Good evening y'all,
Did any of you guys opt for a manual jack plate when you purchased your AVX ##80? I have a 6" Slidemaster on my 1880 but I'm thinking of removing it...
The performance seems to feel the same with and without it. Before we committed to purchasing ours we test drove an 1880 with the same configuration (minus the trolling motor and electronics choices). The top speed (53mph) is the same and the handling characteristics (hole shot and turning) seem the same. When we test drove the demo we had 3 adults and half a tank of fuel. My usual load out is 2 adults + fishing gear. I'm a minimalist so I'm sure my gear weight is much less than the weight of a grown adult, more like less than half of an adult. I noted the speed with half a tank of fuel and similar lake conditions as the day we completed the demo run.
So yeah, for the sake of the losing the weight of the jack plate and to gain 6" of wiggle room at the back side of my garage I'm thinking of removing it. I literally have 3" of room from the garage door to the end of the trolling motor and 3" of room from the back wall to my prop blade trimmed 2" from the concrete, LOL!
Am I overlooking any advantages of having the jack plate??? Honestly, I originally opted for it to eek out a few more mph. The hole shot was already impressive without the jack plate (demo setup) so that wasn't a driving factor.
She is our first boat so I'm hoping to gain more experienced based knowledge from those of y'all that have had vessels for quite some time. I'd sure appreciate any useful advice and/or experience. Thanks ahead of time. Y'all have a good one and stay safe.