I wonder about the "getting wet" thing? I'm relatively new to the Grady line of boats, but the hydraulic unit is mounted there in my '82 Offshore and it's still going strong. I can't say if it's the original, but I know that it's close to 20 years old as the prior owner had the boat that long and never changed it. Also, it's ALWAYS mounted in the bilge on boats like Sea Ray's, Chaparrals, etc, etc (whose bilges get wet, too). And I see A LOT of those kinds of boats were I work. Now, if the area in this Grady is prone to having water dripping directly onto the motor, then that certainly makes perfect sense. That being said, it's never a bad idea to have things in drier locations, but I just wonder if it's really worth all the extra effort to do that, given how long-lasting these motors are in many, many other bilges?