Does setback help mid-speed handling or ride?

[Needafunboat]

So based on some other stuff, going on in our life (see cabin post) I've decided that a hydraulic jackplate won't happen for a while. So I'll be going with a manual plate on the starliner - probably an 8".

Someone once commented (I think Mark) that the ride will be better with a jackplate. What does this mean? Will it take waves better?

I assume that if I keep the prop at the same height below the V, the boat will dig in and handle better with setback - is this true?

I will probably keep it pretty darn dug into the water most of the time since we mostly wakeboarded and tubed this summer. I would guess that I'll make it so at the lowest setting, I can get down to what a "stock, on the transom setting" would be. Is that right??

I guess I'm just wondering what to expect with the plate and about 8" of setback Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

Oh and let me know if anyone has a reasonably priced 8" plate! Maybe even a 10" - probably not more.

 

[illMATTic]

more setback = less trim needed. this lets the setup run more efficiently resulting in a smoother faster ride.

 

[Mark]

Nothing wrong with a manual plate. You can find an 8 or 10 used on Bassboatcentral.com. You will not want to run it buried though. The whole point of a JP is so you can raise your motor. Good things start to happen; better holeshot, less drag, more speed, better handling, even more stable. You will find a height that will still give you great grip for water sports...especially if you run a 4 blade. Then just set it and forget it. I run my propshaft at 2" below the V which is a good 5" higher than when transom mounted and it is still good for skiing.
The only down side is you may porpoise a little more at slower planing speeds. This can almost always be eliminated by trimming in.

 

[83PREDICTOR]

Nothing wrong with a manual plate. You can find an 8 or 10 used on Bassboatcentral.com. You will not want to run it buried though. The whole point of a JP is so you can raise your motor. Good things start to happen; better holeshot, less drag, more speed, better handling, even more stable. You will find a height that will still give you great grip for water sports...especially if you run a 4 blade. Then just set it and forget it. I run my propshaft at 2" below the V which is a good 5" higher than when transom mounted and it is still good for skiing.
The only down side is you may porpoise a little more at slower planing speeds. This can almost always be eliminated by trimming in.

What he said.
When I first got my Jp I set it to the same hieght as transom mount and I still noticed a huge diff. The boat rode higher and handled much better.

 

[hotdaddy27]

Setback...

I have absolutely no factual data to back this up, but on both my Starliner and Pulsare, adding set-back really made the boat "feel longer". This improves the handling when cutting another boat wake or boating in rougher water.

On the downside, you can't keep plane at the same speed, maybe 1-2 mph higher I begin to lose plane. This makes a difference when Wake Boarding. You may not experience this problem, as you will have less s/b. As, the others mentioned, you must play with the trim more as the set-back gets bigger.

I think 8" is a good S/B. I had 14" on my Starliner and it seemed to be too much.

I would not bury the plate. Both boats did/do better out of the whole for skiing with the plate up some. That will vary on every boat so I don't want to poison your thoughts.

Hope this helps and good luck.