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  1. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Murphysboro, Illinois
    Posts
    644
    #41
    My solution for my 2005 Triton Tr-21X, was to manufacture a wedge or shim from a Trex Recycled deck board. As you can see from the photos the deck was about 2° low in the front. The level shows the slope as well. I needed 3/4 of an inch up front to bring it to 0° and level. As an added benefit, it dropped the head of the motor slightly over 2 inches when stowed. That doesn't sound like much but it's much better than before (actually looks way more than that). Before starting anything I measured how the boat sat in the water with a stack of quarters and a level. In the shop I raised the tongue jack until I achieved the same measurement.

    Small sample section Trex Board



    Reshaped Trex Board into wedge



    Painted...



    Angle guage without wedge.



    Level measurement without wedge.



    Wedge installed.



    Angle guage with wedge.



    Level measurement with wedge.



  2. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Columbus, Indiana
    Posts
    4,234
    #42
    If you don’t wipe your boat down (like I don’t) it’s pretty easy to figure out how your boat sits in the water. Lol.
    My water line makes it pretty easy to level the boat to make it sit like it floats.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    West Texas
    Posts
    1,928
    #43
    Take a torpedo level and a handful of pennies to the lake. Put the level on the gunwale in front of the console and shim it with pennies until you get it level. Make note of how many pennies you used and where the level was placed. Now take your boat home. Put the pennies and the level back in place, and then use your trailer jack to center the bubble on the level. Now your boat is sitting on the trailer in your garage just as it does in the lake. Now you can adjust your trolling motor angle if it needs it.

    This is the same way that I got my sidescan transducer exactly level for the best possible pics.

  4. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Scottsdale, AZ
    Posts
    1,073
    #44
    Quote Originally Posted by squib View Post
    Take a torpedo level and a handful of pennies to the lake. Put the level on the gunwale in front of the console and shim it with pennies until you get it level. Make note of how many pennies you used and where the level was placed. Now take your boat home. Put the pennies and the level back in place, and then use your trailer jack to center the bubble on the level. Now your boat is sitting on the trailer in your garage just as it does in the lake. Now you can adjust your trolling motor angle if it needs it.

    This is the same way that I got my sidescan transducer exactly level for the best possible pics.
    Good leveling method. I did this and found my transom transducer was 10 degrees out of level.

  5. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Murphysboro, Illinois
    Posts
    644
    #45
    10°!


  6. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Murphysboro, Illinois
    Posts
    644
    #46
    Well, I didn't realize the the Ultrex shaft was 3° off from the base when deployed. So, I had to make another wedge spacer almost an inch thicker than the first one. In order to make it with the same Trex composite deck material, I needed to increase the thickness. I accomplished this by using Gorilla Glue Construction Adhesive and clamping two boards together to double the thickness. If anyone needs the exact measurements I used just ask...

    This also dropped the head of the motor another 2 inches for a total of 4 inches lower when stowed. I may actually be more excited about that part....

    2 composite boards glued and clamped.



    Shaped and painted.



    Installed.





    Angle guage against the shaft.



    Level against the shaft.



  7. Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    portage indiana
    Posts
    1,126
    #47
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Weare View Post
    When I watched the video the only thing I thought of was instead of levelling the deck was to level the boat using the water scum line. Just not sure if that changes the angle but it is a true representation of how your boat sits in the water with you up front angling. That said, I'll level my Triton that way and see how my deck is compared to it.

    Good video that he provided though, useful insight.
    scum line? What’s that? How dare you not wipe your boat down after every use..lol
    2015 189 trx

  8. Member Bob G.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Milton, Vermont
    Posts
    6,076
    #48
    Nice write up and pics too. I can't deploy the trolling motor while my boat is on the trailer.
    2006 Triton TR-21 XD, Mercury 225 Pro XS, S/N 1B287870

  9. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Quebec/Canada
    Posts
    974
    #49
    Starting with 0 angle is very nice but what happens when you go out with your brother in law that weight 280 and he fishes from the back of the boat ?

  10. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Windham,NH
    Posts
    3,744
    #50
    I would have to agree it should be down with the boat in the water when you put the level to it.

