I have a 17 ft nitro the motor is shot.(110HP) I want to take the motor off and use the boat to pond hop(less than 200 acres).Everything else works fine. If I take of the motor will the back of boat rise up more. I guess what I'm asking is the boat balanced for a large motor. Will I be able able to off set it with sandbags if need be? Thanks Jeff

Yes, the boat is "balanced" for the weight of the motor, but that doesn't mean you'll need to add weight for pond hopping.

Try it first.  It may be just fine for your purposes.  More weight will drain your trolling motor batteries faster.  Don't add weight unless it is necessary.

Motor probably weighs less than some fisherman I've seen. Removing it will likely level float it but my guess would be that it should not make the rear too high for pond hopping. Should make a nice raft. In Delaware, where there's no big water - or even quarter sized big water - other than the bay - that should be fine.