Jack Plates

Yamauser

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
Messages
43
I have never used or even seen jack plates in use. How much of a help can they be in crossing extremely shallow water? I was thinking they would be much more effective than trimming up the motor, which has the added disadvantage of pushing the transom dwn a little. Does the weight or offset effect the boats setup? I see a lot of skinny water, would they be worth the cost. Sorry for so many question.
 

tysonnathan

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 2, 2008
Messages
246
Re: Jack Plates

My uncle has one on his 22' Pathfinder center console and I think its great... It has about 8-10 inches of adjustment and will get you some pretty shallow spots. If I had a flats boat i would definately invest in one if i had the $$. The weight/offset do not seem to be an issue with his.
 

gsyfishy

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
173
Re: Jack Plates

Keep in mind, that with a jack plate, you will only be able to jack it up so much depending on your speed. If you're going full throttle, the back of the boat is higher out of the water, when you start jacking up your chance of cavitation is greater than when going at a slower speed. Mt own personal experience is a cat or tunnel style hull is the ideal boat for this application.
 

tysonnathan

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 2, 2008
Messages
246
Re: Jack Plates

i dont use the jack plate when running fast... only when im easin along looking for a good spot to wet a line or trying to get closer to the redfish... they might be a bit more functional on cats and tunnels, but i still think they have a place on a shallow running v-hull.
 

Yamauser

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
Messages
43
Re: Jack Plates

Thanks for the replies so far. This particular problem is getting over a couple of sandbars on the way out of a creek to get to the fishing grounds. I would be looking to go about 3-4 mph. At low tide, even with the motor fully trimmed, we still throw mud.
 

Dhadley

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Feb 4, 2001
Messages
16,978
Re: Jack Plates

I wouldn't have a boat without one. Even on the 22 HydraSport because we do get in thin water. It's rare to see a flats boat without one. It not only helps running shallow, it helps getting on plane in shallow.
 

rodbolt

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 1, 2003
Messages
20,066
Re: Jack Plates

my personal boat is a 22 seapro center console with a second station tuna tower,07 F150, 6" hydrojacker and lenco trim tabs, love it for the skinny stuff as I can jack the engine 3" or so and drop the tabs and run in about 9" of water.
for taking off in skinny water tuck the engine all the way in,tabs full down jack plate at 3" and slam the throttle. as long as the depth finder says 1.7' it will take off without hitting bottom.
next addition will be a remote control 70# thrust trolling motor and a pedastel seat on the bow area :).
 

TonyNoriega

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
100
Re: Jack Plates

Here in Tampa Bay we fish a lot of flats and shallows and a jackplate is almost essential. If you just use the engine's tilt/trim feature you will push the bow upward, which pushes the transom downward, defeating the purpose.

My 22' Pathfinder has a plate with 6" setback and it rides and performs darn good....I figure it buys me an extra hour on a flat when the tide is going out. I highly recommend you getting one.
 

Yamauser

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
Messages
43
Re: Jack Plates

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like a jack plate is the way to go.
 

Glastron1987

Cadet
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Messages
17
Re: Jack Plates

I'm thinking of getting a setback on my 18ft. bowrider because of the benefits I've heard about (e.g. stability, better bite, etc.). One question I have is will the power trim still have good control to get the bow up when I want for wakeboarding and down for slalom skiing?
 

C-VENN

Cadet
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
19
Re: Jack Plates

I have a 15 foot boat and fish most of the time on rivers. My question is my prop can run in about 1.5 feet of water at low speed (under 5mph). Would a jack plate get me a few more inches or just not worth it on such a small boat.
Thanks for your help
 

bassboy1

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
1,884
Re: Jack Plates

Huh, so y'all use them for shallow water. Up here in bass fishing country, we put them on performance bass boats (that run 60, 70, 80 plus mph) along with a low profile lower unit with a low water pickup, to set the engine away from the boat as far as possible, and put it as shallow as possible to gain a couple more mph.
 

marquette

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 18, 2006
Messages
372
Re: Jack Plates

last summeri put a fixed mini-jacker on a 15 ft boat set up for flats fishing. it raised the motor (28hp) as high as i could and still draw water. it also set the motor back about 4 in which also helped to draw water. we can run WOT in about 6in water. not super shalow by flats boat standard but good enough. the down side is in rough water we get cavitaion as the boat bounces. an adjustable jack plate would solve the problem i think but i'm not sure how the additional weight would effect the boat especially when trying to pole. not to mention the cost. $65 non adjustable vs $400 with power adjust.
 

Benny1963

Lieutenant
Joined
Sep 17, 2006
Messages
1,476
Re: Jack Plates

jack it up run prop that will run close to surface and install low water pickup to keep pressure up when high,
 
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