Doug,

I have an 1977 16' aluminum Sylvan Sportster (fish & ski) with a 65 hp
Mercury. I bought the boat last year. I wanted to add tilt and trim
so bought a CMC unit on eBay. About $100 cheaper than a new one.

Of course, to mount the unit, I had to lift off the motor. After doing
so, I noticed that my transom was bowed out by a half inch or so. Also
figured out that to mount the thing, I was going to need to drill yet
two more holes on my already well-ventilated transom (holes left over
from various brackets and attachments over the years).

Figured better safe than sorry, so I'm now in the middle of replacing
the transom.

But even with the new transom, I'm having second thoughts about using
the CMC unit. I think the original transom got bent from 27 years of
hanging a 200 pound motor off the back. The previous owner didn't use
a transom saver when trailering which didn't help matters. But the
tilt/trim unit adds about 6" of setback, which will increase stress on
the transom (by increasing the moment of inertia or some such physics
term).

The PT-130 from CMC is designed to handle motors up to 130 hp, which
are heavier than the 65 hp I've got in mind. But it might also be
intended for use on a transom more beefy than the one in my little
boat, even if I bring it back to original strength. The boat has a
80hp capacity according to the plate, but a 65hp hanging 6" out might
be too close to its limit.

So that's my story. Think I'll just live without tilt/trim, unless I
find a motor with it built in or someone on this board convinces me
that I'm worrying needlessly. In the meantime, guess I'll try to sell
the CMC unit on eBay or save it for the next boat.

Good luck.

Dave