Hydraulics?

I was wondering if any of you guys use a hydraulic jackplate with your outboard? They look sweet and I can really see the value when using a jet or a propped kicker.

I can only speak about jackplates and jet engines. After talking about this with Kneal Wiegel (who is one of the best jet riggers in the Northeast) a couple of years back, there is no measurable benefit for a hydraulic jackplate. Once the sweet spot is found for permanently mounting a jet engine, that is where the motor should remain forever. Believe me, if a hydraulic j'plate was worth the hassle/money, Kneal would recommend them.

You can make minor adjustments to your trim tabs (when applicable) for tweaking out an extra mph or two when hauling 'heavier than normal' payloads. I am getting ready to bend mine since I added my new kicker.

What made me wonder about the jackplates was running in deeper water. I thought by lowering the intake a few inches when possible, I could maybe get more "virgin water" and therefore better efficiency...more horsepower...more speed.

I'm sure I'm over-thinking this. Either way, I'm thrilled to hear I don't need to spend another grand. That's like 50 lures and a tackle box.

If your boat is set up right, there will be "clean" water coming through anyway.....you will notice a little cavitation/sliding on steep turns especially since you have a tunnel. If your intake shoe is too deep, the over-spray will be ridiculous.

I recently saw a boat on the river that had its shoe too deep. The boat looked like it had one of those rooster tails you see on some jet skis. With the tunnel, you will also get some cavitation in some chop and small wakes.