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I would say yes.

I hate to parrot, but that's almost certainly a short!

Looks like a short to me get the right one for the boat the best performance is when the cavitation plate is level with the bottom of the boat or a hair above

Probably short. Almost all small boats are. You can measure it. I think it should be around 15" for a short shaft and 20" for a long shaft.

I've had experience with a number of small motors over the years. My conclusion to date is that there is no point going with a 2 stroke motor unless your boat won't support the weight of a 4 stroke. Everything about a 4 stroke is better. That said, I've had honda, suzuki, yamaha, tohatsu, nissan and merc over the years. The honda is the king as far as I'm concerned but you'll pay for it. The yamaha four stroke electric start that I'm currently running on my tin boat is pretty darn good so far. It's been quiet and reliable. I bought is off a guy here for a good deal and i'm pretty happy. Although I did have a heck of a time with a brand new yamaha 2 stroke on my duck boat. I finally resolved the hard starting issue no thanks to yamaha canada warranty, and then moved it on as I had little faith after that episode. I would not buy a new yamaha. Their warranty isn't worth the paper its written on as far as I'm concerned. That said, most of their product is good and you probably won't need it! Tohatsu's work well. I had a great 9.8 as a kicker on my big boat until my oldest kid borrowed the boat, left the kicker down and blew a piece of the rod through the front of the block. It only had about 100 hours so that was an upsetting loss. I now have a merc 8hp as a kicker, also made by tohatsu. Every spring it is a bear to start, and requires a bit of messing around. I winterize it properly, so I'm not sure what the issue is, but after screwing around for 30-60 minutes, I get it running and don't have a problem for the rest of the season. All of the small mercs are tohatsu engines. I had a 2 stroke nissan that was also a tohatsu build, it was a great motor and only 60 pounds. That is the one 2 stroke I'd consider buying if I found one in good shape. Otherwise 4 stroke all the way. Happy hunting! You could try The Marina Guy up in Priceville north of me if you wanted Tohatsu. Ron and Mia are good people and that's where I take my boat for service when needed. 519-369-3892. I imagine his prices are competitive and he may have something used in good condition available!

Anytime buying a used vehicle is always a crapshoot. What I've always ask my clients to do is bring the vehicle they are interested in; to me or any independent garage, away form the dealership that is selling it. Regardless of the pressure the sales person puts on you. One of three things happen during the inspection. It gets a thumbs up that it's a decent vehicle. Take it back and tell the dealership they should be ashamed at trying to sell you such a piece of crap. Lastly the vehicle has potential but needs certain things repaired before purchase; giving you bargaining power. IE: The brakes pass safety inspection; but within 2-3 months it'll need a grand worth of work. I wasn't just asking this for my clients sake; it was for me as well. If it's a decent vehicle the client doesn't mind (as much) spending money on. In other words I rather work on a decent vehicle then some sort of junk; no one is happy when that happens. Dan.