Adding a Jack Plate

[FlFedAngler]

Can adding a jack plate add speed?

[Grizzly]

Maybe.

[1Holeshot]

Usually a high performance bass boat will run faster at optimum engine height and set back. The jack plate will allow you to determine if your boat does or not.

[fishnfireman]

Depends on the boat..

[kcinnick]

Yes. Being able to move the motor up while on plane can help increase your speed.

[fishnfireman]

Adding a hydraulic J-plate will better the odds of gaining speed on most hulls.

[Fishysam]

Probably not worth it for a rt188, you may only gain 1 mph

[1Holeshot]

Probably not worth it for a rt188, you may only gain 1 mph

That is why I qualified my post with " high performance" bass boat. The pad hulls usually respond better.

[fishnfireman]

Probably not worth it for a rt188, you may only gain 1 mph

[DrewFlu33]

Adding a hydraulic J-plate will better the odds of gaining speed on most hulls.

I hear this, but then I talk to guys who have them and always hear the same thing: The hydraulic plate is extremely helpful for getting it dialed in initially (which is definitely SUPER tedious with a manual plate and maybe never really happens for most for that reason), but after that they all say they leave it alone at whatever height the boat likes for best performance. Obviously these aren't all Allisons, so I'm curious if your experience is different than that?

Of course being able to lift the motor up to run shallow water and things like that is another big advantage of a hydraulic plate.


My boat's performance improved by adding a 6" manual plate, and I've still got some tinkering to do with the height to get it dialed in. This is a hull that already had 15" of built in setback.

The big thing not always mentioned is getting more setback that helps in some cases with getting more lift out of the hull, but more importantly allows the motor/prop to get cleaner (read: less turbulent) water.

[fishnfireman]

If you run the same prop the same load, the same water conditions and the same elevation all the time it's a non issue. On a true hi-performance fishing boat with Sportsmaster the difference between 1/4 tank vs full -- no water in the wet well vs full--- 225 lb passenger vs solo.. can justify using hydraulic plate.

Personally I'm past getting that dialed in for a tournament. However I may use plate multiple times a day and not for shallow water. Its amazing the difference lowering the prop full down can make in rough water.. Also this V8 will blow out a 28 pitch Max 5 blade if you nail the throttle with plate set at running height... To come out hard I have to drop the plate a few inches then come back up while trimming.

When fishing higher elevation or the forecast calls for heavy wind I put on smaller props. These will need a different plate height.

For me after having one it's like spot lock and auto pilot I won;t be without it !

[DrewFlu33]

Good insight. Thank you for sharing!

[muddywaters]

I have a 14" Hydraulic plate on my Bullet, I would not change it for a manual plate ever. the versatility of the hydraulic plate for different scenarios is unparalleled. I do shallow water launches, I run it high on the plate in shallow water, I adjust it for max speed, I adjust it for best hole shot. I adjust it for tournament loads, I adjust it for a lot of different reasons. The reasons to adjust the plate are probably endless.

[FlFedAngler]

Thanks for all the good info. Guess I'll save my money.

[gehol]

I am doing a cut and paste of a cut and paste I did last February that might shed a little light on the jack plate question. The OP in this cut and paste is not the OP in this thread.

There is a lot of mis understanding out there on jackplates. The fulcrum is NOT the pad. The fulcrum is the face of the jack plate where the motor is attached. Think of it like this; wrap one arm around the front of the motor cowling and push forward on the prop with the other and attempt to raise the front of the boat. This is what the motor is doing. The farther back you put that fulcrum the harder it is to pick up the front of the boat. As Don said moving the motor back makes the effective length of the boat longer. Pick up a sledge hammer by the very end of the handle. Hold it out parallel to the ground. Now choke up about 6 inches and repeat. Which position is easier to hold the hammer parallel to the ground?

So why do we move the motor back on high performance boats? Many of these boats run motors very high. I would expect the OP's boat may have the prop centerline 3-4 inches below the bottom of the boat. A boat like mine runs the centerline of the prop 1-3/8" ABOVE the pad, some even more. If you run the motor that high without a jackplate, the prop would be more than half way out of the water. Therefore we have to shove the motor back to where the water is higher relative to the bottom of the boat and is better water. At higher speeds even with my 12" setback my prop arc will have the top blade 1-2 inches out of the water. It is a constant trade off with set back verses lift. In my case I have enough horsepower to weight to move the boat fast enough to start generating lift. Most boats with a pad generate little lift below 60 MPH. You have to stuff air under the hull along with the motor torque to actually "fly" the hull.
Many think pushing the stern of the boat down is the same as lifting the front, it is not.

I have no experience with a boat like the OP's but if what Don says is correct about lift it may help to make the effective length of the boat shorter thus getting the boat up a little easier.

Full disclosure: I stole some of the wording and examples from Paul Nichols over on the Bullet page. Many think Paul is one of the best in setting up high performance boats, I would agree.