I have never had a hydraulic jack plate or even been in the boat with one. Do they make a enough of a difference for the price? If yes, how? Just handling or more speed?
Thanks
For me it allows me to run in skinnier water, I can idle through stump fields with less motor down in the thick of it, and also makes for quick adjustments when running during certain conditions. Yes, they provide more handling, allow for the operator to adjust for speed, and allow for ability to raise out of danger.
this ^ ^ ^ fishing fork without a hydraulic can cost you a lower when you get in the stump fields.
low water pickup/hydraulic jp and you can run with almost half the prop out of the water, not for long but it can be done.
a lot too depends on hull design, a boat with good power and hull can get up to max performance pretty easy, I can run my champion with only about a foot or less in the water on pad, they can get squirrelly quick when you do that tho. think of it as making your pivot point behind pad instead of right at it, your engine gets better leverage to lift the hull. just have to match setback to the hull.