Why Use A Jack Plate?

Save 10% off jack plates and motor mounts through June 9, 2018! What the heck is a jack plate, anyway? It's a movable plate that mounts to the transom and lets you raise and lower your boat's outboard motor. Here are a couple of reasons you might want to be able to do that. Shallow water. However shallow your boat's draft, the propeller reaches deeper into the water. Installing a jack plate gives you an easy way to raise your prop in shallow water or when you encounter an obstacle like a sunken log. Speed. Some experts say you can gain 2-7 mph by using a jack plate because, when you use it to raise the engine, there's less of the lower unit in the water and therefore less drag.; less drag means more efficiency. Raising the jack plate at take-off also brings the boat on plane more quickly, which is another good thing if you're in shallow water.   [caption id="attachment_756" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Sierra SeaStar Detwiler D3000 Series hydraulic jack plate kit[/caption] Manual or hydraulic. Hydraulic jack plates can be adjusted easily, at any time, even while the boat is moving, with the flip of a switch. Raising and lowering the height of a manual jack plate has to wait until the boat is still, and usually requires adjustment of a screw or nut to move the mount; the Detwiler pictured below includes a special wrench for this purpose. [caption id="attachment_757" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Sierra SeaStar Detwiler D2000 EZ-Adjust manual jack plate[/caption]   People who fish in shallow rivers or reservoirs, like Ryan from Wired2Fish, will especially find a jack plate useful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62DwTnrU6FE   Does your boat have a jack plate? How do you put it to use? Tell us on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter!