/17-foot Hullhttp://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/16-17/nlbounds wrote:Q1: Are there concerns about the weight of a DF90 on a MONTAUK 17?
The weight of an outboard engine on any boat is always a concern. From that general precept you can infer that the weight of a DF90 engine on a MONTAUK 17 is a concern.
What is the weight of the engine you plan to buy? You never really tell the readers the actual engine weight.
A better way to ask if the DF90 engine's weight will be a problem would be to clearly state the DF90 engine weight. To tell us that the DF90 weighs more than some other engine does not give any real information about the weight of a DF90. Readers would have to already know how much the other engine weighs in order to figure out how much the DF90 weighs. Instead of leaving this to the readers to figure out, just tell the readers how much the engine you plan to buy weighs.
Is the engine you plan to buy a Suzuki DF90 or a DF90a? The two models are different.
A MONTAUK 17 boat made in 1974 was designed to use engines made in 1974. The boat is rated for 100-HP. A reasonable inference can be made about the weight of a 100-HP engine in 1974 by looking at the weight of older outboard engines. An article has collected the weight of older outboard engines. See
Weight of Older Outboard Engineshttp://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/011042.htmlIn c.1974 it would be very common that a MONTAUK 17 would be rigged by a dealer with an OMC V4 100-HP engine. From the article on the weight of older outboard engines, you will find this information about OMC V4 100-HP engines:
V4 1632 cc platform, 85/88/90/100/115 HP
20 inch shaft, elec. start, man. tilt -- 288 lbs
20 inch shaft, elec. start, trim/tilt -- 301 lbs
25 inch shaft, elec. start, trim/tilt -- 311 lbs
From that historical data, a reasonable inference can be made that an outboard engine of about 300-lbs would be the heaviest engine used in 1974 on a MONTAUK 17 boat.
Now, if you would just tell us how much the engine you plan to buy actually weights, we could then compare its weight to the 300-lbs that was anticipated to be the engine weight in c.1974. From that comparison some judgements or opinions could be provided.
There can be no dispute that a boat made in 1974 or possibly late in 1973 is now, in 2020, 46- to 47-years-old. There is no reasonable basis to presume or think or infer that the strength of the wood and fiberglass laminate in the transom of a 47-year-old boat is now greater and stronger than it was back in 1973 or 1974. The truth is quite the opposite: one can reasonably assume that after 47-years of exposure to weather, water, and sunlight, and to the forces of normal use of a boat, it is more likely that the strength of the wood and fiberglass in the transom is not a great as it was in 1973 or 1974.
This leads to the reasonable conclusion that the maximum engine weight that should be used on a c.1974 MONTAUK 17 should not exceed about 300-lbs.