though the 3GM30 is one of my favorites and might do ok in the 34', in the islands and East coast, Tom is in the NW and for his size boat the extra horsepower might come in very handy at times (not everyone gets to sail/motor against nine knots of current when they least expect it) I went from 11hp to 18hp in my 26' and have been very glad I did, on numerous occasions, in the Bahamas and in Mexico (and I know I would need it in the NW).

On the other hand, a friend of mine with a like size boat as ours opted to move up to the 3GM30 ...and found it to be too much - he uses more fuel and is digging a hole at the optimum rpm for that engine, of course he can change some of that by re-propping but will still face other issues in my opinion. ("opinion " being the key word here )