JACK PLATE Anyone??

[ToddB]

We've got a 230 Fisherman w/ 300 and are well aware of jack plate benefits. Fellow boaters I've met rave about them! It would allow us to venture into skinny water for trout/drum and added convenience pulling up to sandbars w/ the Family.

Has anyone installed a jack plate on their GW? If so, what offset I'm looking at 6" Atlas unit. I noticed the 231 Explorer offers 4" offset as an option. Regulator 26XO comes with 6".

Look foward to your thoughts!

 

[SeaVee]

I had a Bob’s hydraulic jack plate on an old 25 SeaVee. 14 years without any issues. I would call them for their recommendations. And yes, game changer, for sure.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

I had two Seastar jackplates on my Venture 34, mainly to get the lower units out of the water.
One Jackplate got blocked and the old style one could not gain access to the hydraulic motor not the bolts attaching it to the transom, so it stayed there non functional till i sold the boat. I also blew several times the fuse and the connector near the transom was working intermittent so not very happy ith them.
The new model has a different design what mayk solves some of the problems i had,m maybe not ‍

Keep on thing in mind, a jackplate is heavy and the added distance from setback add lever so your center of gravity will move to stern and your boat's transom will be deeper at rest or can become sternheavy.

I would install a jackplate for the reasons you mentioned, the shallow water gain is not that high and going so shallow you rise the risk to hit the hull or lower unit at a obstacle. If you think that it's worth to install one then do it but you may have to deal with the shifted center of gravity.

Chris

 

[Doc Stressor]

I have a 5" manual jack plate on my 226. I installed it to allow me to rapidly adjust the engine height when I switch props for a heavy or light load. Since it was put on at the same time I switched to a heavier Honda engine, I can't say if it affected the running angle or handling.

I have to tell you that you won't be able to use your 230 in skinny water. The SV2 hull drafts too much water forward when off plane. You will also find that you will overheat your engine if you raise it high enough to significantly reduce your draft while running on plane. Jack plates are not designed for 20 degree V hulls. You would do better just trimming your engine up as high as possible.

 

[ToddB]

I had a Bob’s hydraulic jack plate on an old 25 SeaVee. 14 years without any issues. I would call them for their recommendations. And yes, game changer, for sure.

10/4....I'm sold given everything I've read and feedback from users such as yourself. Last hour spoke with local outboard/propeller shop and they've always recommended Bobs over other brands. Working up quote to install 6" on the Grady.

 

[ToddB]

I have a 5" manual jack plate on my 226. I installed it to allow me to rapidly adjust the engine height when I switch props for a heavy or light load. Since it was put on at the same time I switched to a heavier Honda engine, I can't say if it affected the running angle or handling.

I have to tell you that you won't be able to use your 230 in skinny water. The SV2 hull drafts too much water forward when off plane. You will also find that you will overheat your engine if you raise it high enough to significantly reduce your draft while running on plane. Jack plates are not designed for 20 degree V hulls. You would do better just trimming your engine up as high as possible.

Oh I'm not going to be running in 2' all the time but it'll certainly come handy. Level propulsion vs angled will be a welcome change in addition to running in cleaner water 6" further back.