Hey new to the forum and to surface drives in general. Been using long tails for years. Recently picked up a used GTR 35 pretty cheap to put on a go-devil boat that i used to have a long tail on. We took the boat out for a test drive, water swamped the back of the boat when i tried to get on plane and got worse the faster i went. seemed like it was shooting up from the mounting bracket. when i took it in our duck ponds the bottom of the lower unit would collect quite a bit of grass. Bad news is I didn't do enough research beforehand and apparently GTR makes 2 transom lengths. I'm assuming I have the tall transom length from the test drive performance and my boat, of course, has a 16" transom. I called gator tail and they said tall transom is made for 21" transom and short is made for 16" transom. So now I have a few options:

1. close in the transom on my boat. it steps down to 16" from 20" so if i close in the back I will have a 20" transom. Probably the cheapest option but will it work???

2. Try to convert from tall to short lower unit. Not too experienced with this as i'm new to these engines. How involved and $$$ is this option? gator tail said between $1000-$1500 but im assuming that's including their labor in there. Is this something i could just order parts for and do myself?

i'd like to hear some feedback from anybody who has done either options 1 or 2 and what kind of results did they have or any other advice you think could be beneficial. Like I said this is the first surface drive engine I've ever messed with so don't know a whole lot about them other than what I've read on the internet.

I'd spend my money to build up your transom. Lots of folks have done that, it'll run fine, and you'll have a taller transom to help keep water out of the boat.


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I converted the belt housing from tall to short. It's not difficult, nor should it be nearly that expensive. The belt housing and the belt don't cost that much, and that's all you have to buy to convert, plus some self etching primer (the spray can is what I used) and whatever paint you want over it. I have 18" sides on my boat, and a hunt deck, so I didn't want to build up my transom. No benefit from it.

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Hey Russ do you remember exactly how much the parts cost new? I already figured how much it would cost to raise my transom so just trying to get a number for the lower unit parts to compare.

I have one at the house that may or may not work. Sent you a pm with my number. Gimme a buzz when you have a min.

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So we got the transom built up this weekend... Got to take it out for a very brief run thanks to the weather. boat ran like a spotted ass ape lol. Really the only thing I can complain about is for some reason when steering right (actually pushing the tiller left...away from me), it takes a little bit of muscle whereas the opposite direction is a breeze. I believe I read somewhere that this problem can be solved by adjusting the engine left or right on the transom. Anybody experienced this and does anyone have a guess at which way/how much to move the motor? Once I get everything set up and the transom painted, I plan to do a full review of the setup.

Shift the motor to the left when looking at the boat from the rear. Small amounts.

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Thanks. I'll try that out this weekend.

Since you won't have it through bolted yet ( I assume). Make sure it is clamped tight and check it periodically. Vibration will loosen it up. Hate for it to jump off the transom. When you have it where you want it through only it.

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Like is mentioned above, shift the motor a half inch or so to the left. It will help offset some of the torque. What you're actually feeling is the prop walk since the prop is spinning a certain direction. You'll never fully correct the issue but motor offset is the best way to improve it.


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Got the motor shifted and it steers right now. Only thing of concern now is the boat wants to start porpoising after about 30 seconds of cruising wide open. Not a huge deal since i dont plan on running wide open often, just wondering if ya'll got any tips on correcting this?

Shift the weight around. Trim motor down a little. Etc. Change the dynamic causing it.

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I always had outboards and inboards for 20 years. Went to surface drive this year and hated it for about 10hrs. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO RUN IT. Once I figured it out I love it. Weight displacement in the boat is a big thing with these motors. Trim up and down makes a big difference. Big roost= slower speed, and tiller torque. Get out and run the shit out of it and you will figure it out. Have run mine about 40hrs this year and put a six man load and the gear in it go about 100' and know where to slide a man to and enjoy the rest of the ride. Good luck.