I have a hydraulic jack plate in my Fx21 with the SHO 250. I have it set at the 3 inch mark but it goes all the way to 6inches. I do not feel that I am getting full speed with fuel tanks and minimal tackle and 2 people I'm only running 63MPH. You guys got any pointers on where to set the jack plate to gain speed. I played with it a little today but was hesitant because it seemed I was about to make the prop come out of the water.

Hydraulic or fixed

Watch your water pressure and PLAY WITH YOUR HYDRAULIC JACK PLATE. Takes a while to get trim and height figured out. I found my sweet spot on the height and pretty much just leave it alone. You are not going to cause an instant catastrophic failure by raising your motor a little to high. Go for it. And yes 63(GPS?)is way too slow. 25P prop?

The prop shaft should not be 2 1/2inch lower then your center running pad with boat and motor level, I'm not sure the sweet spot on skeeters but this is a starting point for you work up in half increases.

Yes. Running a 25P. And yes it is 63 on the GPS. The hole shot is great on it, but top end speed isn't where I would think it should be. Not that I need to go fast anywhere. I just want it to all work properly and have the capability!

Go over to bassboatcentral skeeter owners forum, they will be able to tell you the best set up for your rig, that boat should be 70 mph rig, you may not want to run that fast but you need to have the boat set up properly just in case you get a wild hair.

I'm running a ZX250 and getting 72 loaded with a Hydro plate. Mines a atlas and I jump out of the hole. I start on 9-11 on the gauge and work my way up and work around 13 on the gauge for top in speed. I have a lot of water pressure left and right where I feel good on the RPM's running with the SHO motor. That boat should be running in the Low 70's very easy with a great ride.

My FX 21 runs best at 13. You should be turning around 5900-5950 RPM's and getting 70+.

Raise that motor up! You'll be fine unless there is a decent chop on the water. Once you do get a drop in water pressure you may have to drop off pad to get it to build back up. You'll eventually find a level you like. I have noticed that as the plate comes up, I have to ease off the trim to get the steering loosened up. I am about 1/2-3/4 to get best performance at the top of the jack plate.

I will say there is a point of diminishing returns. You'll eventually only use the top of the plate levels for shallow water or idling in trees.

Last thing, the holeshot is different with the motor at higher levels, the engine will seem to run harder once she starts to level off, almost like it is racing, just push through. Not a problem, just sounded weird to me because I wasn't used to it.

Play with the height of the jack plate. If it is hydraulic, you should be able to move it up and down while running with the push of a button or switch. As mentioned above, keep an eye on your water pressure. You should certainly be seeing better numbers than that.

Run the jack plate up while watching your water pressure, keep good pressure. When you start to lose water pressure, bump the plate back down (small increments) until the pressure picks back up. Then start playing with the trim. An easy rule of thumb, your rooster tail should be about the top of the cowling. If it is above the cowling, your trimmed up too high (all blow no go).

Have fun with it. With the air and water temps starting to cool off, you should see some of your best numbers! Motors like cold dense air!

I saw 73.6 (GPS) out of my Mercury 225 EFI on a 20'6' 519 Ranger last December.

Ranger Z519 is 19'6".

Dang 13? I run mine at 9-11. How much water pressure do you have? I dont ever see more than 10 and I just had the 100 hour service so everything should be good.

I think it's around 15 psi. Maybe a little higher. I'll look next time I have it wound up. This is my 3rd FX. First to were 20 footers. One liked it at 9, the other at 10-11. This one's 21 foot and likes it at 13. At that height, I'm only using about 70% trim and my rooster tail is no higher than the cowling, unless I slow down a bit while turning without trimming down. Then it will shoot a pretty good tail but it comes right back down as soon as I straighten out and get back on the hot foot.

It isn't a Z519. It is a 1999 519DVS. Ranger made a 20'6" 519VS 1997-2000 that was rated for a 225 (the boat I have.) In 2001 they "rebranded" the 519 to 519VX and shortened it to 19'6" and reduced the HP rating to 200. Now they have the z519 that is 19'6" and rated for a 225 (set up right,I bet that boat would fly for a Ranger.)

Excuse my ignorance, but can one of you explain the benefits of a hydrolic jackplate vs. standard trim?

Thanks!