Thanks, Pirate, for your thoughts. I know you have extensive experience with both inboards and outboards. My only experience with outdrives was watching three brothers up to their necks in very cold water one winter daybreak, trying to repair the outdrive (the only one on this 38-foot houseboat) with a coathanger and dental floss. Heard some words I didn't know these perfect gentlemen even knew. Two of the three HAD to be at work in two hours and we were miles from the dock. Somehow they managed, the day was (barely)saved, and the third gentleman in question has oddly enough, lost his taste for that sort of engine. Since it's his boat that needs powering, I suspect we're stuck with outboards, taking some comfort that many rental fleets seem to use them.

We were figuring to start with a couple of whoever's high-thrust outboards, and try 14"/11 props and see how that goes. We've heard 14/9s can be special ordered, if flatter is necessary. Hull speed is likely to be about 9 knots. Go-fast planer, it ain't. This is to be a nice pokey shantyboat for use on NC's western (and usually calmer) Albemarle Sound and its swampy tributaries, and if we get that figured out, on to the ICW, maybe. Photos of progress so far at http://reiheld.home.mchsi.com/boat.htm

As you can see, the transom is already set up for the (admittedly awfully expensive) outboards, although I suppose if we found outboards totally inadequate, he could somehow rebuild those stern hull sections.

So, of the outboards you've seen, repaired, and used for this purpose, do you have a favorite, or do they ALL fall way short of adequate?