What are the benefits of having a jack plate??? And, what kind of boats need them or would benefit from them???

Bass boats and tunnel flats boats benifit the most.

Better lift and speed on the bass hull, running at optimum height for shallow water for the tunnel hull.

Ok, I'm showing my lack of knowledge on this subject, but how can you get more speed by adding a jack plate??? And, what do you mean by lift???

I put a 5 1/2 inch CMC hydraulic on the back of my 17.5 ft Ranger with a Yammi 115. It allowed me to easily run a 22 p prop where before a I was running a 19 or 20p. With the motor moved back I could raise the motor a bit and get better speed with less revs. I only picked up about 1.5mph but it has allowed me to tweak the performance allowing it to handle 100% better at all speeds.

The setback allows the prop to be in "cleaner" water farther from the hull and less turbulent. The hydraulic also enables you to raise/lower it for optimal performance depending on conditions. I'll lower it in rough waves and raise it in the good conditions.

ALRIGHT. Now that is good info and it makes more sense now. I knew that it would raise and lower your motor, but didn't think about it in rough water. I appreciate the info. How much was your plate??? I've seen them in the $250-500 range. How much more would hydraulics cost???

Ok...I'm thinking about putting one on my boat. Does the jack plate have to be specific for certain engine models or are they all universal??? I've seen a few on here for sale and was wondering what I need to be looking for. Thanks for any info.

you just need a 6" plate. about 280.00 for a rapid jack.

no need to spend the extra on a hydraulic for your combo. unless you're constantly going into VERY shallow water, or navigating VERY rough water.

Do you see people putting jack plates on engines smaller than 100hp? What about on a 90hp outboard? Would you see a difference or is it mostly for bigger hp motors?

I think the rapid jack would have done the trick on my boat. I lucked into my Hydraulic plate from a great guy!

I've been doing this for almost 16 yrs now.. YES,i've seen just about everything and anything.

motors smaller than 115hp, i usually suggest 4" set back spacers.
just helps get the motor away from the boat, and helps with handling, not necessarily speed.

THANKS FOR THE INFO GUYS. If my boat doesn't sell, I plan on putting one on. You say about $280 for the jack plate. How much to install??? and how long would it take???

I just put a 6 inch on the back of my Ranger with 200hp. trying to get it set at the right height. I set it at the same height from the ground but lost speed. Do I need to go up or down with the moter

i charge 75.00 to instal a plate, if purchased from me. takes a 1.5 hrs. should have some more plates in next week.

rangerr93sport. the general rule is for every 6" back , you go up 2".
best thing to do is, set the prop shaft at 3.5" below pad.
go here for instructions on how to measure.

http://www.stevescustomprops.com/propshaftheight.html

Thank you steve sounds like I need to try up a little.

How much for 4" set back spacers? Installation?