Tracker v-18 tournament

[GoneFishingLTN]

HelloI have a 2005 bass tracker v 18 tournament series We have a mercury 150 4 stroke. I’m looking to make my boat as competitive as possible for tournaments. And was thinking of adding a jack plate. Which would you recommend and also is it a big enough edge to invest in?

[Transom]

Well if you have to have one to get the motor up enough to get into really skinny water then you might have a huge advantage.

[slonezp]

If you are looking for a gain in speed, save your money

[GoneFishingLTN]

That’s what I guess I’m asking so you guys think it’s a big enough edge idk really what id use it for ig mainly getting into shallow water but my boat can already right with the tm? So what’s the point? To do it faster?

[slonezp]

You can take off and reach plane faster in real shallow water with the addition of a hydraulic jack plate.

[gatorglenn]

The gains you’ll make on performance isn’t a big enough reason to get a hydraulic plate. You can accomplish the same with a much cheaper adjustable one.

The major reason people need a hydraulic one is what was mentioned already. Shallow take off and adjusting on the fly with different loads in the boat.

They are great for tournament fishing with co-partners. Where you won’t know what your load will be until that morning.

What Iam saying is I would get one. Because it would help me in the way and areas I would fish here. I know tournament guys with big glass boats that do tournaments on St Clair. And won’t have one because there’s no real advantages on big deep water. Except for inching every little bit of speed you can.

[Transom]

I always thought that they were helpful in knarly rough water as you can plunge the motor in deep preventing the prop from blowing out when going over a crest.

[Original Tin]

I ran a Tracker TV18 with a hydraulic jack-plate and a 150 Opti for over 7 years. I liked my hydraulic plate so much that I will never own another bass boat without one. I had a CMC 6" on my TV18 and I'm running the Atlas 10" on my current rig. Different boats will have different results but adding a hydraulic plate allows me to run shallower and more level while on plane. This means I can run slower on plane without the bow lifting...so I can run safer and shallower at slower speeds. It also improves hole-shot and can reduce time to plane by A LOT. Also It allows me to run my motor real high so I can increase my prop size and gain some mph on the top end...depending on the conditions. Finally it allows me to lower my motor in rougher water for a dryer and safer ride. A manual jack-plate will work okay but a hydraulic allows for adjustments on the fly and its the only way to go IMO. Good luck! ~Bill

http://www.cmcmarineproducts.com/pro...lic-Power-Lift

http://thmarine.com/atlas-hydraulic-jack-plate

[Original Tin]

Forgot to mention the benefits of added set-back that a jack-plate gives you. The correct amount of set-back can greatly improve handling and hole-shot. Moving the motor further back and away from the transom will put your prop in less turbulent water allowing for better prop performance and efficiency. This improves handling, hole-shot and reduces fuel consumption. I also like being able to mount my transducers and power-poles to my jack-plate so I don't need to drill holes in my hull. The Atlas plate comes pre-drilled for power-poles so the install is a no brainer. Hope this helps. ~Bill

*FYI*... Make sure you have long enough steering, throttle and fuel line for the added set-back. I would recommend no more than 5"-6" of set-back for a TV18 so you should be fine but double check just to be sure.

[Great Scott]

I use a 6" rapid Jack. I didnt gain any speed, w/the X7 prop,
but for this prop to function properly it needs the height. Better
holeshot was what I was after. I foam filled this plate to keep the
bow down when at rest. W/O the foam, you are going to sit bow high,
at rest. With a 150 on a hydraulic, w/no provision for floatation, you are
going to sit really bow high, and your boat will be like a kite in the wind.
A TV18 that sits level compares really well to any glass I have fished
from in the wind. JMHO LDS

[Original Tin]

I use a 6" rapid Jack. I didnt gain any speed, w/the X7 prop,
but for this prop to function properly it needs the height. Better
holeshot was what I was after. I foam filled this plate to keep the
bow down when at rest. W/O the foam, you are going to sit bow high,
at rest. With a 150 on a hydraulic, w/no provision for floatation, you are
going to sit really bow high, and your boat will be like a kite in the wind.
A TV18 that sits level compares really well to any glass I have fished
from in the wind. JMHO LDS

Good point...even with my Optimax (430lbs) the bow sat too high until I moved both trolling batts to the bow. The 4S is heavier than the opti by about 30 lbs or so... Some extra flotation in the stern might be a good idea.

[GoneFishingLTN]

Thanks everyone for the replies. You do think I can take this on the bfl and Costa trail one day or would I need to upgrade in your honest opinion?

[Transom]

The boat does not catch the fish. It is just a platform to fish from.

[Original Tin]

Thanks everyone for the replies. You do think I can take this on the bfl and Costa trail one day or would I need to upgrade in your honest opinion?

Good enough for Rick Clunn to fish a Classic from...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=hidE-Wkx0Gk

[Gotsum]

This past year my partner and I fished the fishers of men trail and did really well. Mine is a 99 with a 125 max speed 45. I am also in the top 5 of the club i fish in and won 2 tournaments in a row. What i have found is that most guys with big fiberglass tend to spot hoop all day and burn a lot of gas with not as much lure in the strike zone time as i do. I go to an area that i know contains good fish and i work it over very hard. This past year i made 2 very long runs of 30 + miles and yet i was not the first person fishing i was still able to do very well.

I had a skeeter 20i and sold it due to gas cost, i have found that i fish alot smarter and better now out of my slow boat. I added a few things that have really helped me out, i have helix 10's console and bow and installed an Ultrex which has helped me fish in the wind and actually win a tournament cause i could stay on the spot due to the wind.

with all that said its how you approach fishing and how much home work you do that will make you successful not the boat you are in.

[GoneFishingLTN]

This past year my partner and I fished the fishers of men trail and did really well. Mine is a 99 with a 125 max speed 45. I am also in the top 5 of the club i fish in and won 2 tournaments in a row. What i have found is that most guys with big fiberglass tend to spot hoop all day and burn a lot of gas with not as much lure in the strike zone time as i do. I go to an area that i know contains good fish and i work it over very hard. This past year i made 2 very long runs of 30 + miles and yet i was not the first person fishing i was still able to do very well.

I had a skeeter 20i and sold it due to gas cost, i have found that i fish alot smarter and better now out of my slow boat. I added a few things that have really helped me out, i have helix 10's console and bow and installed an Ultrex which has helped me fish in the wind and actually win a tournament cause i could stay on the spot due to the wind.

with all that said its how you approach fishing and how much home work you do that will make you successful not the boat you are in.

Thanks for the reply/confindence you didn’t mount two 10s at console did you they said i couldn’t. Did you have 2 at the bow also?

[Gotsum]

Sorry for late reply - i have a single helix 10 at the console and a single helix 10 at the bow - the only issue i have run into is the transducer mounting on the stern - i cannot get it low enough to not pick up the motor while trolling around - and with Tin every time you move them you now have another hole to fill in with calk - i am at a happy medium now with the location i loose reading at high speed - i need to move my high speed transducer to the other side but not looking forward to more holes -

[TheSilverFox]

Why don't you epoxy a piece of polymer cutting board to the hull and screw your transducer into that? No more holes.

[Davidec82]

Which epoxy will hold the polymer to aluminum? I am fixing to do just that and having trouble finding one.

[TheSilverFox]

I actually think more people are using the 3M 4200 or 5200 instead of epoxy. You can Google it and find out for sure. I haven't messed with aluminum boats in years so I'm a little behind times on the current application. I know there are a few youtube videos about the subject.