hello reedjj,
great thread about your 1542 jon modifications! my 1442 ncs has a 20 transom thus the search for 15 hp johnson with a long shaft. i weigh as much as two people (325) and was trying to keep the weight down on the hardware. i spend the winters in texas and summers in wisconsin. my tow vehicle is a ford focus 2 door hatchback and is limited to 1000# of trailer weight. so, weight is important to the health of the little 4 cyl car. i have towed my 1448 jon with center seat and a 9.9 johnson down and back this last winter. got 25 mpg towing with combined gross vehicle weight of 4400#. btw, the 2001 9.9 feels like a 20 hp the way it pushes the 1448 along.
re: the 15 hp, i thought it would be fast enough but reading your adventures with the 25 hp outboard made me re-evaluate the priorities and the fun factor seems to be winning. so now i have to determine the weight differential between a 15 hp long shaft and a 25 hp long shaft. i have heard that the long shaft 25 electric start weighs about 140 # vs the 15 hp LS electric start at 80#
in your report i think you said that the side console was fastened with screws to the plywood floor. how thick is the plywood floor? is this arrangement stable, i.e., does the side console stay put when the boat hits "bumps" in the water?
wistex