Recent content by EddiePA

Here's one of my Smokercraft

Love my Smokercraft. Very well made, built to last. Mine still has the original floor in it. Zero complaints.

I pulled the jack off the boat for now, so I can't post a pic of those trim positions. The boat wasn't safe to run with the jack on and I'm using the boat as often as possible (several times a week). When I get more time to test I may try the jack again with the outboard an inch lower than before.

Lowering it an inch below the bottom of the transom (like you did), as I see it, is the only way to go as raising the outboard further, I believe, will worsen my current issues. I gotta say, if that doesn't make a dramatic improvement over what I started with without the jack plate, IMHO, it...

Went for the first test ride today. With the outboard trimmed in the position that yielded the best MPH without the jack plate (second hole out from full in) and the cavitation plate level with the bottom of the transom, the boat actually lost 1mph and gained a TON of porpoising. Even with the...

I ordered the TH Marine mini jack plate thru Amazon. I believe the vendor was called "landmproducts". This is a video before the jack plate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQNGFUVgIH8

Weather isn't cooperating today. Hope to test the boat out tomorrow after work. The mini jack plate was $100.

I have the plate set up to raise the outboard an additional inch or so if needed.

Finished the install (for the most part). Plate is level with the bottom of the transom in this position. Got it all done in a day, including removing the transom wood and building/installing a new, larger piece. Hope to test her out this week, weather permitting.

The inside just has a small piece of 1/2" birch at the top of the transom where the outboard clamp mounts. I hope to stop by Lowe's today to buy more 3/4" birch to redo the transom.

My thoughts as well. Thanks.

Jack plate arrived today. Should I mount it with or without plywood between the plate and the transom? The wood that I have on the transom now is too narrow for the jack plate to mount to it. Need to know if I have to replace it with a wider piece or ditch it all together.

Put me in the same boat as the others with never having too much power (I have a '73 Vega Wagon with a 565 cubic inch big block chevy in it for Pete's sake) :mrgreen: It's about the added weight and space the batteries take up. There is a finite amount of space in a 12 foot boat over and above...

Thanks, guys. I ordered a mini jack plate. I'll report back with results once installed.

Because of the shape of the top of the transom and mount of the outboard, I don't think I can simply add shims. Adding a shim to the top of the transom would cause the mount to interfere with the rolled top portion of the transom and cause the mount not to sit flush against the transom. A mini...