Posts: 3475
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
I would agree that if the motor was dropped that is definitely a tell. In most situations that I am familiar with, the motor is usually mounted 1 hole off the transom, which puts the anti-ventilation plate somewhere close to the bottom of the hull. That is very standard for rigging as it is a nice set-up for the average joe looking to just get out there and fish, and not mess with the set-up...it gives a good position for both handling and satisfactory speed.
Now...if you are looking to try and tweak a little more out of your rig, raising the motor up 2 - 3 holes can be beneficial for speed, but there also is a compromise in handling. The key is finding what you want your rig to do. With a good prop, I believe you could raise your motor 3 bolt holes, which would get the anti ventilation plate skimming above the water line just a touch and you should be able to trim at speed to the point the prop begins to ventilate (higher rpms without gain in speed), or the boat will begin to porpoise. When that happens, trim back just a touch to settle the bow or stop the ventilation.
A good position to be in is when you can make a moderate turn at trim and the prop will not blow out. On a more aggressive turn, trimming down is a good thing to let the boat carve the turn.
With your motor, I believe the High end Throttle range is 5500 to 6000, so getting closer to that 6000 range when it is just you and your gear is optimal. Raising the motor will gain you around 300 rpm with the current prop, given it is a good one..my guess is you might have a tempest or mirage on it. If I may ask...what prop do you have on it?
I believe you have room to go up... the boat literally makes a hole in the water and it starts filling in immediately. If your ventilation plate is below that line, I think there is more you can get out of it.
No matter what you do, though, there is a compromise...want handling? you sacrifice speed. Want speed? you sacrifice handling. That is the beauty of trim, though... you can trim down for turns and back up for speed. And...if you really wanted to have adjustment capabilities, a small hydraulic jackplate gives you all options and you can really dial in on the go.
My instinct says if you want to play around a bit with motor height, you might find you can get some more out of the rig.
Steve
Edited by VMS 12/12/2023 10:00 AM
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