  11. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Murphysboro, Illinois
    Posts
    644
    #51
    As I explained previously, measurements were taken while the boat was on the water before this project was started. The trailer jack was adjusted in the garage until I replicated the measurements taken on the water. The level and angle guage will read the same on the water as they did in the pictures above. As far as a heavy load near the rear of the boat, what little difference that will make is acceptable and no where near the amount the bow was off to begin with. My wife is about 130 pounds and made almost no difference. I wanted it plum in perfect conditions, allowing for the best possible readings while in wind and waves.


  12. Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Cumming, Ga Now!
    Posts
    2,679
    #52
    Great write up thanks!

  13. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Roswell, Ga
    Posts
    1,667
    #53
    Quote Originally Posted by drgrammer View Post
    As I explained previously, measurements were taken while the boat was on the water before this project was started. The trailer jack was adjusted in the garage until I replicated the measurements taken on the water. The level and angle guage will read the same on the water as they did in the pictures above. As far as a heavy load near the rear of the boat, what little difference that will make is acceptable and no where near the amount the bow was off to begin with. My wife is about 130 pounds and made almost no difference. I wanted it plum in perfect conditions, allowing for the best possible readings while in wind and waves.
    How did you get the taper on the shim pieces?

    John

  14. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    MN
    Posts
    869
    #54
    Quote Originally Posted by drgrammer View Post
    As I explained previously, measurements were taken while the boat was on the water before this project was started. The trailer jack was adjusted in the garage until I replicated the measurements taken on the water. The level and angle guage will read the same on the water as they did in the pictures above. As far as a heavy load near the rear of the boat, what little difference that will make is acceptable and no where near the amount the bow was off to begin with. My wife is about 130 pounds and made almost no difference. I wanted it plum in perfect conditions, allowing for the best possible readings while in wind and waves.
    This design looks great! How did you shape the material into a wedge? Some sort of band saw or sander?

  15. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Murphysboro, Illinois
    Posts
    644
    #55
    Ideally, a bandsaw would be my first choice. But my bandsaw is a bench-top model and doesn't have the clearance between the table and the upper blade support (it would need to be enough to clear the 1x6 on its edge). So I made a sled jig to hold the stock at the angle I needed and gradually ran it through a planer.






    As you can see in the photos I've already made a few passes through the planer, and it's gradually shaving off the high side. That will ultimately be the thinnest portion of the wedge. The two wooden side rails of the jig are there to give the planer a surface to "grab" for feeding purposes. They get planned down with each pass as well.


  16. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    OK
    Posts
    1,811
    #56
    So how high is the wedge total? I think you did a great job, looks good.

  17. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Hickory Tavern SC
    Posts
    33
    #57
    Quote Originally Posted by itsahog View Post
    So how high is the wedge total? I think you did a great job, looks good.
    Watching

  18. Member
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Weatherford, TX
    Posts
    800
    #58
    Quote Originally Posted by Real L View Post
    Starting with 0 angle is very nice but what happens when you go out with your brother in law that weight 280 and he fishes from the back of the boat ?
    I kind of think the same thing. Shoot, fill her up with gas and oil and it might shift by a couple of degrees. Or if there's any kind of wind, your boat will be rocking back and forth or side to side.
    '13 Triton 19SE 225 Pro XS
    '09 Chevy Silverado Z71

  19. Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Southern Kansas
    Posts
    487
    #59
    Quote Originally Posted by duracraftman View Post
    I kind of think the same thing. Shoot, fill her up with gas and oil and it might shift by a couple of degrees. Or if there's any kind of wind, your boat will be rocking back and forth or side to side.
    To me, this is just like any other setup on a boat. When you set your motor height, you set it for the way you normally run your boat. If you change any of those factors, fuel passenger tackle, you change the attitude of the boat and therefore the setup. I don't know of many that say there is no need to set up the motor height just because their load might change. Same thing applies here IMO. Set the angle for how you NORMALLY run it and take the changes as they come. At least it will be optimum for the way YOU NORMALLY have the boat loaded and fish out of it. Personally I have not put a wedge on mine YET, it works well as is but I would like to get it closer to vertical in the future. Just my two pennies worth.
    1998 Tr-21, 2001 Yamaha 225 OX66

  20. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Valencia, CA
    Posts
    18
    #60
    everyone keeps saying use a level and a bunch of pennies or a dime ,nickel, quarter . why dont you just use a tape MEASURE

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