Should the motor be locked down?

[grooveman]

I am new to boating and have a 16ft bowrider with a 1966 65hp merc. I have a dumb question.. It is not power tilt and there is an adjustment with about an eight inch removeable rod where it can be locked into one of the holes for a certain tilt angle. Should I start out with it all the way down? Also, does the rod go in through the latch so the motor cannot go up or down while under way? I always thought the motor should be free to pop up in case you hit something.

 

[DJ]

Re: Should the motor be locked down?

thunderfed,<br /><br />What you are describing is the trim selection rod. It should have nothing to do with the engine being locked down. It simply adjusts the engines maximum down trim level.<br /><br />There may be another "reverse" lock that keeps the engine from popping up when you reverse the gear.

 

[Spidybot]

Re: Should the motor be locked down?

But.. Djohns, on those Mercs the lock actually works by hooking on to the trim selection rod.<br /><br />thunderfed, you should use the setting that makes your setup work as you like. It's a matter of boat riding angle on the water and performance. <br /><br />The lock should be free when in forwd. to allow the motor to tilt in case you hit something when under way.<br /><br />As a rule, the antiventilation plate should be approx. level with the keel line and parallel to the water surface while planing. Depending on weight (distribution) and your hull design (length, beam) you should test different settings and decide on that.