I am getting a new boat in earlt 2006, and I have been reading alot on them, but can someone help me understand jackplates please?

Thanks

Two styles of boats almost require a plate. High performance bass boats, and tunnel flats boats.

Bass boat, usually just needs a nice manual plate, the plate will give you exact motor height to match your prop and load.

Flats boat needs a hydraulic plate to adjust for motor height in the tunnel, which will depend on water depth and waves.

Do most boats come with a manual one, or is that something that you buy extra, in other words are they a requirment?? I am really new to the boat scene and am looking for some good info.

Thanks

Best to set correct motor height and helps get prop into cleaner water being farther back. Helps smaller boats ride better in rough water also. Some bass boats do`nt come with jack-plates but required to get correct motor height for best performance on an outboard. Hyd. jack-plate is the way to go for all around performance. Good Luck

Tell us what you've got, what your current results are and what you're looking for.

Could be money well spent, could be a waste, don't know until you tell.

I've got a hydraulic jack plate on my bay boat and will never own another bay boat without one again. I dont use it much when fishing lakes but when flats fishing, the thing is almost always moving. I can raise the plate full up, trim the motor full in, lower the trim tabs, carefully hammer the throttle and put my 23 bay boat on plane in a very shallow amount of water. I can leave it in that configuration and run 20 knots in probably 12 inches of water. I've never actually measured the water I've done this in but I know its shallow running. In fact, I've come off plane only to find myself hard aground a couple of times...kinda makes you feel stupid.

I cant tell a lot of speed difference in raising and lowering the plate. I usually leave the plate at about 2 inches of lift and will slow the boat by 1 or 2 knots if I lower the motor completely. Keep in mind that I have a very heavy boat which means a jack plate on a light bass boat may have a more significant impact on performance.

My brother in law has a manual plate on his bass boat and I dont think its been touched since the boat was orginally rigged.

Jeff