Jack Plate

[jw]

What advantages would I gain with a jack plate on a 619 Ranger? Would I lose anything?

[geo]

would love to know myself

[rock]

anyone?

[Eric Olson]

Gain?....

Performance.

What is performance? Speed, Wave carrying capability, handling and efficiency.

Just about any boat out there will benefit from a jackplate if it's set-up correctly.
If you're talking about the speed increase you will get from a plate on the 619 the answer will vary depending on the engine application.
Generally around 3+ mph gains.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Tight Lines
Big Fish

Eric Olson

[JWilson]

Eric,

Is there a limit to how far to set the motor back before you start to lose the gains you mentioned? Would six inches be a good choice? It will be on a 619 with a 200 VMax. I am most interested in gaining more speed.

[guide#7]

the ranger is a heavy enough rig so a 6" jack plate shouldn't cause any cruise speed porpoising like it will on lighter boats.
the advantages I gained was a better hole shot and top end on my old hydrostream. If you are noticing any cavitation at take off without a jack plate, you should make the investment. Most good jack plates allow you to adjust the height setting. keeping the prop in clean, undisturbed water definitely improves performance. just don't set the lower unit too deep in the water as it only creates more drag on your top end. You may end up changing some of your cabling and steering pre-rigging also. Then you need to see how it will affect things when you run your power tilt all the way up. Good Luck
guide#7 out

[Eric Olson]

Max allowed setback on a Ranger is 6". If you look at what happens with greater setbacks, most boats- not all, but most boats will hsve very little performance benefits when you get much past the 6-8" setback. Namely holeshot suffers, as would rough water running.

Lastly, the force that the outboard puts on the transom while towing is increased several fold. Bass and Walleye Boat Magazine had a report on the forces and the increased forces applied to the transom as the setback increased in 1" increments. Yes leverage while running is better to lift the bow but... much of the damage occurs while towing. The verticle forces applied as well as the bouncing tension force that is applied at the top of the transom cause more damage than we all realize.
If you have a Ranger, start with the 6" manual then adjust loads, motor placement, as well as battery placement to achieve the optimal performance.

It may take a bit of playin' around but, hey, this is the fun part of having a boat. Also bragging rights aren't so either!


Tight Lines
Big Fish

Eric Olson