Wesly, I don't know if this is the "best" option or not but it's certainly one that works well. The friend that bought my old 17 purchased a 4 hp 4 stroke suzuki motor and mounted it on nice lifting motor bracket. The motor runs like a top and is unbelievably quiet. it will push the 17 at hull speed at about hlaf throttle on calm days. What I really liked about it is that we have been out in some pretty rough stuff, over 30knts with some fairly large wind swell and the motor had absolutely no problem pushing the boat along when we were done sailing. It has an internal fuel tank which lasts along time and eliminates the hose coming ito the cockpit and being mounted on the lifting bracket keeps the motor's head out of the back of the cockpit and clear of the rudder.
The only downside I see is that the 4hp 4 stroke is signifigantly heavier than say a 2 hp honda (which is also a great motor) but the 17 seems to handle it just fine. If you are really curious how it looks let me know and next time I'm down at the marina I'll snap a few shots for ya of the installation. S _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
