Question:
Jack Plate Bass Boat Anyone know...?
We just bought a 1995 Pro Gator Bass boat. It is 17.8' with a 150
Mercury motor. The boat came with a hydra fin that we have removed. We
are having some propeller work done on the boat hoping that it will
remedy our problem- the boat porpoises through the water (which it did
before the propeller work).
To me we need more weight at the front. We are considering a Hydraulic
Jack Plate (anyone know of a good source for this expensive item?), or a
different kind of hydra fin. A call to the manufacturer to tell them our
dilemma resulted in them telling us that a hydra fin would be dangerous,
because it could cause the boat to over turn in high speed.
They recommended installing a jack plate. This boat was bought used. It
was a custom order boat, and drives great and looks wonderful except for
this porpoising it does this only at a certain speed. Once you pick up
speed this stops.
To me, this motor is too big for the boat and that is what is causing
the up and down effect. I am sure if we fork out the money and get a
jack plate this will fix the problem, but I would still like to hear
some comments out there. I am also worried if we do get a jack plate
will all the wires reach, especially the steering cable. Pretty
expensive item for something not to work like that.
At this point we are going to try repairing the propeller, and install
this new hydra fin on first, if this does not work, we are will probably
fork out the dough and get a jack plate.
Any other suggestions are much appreciated.
Answer:
- I have a 17.5' Alumacraft Backtroller with 50hp merc tiller which came
with Dol-fins (hydrofoil) mounted on it. It also had just one battery
for the merc, bow mount trolling motor, lights and graph.
The first thing I did was add two more batteries to the boat. I added
one cranking battery for the main engine and used the original deep
cycle for a transom mount trolling motor. I then added a second deep
cycle battery and mounted it in a bow compartment.
After these mods I removed the hydro foil to see what would happen.
Sure enough, no more porpoising, plus the added bonus of an increase
of almost 5mph to the top speed of the boat!
- Before you fork out for another hydro foil device, try looking at trim
tabs. These devices are L shaped and mount to the transom of the boat
and act like an extension of your hull. You can get adjustable or
fixed models. Usually the adjustable are for larger boats.
Another suggestion is to find a GOOD boat mechanic.
- Does your boat have tilt/trim? If it does, try this. Trim the motor all
the way down until it stops. Then, hit the throttle until you are up on
plane. At this point, hit the trim button (a little at a time) until the
bow starts to lift. You should notice that the boat will speed up even
though you are not giving it anymore throttle. When you have trimmed the
boat too far, the boat will start to porpoise. At this point, trim the
motor back down until the porpoising stops. This is the point where your
boat/motor are operating at it's most efficient point. Also, if you have a
tachometer, watch this, when you have the motor trimmed too far, your rpm's
will pick up, and your speed will stay the same or even decrease. This is
not a good thing.
The hydro-fin is there to help get the boat up on plane faster and to a
certain extent will help reduce porpoising but it is the trim button that
will give you the most control and performance out of your boat.
Also, if you do opt for the JackPlate, have it installed by a professional,
he will make sure that all the wires reach and that the cables are done
properly.
