1974 Johnson 50, how far up transom do I mount it?

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
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Right now my caviatation plate is slightly below the bottom of the boat (like a 1/4"). The boat seems to have a slower top speed than I expected, burns a ton of gas, and I can't get the prop to "kick out" on a hard turn....makes me think the motor is mounted to low. If I remount the motor so the cav plate is a 1/2" or so ABOVE the bottom of the boat, will it really make that much of a difference????
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
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Re: 1974 Johnson 50, how far up transom do I mount it?

If I remount the motor so the cav plate is a 1/2" or so ABOVE the bottom of the boat, will it really make that much of a difference????

It MIGHT, my guess (and it's only a guess) is that it will work better a little higher than where it's at now. There's not any set answer, it depends on the hull, weight distribution, etc. etc. Try it and see.

(Just as an example, on my Checkmate I run the prop centerline about 2-1/2 inches below the pad - I can't remember off the top of my head how far above the pad that puts the AV plate but it's a lot. That's what's right for my setup, but I guarantee that it won't work for your boat.)
 
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