25" VS 20" shaft outboard

[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by Seacrets

Your 87 should be a 25" transom.

ALL V-20's could be either from about the late 70's on. Before about 77 all you could get is a 20", but when the new cap came out they offerred BOTH for all years right up to the V-21. ALL of the V-21's are 25" transoms. And don't forget that through 25+ years of boat owners and passing hands, many 25" transoms have been cut down to 20's through the years. So measure your transom before engine shopping. Otherwise look for a 25" shaft and put a jackplate on it if you have a 20". A 25" will work on a 20" with a jackplate, but a 20" doesn't work so well on a 25"(most of teh time). Of courese, a V-20 can always be cut down to a 20" fairly easily(V-21's cannot be cut down).