Would like help making a decision

[Jimmy3]

I'm about to drop the cash and have a jackplate installed. For the longest time, based on the research I've done I was planning on getting a Hydrodynamics rapid jack as I'm not a speed demon but I do need to either get my motor higher or drop down a pitch in prop. ( I'm currently turning a 21" tempest at 5200 rpms average on a 150 optimax)

The vast majority of my use is on smaller river run lakes where handling trumps speed however I do fish much bigger water multiple times a year (Lake Cumberland and KY Lake) where I can encounter pretty rough water (especially in KY lake).

As stated above I had my decision down to the 6" manual rapid jack but this past week on KY Lake has me second guessing that choice. The combination of strong current and a stout wind from the north created some nasty waves that were hard for my triton 189 and my limited experience in that rough of water to handle. On multiple occasions my prop was on the verge of coming out of the water. As of this moment my PTP is about 4.25" and my motor is mounted to the transom.

That situation got me thinking, if I had my PTP set to about 3ish inches would this scenario had turned out differently. If I had the immediate ability to lower my motor deeper into the water would that have given me a lot more control? So now I'm not so confident in my choice of a manual plate.

Now that you've read the above information and hopefully have a better understanding of where I'm coming from we'll get to the questions. Please excuse my ignorance as this is the first "real" bass boat I've had, prior to this I've had a 15' trihull with an 85hp as my biggest boat.

1) Is the manual jackplate going to give me better control than I currently have in rough water even though the PTP is less?

2) Those who run a hydraulic plate, how much extra "bite" do you gain by lowering your motor in adverse conditions? Is it more of a convenience or something you couldn't do without?

3) When going out with various loads is the settings vastly different? E.g. if you went out alone with empty livewells and 1/4 tank of gas vs 2 people, full livewells and a tournament load out.

[Smallie_Hawgin]

My couple cents... Buying a boat with a hydraulic plate has been convenient.... A necessity, Meh... It certainly makes fine tuning your setup easier. It "could" allow you to run shallower if needed, or in the scenario you mentioned, it might help to lower the motor a bit to get additional bite. I have not needed to drop the plate in any instance yet to add that type of performance though.... That said, any amount of setback from the transom will get the motor "cleaner" water. Therefore, at the same or even slightly less PTP you technically will have more bite, so I would argue that any jack plate will indeed give you more control. As far as fine tuning.. If your goal is to get every last MPH out of your setup regardless of loads, sure, you can optimize... But I also know some guys who keep spreadsheets with props, pitches, rake, temps, PTP, loads, etc, etc. to get that last little bit of MPH out of their rigs for each condition... I personally don't spend that much time running at full throttle..

[willwork4fish]

I've had a Bob's on my last 3 boats, first 3 boats didn't have a hydraulic (1 on the transom and 2 manual). While it's not necessary it's also more than just convenient. Two places I fish a lot are the Upper Mississippi and Sturgeon Bay. Being able to get up and on plane in shallower water is a big plus on the river. It's not just the plate though, you have to have it propped right for holeshot but I can get up if my graph shows 1.7...On big water like Sturgeon Bay lowering your plate all the way helps a lot with control, bite, whatever you want to call it, it makes a difference.

[lpugh]

Manuel slidemaster, Zero interest in a power lift for me

[1ranger487vs]

Hydraulic is much easier to find the sweet spot although in my case once I found it I don’t adjust it anymore.

[jarhead175]

First thing your 700 rpms too low

Second unless you fish shallow water no need for a hydraulic get a manual get it set at your hulls sweet spot (everyone's is different even on the same hulls), and forget.

[PMantle]

Manuel slidemaster, Zero interest in a power lift for me

This.

[Jimmy3]

First thing your 700 rpms too low

Second unless you fish shallow water no need for a hydraulic get a manual get it set at your hulls sweet spot (everyone's is different even on the same hulls), and forget.

