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Jack plate set back

J

Johnnyboy110

New member
So I picked up a 79 predictor last year with a 115 evinrude on it. The boat needed some work as some stuff didn’t work on it when I bought it. The motor has trim/tilt but it wasn’t working last year. The most I could get out of the boat was 48mph. I found a deal on an 8” set back jack plate and am just wondering if that would be too much set back for this boat or is it ok. I also got a new trim /lift pump for it so that will be working as well.

I know that I have to keep an eye on the water pressure when lifting the motor up and am thinking about a low water pick up but I saw that a few mercury guys were plugging the top holes with some success and was wanted to know if this will work with a evinrude as well?

So in summary;
1: Is 8” set back to much/not enough?
2: Can I plug the top hole(there’s 4 total) or will this not work?

Thanks in advance, sorry if you these questions are dumb. I’m a noob on outboards. 🤘🏼
 
My buddy's Predictor does 55 with a 115 Yamaha and no setback. I would say that if your Evinrude is a 1979 it is more like 100hp and you are about right on speed.
I use 6" setback on my Diplomat which is the same length but more weight and it is a perfect balance with 130 Yamaha. 8" is maybe more than you need and might cause porpoise. You do not need to plug holes, you are not going to be able to raise the motor enough to cause a problem. 4 or 5" setback would raise the bow and give you a couple of mph. Honestly, I would not overthink what you are going to do with that motor, it will never be a rocket ship. If you want it to go really fast you need more power.
 
Hmm.. the only reason I was thinking of the jack plate is for adjustability. The boat is my toy but I have a family as well and they will want to go tubing and what not. I was thinking if I got a jack plate I could raise the engine when I want to go have some fun and lower it back down when the family wants to tube. I know that this is asking a lot and it will never be great at both things but I thought it might be ok.
 
You really do not need to be raising and lowering that motor on that hull. It will make next to no difference. The only reason you might want a jackplate is to give you more bow lift. A cheap 4" static (or adjustable) plate would make the hull ride better when towing and ripping. In the end you will find the sweet spot and set it and forget it, If you were dropping a V6 on the back then you would have a reason to need to play with the height.
 
Ok well, this Hull is rated at 125hp but I have seen people running larger. What would be a good engine for me to look for hp wise? I do have the coast guard to worry about also.
 
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