It s a pretty big area. it goes from the cabin door the the rear of the deck hold and as wide as the stringers. you could put a bigger hatch but it would have to be strong enough to handle the traffic. Drainage might be a problem, I never liked draining into the bilge.

150 always seemed to be the perfect fit for me. i used to do a lot of diving and had it propped for heavy loads, never cared for speed. I will say the 150 2S were more fun than the 150 4S. I do like 4mpg vs 2mpg.

We use it a lot, Probably use it 30 weekends a year, mostly in the bay now. I put about 100 hours a year on the motor and about 1-1.5 hours a trip.

Phatdaddy we love our boats (V20) mine is a 78 also with a 150 mercury 2 stroke. I bought her in 95 I think. 29 years ago and still to this day love that boat. For a 30 footer you have a cabin and plenty of fishing room plus she has great lines. I hav3 to check I might have bought her before that. But 95 seems about right.