CNC after Market tilt and trim

[Tim]

My name is Tim and I am new to the forum and need some advice.  I have a 170 Ospry powered by a Johnson 88 special which I love however, my motor does not have Tilt and Trim.  I fish on the west coast of Florida and often run in shallow water, so T & T is a must.  I am thinking about adding a CNC after-market Tilt and Trim unit but I am wondering if there will be a negitive effect on the boats prefomance and character with the motor sitting back 4-6 inches.  My only other options are to buy a new motor or have a used factory T & T unit installed.  I am not intrested buying a new motor because the motor I have runs great and has low hours.  Both T & T options will cost about the same, however the CNC come with a 1 year warranty, vs a 30 day warranty on the other option.  Please give me your thoughts

Thanks,
Tim in Brooksville.

[JimCt]

Welcome, Tim!
  Another 170'er... Miguel will be overjoyed; he has his in Panama and is very happy with his boat.  I had a 170 which really got me hooked on AS's

Tried finding "CNC" after-market tilt & trim units on the net but no luck.  Can you post a link with more info. on it?  Am having a mental block as to how the set-up operates.  I'm guessing its like a bracket which has the tilt hydraulics on it which mounts to the transom which then has the motor mounted to it.  As far as moving the motor four to six inches back you shouldn't have a problem if your transom is solid.  Anyway, please post pictures of your 170 for all to enjoy... also info. in the tilt & trim.

[GoneFission]

There are some advantages of having the motor sit back a bit - it puts it in clean flow - disadvantages include moving weight in the wrong direction.  In addition, if you go for the extra $$$ to get the unit that allows you to lift the motor up in addition to T&T, you get a very shallow running capability.  

If none of the above is a big deal for you, I would pick up an OMC T&T unit on eBay and install it.  You can't go wrong with OEM, and you know it will all fit and work.  If you are patient, the price will be right as well - expect to pay less that $200 for T&T in good working order.

[Miguel]

TIM:
Let me reply in two ways:
1.  WELCOME ABOARD, and specially to the 170 owner´s club.....  Please post pics of your boat.
2.  About 10 years ago, I used to have a starcraft aluminum boat with a 40HP mercury engine (no T&T).  I bought a CNC unit.  It gave me 3 years of trouble free service.  The boat was very light and the unit did not make any difference on the boat, as the setback is no more than 4 inches. It did make a big improvement over a fixed engine, and allowed me to trim the engine up on the shallows and it alos allowed some negative trim when I wanted to bury the bow a bot for more confort on a head sea.
Thefact that they have been on the market for a long time speaks about their reliability.