Looking to you guys for some advice for a jack plate. We have a 2008 Ranger 188VX with a yamaha 150. I've heard Bob's machine shop makes good ones. Any suggestions will be helpful with what size to get. Bob's now makes a 6",8",10",12", and a monster 14". Also curious of the performance with the added jack plate.

Thanks in advance!

CMC makes one thats all self contained, no hoses etc. Just bolt it on and wire it up.

Atlas and Detwiler both make self-contained units. I prefer the Atlas - so far. Yamaha with a Yamaha prop should run well at a higher engine height. Best thing about a jackplate is the ability to change quickly if you want to.

I would ask a prop guy, Steve at SCP will be able to advise you on engine height and performance.

I have a CMC. Buy a Bob's.

I personally don't think, for at least how I fish, a hydraulic plate is worth the price or the added maintenance complexity. It can come in handy for some situations but most people I know dial it in and don't mess with it much at all.

Set a manual plate right and leave it, works fine for me.

All that being said there are many who swear by them. But in my view there's a whole lot of other things (electronics, rods, etc.) you could better spend your money on.

You might check to see if Atlas is still in the affinity program with the PAA. www.fishpaa.com . If so, it might save you a lot of money

Bob's 10" with a 6" lift is what I have run for years without incident and has come in handy as far as enhanced safety and speed when the situation called for it

+1 Bob's is the best IMO...

Since you are curious as to the potential performance gains of adding a jackplate....

Please do not take offense here but your rig is not known to be a hi-performance rig. Do not expect to see huge gains in holeshot or topend by adding a jackplate. The function of a setback jackplate is to move the engine back away from the turbulent water coming off the pad of the hull. This allows the prop to run in "clean water" thereby giving the prop better bite to allow it to be more efficient.

Raising the motor reduces drag of the gearcase which is a speed robber. The problem with nose-heavy bass rigs is that the prop normally has to be buried deep in the water in order to achieve enough bite to lift the hull free of the water and run clean.

True hi-perf hulls like Allisons and Bullets are capable of speeds that will give them aerodynamic lift rather than hydrodynamic lift from the prop. In other words, the hull flies thru the air rather than being held up by the leverage of the propeller. These hulls benefit hugely from a setback jackplate because it allows you to mount the engine higher to reduce drag. You don't need the prop to lift the hull because it goes fast enough that the wind lifts the hull free of the water.

On 95% of today's bass rigs a hydraulic jackplate's primary benefit is that it allows you to raise the motor very high when you are idling through very shallow areas without over heating the motor. If I were you on the rig you have, I would save the $1500 and use it for a good side imaging unit to help you find more fish. You will most likely be disappointed by the lack of performance gains.

I would listen to Ken A. He has a lot of experience with boats of many makes and models. As I recall something on the order of 20 different boats.

A Legend, Seven Bullets, Two Allisons, 3 Tritons, 2 Gamblers, 2 Rangers, couple of Skeeters, and a few others.... 29 Total over the last 20 years.... LOL

good intel right there Ken

Matts1254 - I put a 6" manual plate on my 482VS with a 150 and it made a ton of difference in the performance of the boat. I was able to raise the engine from a "bolt on" prop shaft height of 4-1/4" below pad to 3-1/2" below pad. That height allowed the prop to surface a bit at full trim (to help get the rpm's up using a higher pitch prop) and gave me a lot more lift. Once I got the height dialed in, I was able to switch between a 22p and 24p prop and didn't need to change a thing.

So...save some $$, get a good manual plate, 6" setback. With the right prop and height setting, you might gain a couple of mph, but you will gain a much better handling boat.

Just make sure you have enough play in your throttle / steering cables to accomodate the setback. Or you'll have to change them out too.

Bobs gets the vote from me. Been around for a long time and makes a really good product

Go take a look at the Action Jac that they make now. http://www.bobsmachine.com/Products/jackplate_action-jac_series.cfm

Wow! What about the BassCats Ken?

I have a atlas JP on my Z522. The JP is the first I have owned and I agree totally with Ken A. This is what I have found I can get the highest speed with it jack up to & on my gauge but I get torque in the steering wheel at that setting. I can lower it to a setting of 4 and I lose one MPH and there is no torque in the steering now. I do like it when I am going into a stump field on fork. I like it but you will not see a lot of performance from the Hydraulic JP you will get some performance from a set back but you do not need the Hydraulic part to get the performance. My Z522 goes from 68 to 69 by playing with the JP. You can get better performance by getting the right prop and set up

Oops! Three Cats too!