I know I'm short on thw RPMs. Currently I'm only getting 49-50 mph and 5100ish rpms on a full tourney loadout. On a cool crisp morning when I was alone, empty livewells and nearly empty fuel I hit 56 and somewhere in the 5400 rpms. 5200 rpms and 51-52 mph is my average top speed. That is one of the main reasons for getting a jackplate. I do fish in dirt shallow water but it's not that far from deeper water so not a big deal to trim up or troll out.

[Elmer Swan]

My 2 Cents I've had had manual Jack plates and currently have a slide master on my new ZXR21 and as soon as I can possibly afford it I'm going to a Bob's electric I had it on my last boat and absolutely love it

[jarhead175]

I know I'm short on thw RPMs. Currently I'm only getting 49-50 mph and 5100ish rpms on a full tourney loadout. On a cool crisp morning when I was alone, empty livewells and nearly empty fuel I hit 56 and somewhere in the 5400 rpms. 5200 rpms and 51-52 mph is my average top speed. That is one of the main reasons for getting a jackplate. I do fish in dirt shallow water but it's not that far from deeper water so not a big deal to trim up or troll out.

Always set up with a heavy tournament load, full of fuel, and water in the wells. Get it right heavy and it will be even better light. Set it up light and it will fall on its face with a load.

[Jimmy3]

Always set up with a heavy tournament load, full of fuel, and water in the wells. Get it right heavy and it will be even better light. Set it up light and it will fall on its face with a load.

Thanks for the advice, I normally keep a full tank and full tourney gear in the boat anyway just cause you never know what a day will bring.

I think I'm just gonna go with my original idea of getting a rapid jack. I wanted a jackplate that if necessary I could adjust it to match a particular occasion in case of an emergency. The rapid jack seems to be the easiest to be precise with as 1 click is 1/4". It may be a bit more difficult to do on the water but that plate seems to be the easiest.

Thanks for all the responses, y'all really have helped ease my mind and feel more confident in my choice.

[Ratltrap]

I have had boats with both manual and my current boat which is a Triton TR21 with a Bob's Hydraulic 6" Jackplate. It's true that when you get a manual jackplate zeroed in then that is pretty much it, sometimes you have a so-so hole shot, sometimes you have better top end, but with the manual you can't have it all. There were times when I had my manual jackplate that I needed to get up in shallow water and I couldn't. There were times when I needed to raise the engine in stump fields and I couldn't. There were times I had 3 people in the boat and I could not get out of the hole properly or achieve even fair top end performance with the extra weight. Once you have a boat with a hydraulic jackplate you will never look back. I have ran my boat with 50 gallons of gas, full livewells, two big people for 60 miles and was able to tweak another 2-3 MPH out of the boat speed simply by lifting the engine and playing with the trim to find the sweet spot with the load in the boat. Coming out of the hole is so simple, tuck it in, lower it down, and it pops right up out of the hole. Plus if you get a Hydraulic it will increase the value of the boat, very little maintenance, the bang for me was worth the bucks.

[mdtritn21]

Get the hydraulic plate then you don't have to worry about what kind of water shallow, deep, flat or rough.

[eh2000]

I would think you should know with very good accuracy what the water conditions for a given day were going to be and with rare exception be surprised by wind or current.

Armed with that knowledge, a rapid jack is very simple to adjust up or down prior to launching the boat and after some testing you will know your maximum height. Then it just a matter of adjusting which hole the motor is mounted to the jack plate on to ensure you can lower it the maximum amount when conditions require it. No sense in having additional adjustment up that you will never use. A manual saves weight which saves gas and will be cheaper on the initial purchase with virtually no maintenance costs.

That being said, if the additional cost and maintenance are of little concern to you a hydraulic plate is the best answer for on the water adjustment.

[mdtritn21]

The problem being that one time in a hundred when the wind gets up and you have to make a 20 mile run back in then you'll wish you had a hydraulic jack plate.

[DewRonInc]

Hydraulic for the win hands down