Jack plate needed?

[slb9981]

I have a new 228 sea pro. I use this boat to pull the kids at the lake but also to fish the flats in the gulf to target reds and trout. I'm really wanting to get a power pole and do not want to drill holes in the transom. I don't want to have to take the motor off twice so I'm thinking I either add the jack plate now or never.

My question is what's the advantages? Will I see a big difference with it, like I will the powerpole? I can pull the motor up now and use the trolling motor to get most places. Definitely going with the 6 inch Bob's Actionjack series if I get one.

This weekend I ended up on just over a foot of water and had to idle for awhile before having enough water to get on plane. Would that be the same with a jack plate?

[yessnoo]

I can't really speak to getting on plain in shallow water....because frankly I am always too scared to try lol. However, I have an older sv2100 model which is similar to your boat. I have an old bobs jack plate holding up my 200ho. I like having the jack plate because I can basically idle through anything as long as the boat hull isn't literally bottomed out. I mainly use it to pass up shallow spots at idle. I also adjust to what I imagine is the ideal running height when I am cruising....but then again I don't really know what I am doing so I just go by what the wake looks like, sound, tach reading, and speed.

Now for the down side. I can't say for sure because I never owned the boat without the jack plate but I think the addition of weight with the jack plate and the 200ho cause the self bailers to back fill if you stand anywhere near the back of the boat. This probably isn't even an issue on the new sea pros though. The new boats are rated for higher horsepower and probably have more boyancy in the rear.

Hopefully somebody else can chime in with better knowledge

[freezerfiller]

I think it's a great solution. You get a place to mount your powerpole, and you also get jackplate functionality. You don't have to use it if you don't get the benefit, but I bet you will.

[Juan]

I too fish the shallows in the gulf and gave serious consideration to adding a jack plate.. Actually bought a 6" setback manual jack plate and decided I didn't need it on my SV2100 (which I think the hull design is similar to the 228). I can run in 18" using tilt and trim and trim tabs with no problem without a jack plate. The problem comes when I stop in 18"...then I have to use the trolling motor to get back into at least 2.5 ft before I can get back up on plane. A jack plate won't let you run any shallower but should let you get on plane in shallower water since it will raise the motor while keeping the prop level. Personally, I didn't see where the difference would make enough improvement to justify the cost and maintenance.
My power pole is mounted to the transom and I think probably 90% of them are mounted there either at the dealer or the factory. There may be some advantages to mounting to a jack plate bracket but other than locating the pole closer to the center of the boat, I don't know what they would be. I've seen a lot of bass boats with the bracket mounts but I haven't seen a bay boat with a power pole mounted to a bracket. It's a solid transom with no wood construction and drilling 4 mounting holes won't weaken the transom. I've blasted off several times with the power pole still deployed in hard bottom and the mounting bracket is still as solid day one... can't say the same for the power pole since I managed to break the lower cover the last time I did that. I'm not sure a bracket mount would hold up to the abuse I've given mine.
Just my opinion but if you don't already have trim tabs, you might consider trying some before considering a jack plate. You might find you don't need it.

[slb9981]

I have trim tabs and a 80 lb Terrova trolling motor... should've got the 112 but that's another story lol...

I have to say I love this boat. Thanks guys for all the comments. I started out looking for a ~2006 2100 sea pro but finding one in good shape and them not wanting $25k for it is nearly impossible. Luckily I was able to find a good price on a new one at a boat show.

I'm still undecided about the jack plate. Looks like it has some advantages but not the game changer like a trolling motor is.

[AHHHH-Spray]

If you're not having trouble getting where you want to go without the jack plate, I agree with Juan. No sense adding something else to the list of expenses and things to maintain if you're not going to see a lot of benefit from it.

May 2, 2018 19:10:34 GMT -6 yessnoo said:

I also adjust to what I imagine is the ideal running height when I am cruising....but then again I don't really know what I am doing so I just go by what the wake looks like, sound, tach reading, and speed.

Yessno- don't sell yourself short, it sounds like you know exactly what you're doing. You see a lot of guys on forums asking people for trim settings, jack plate settings, etc. but there are so many variables between boats that you have to be able to tune into all that stuff you mentioned to get it optimized. I guess you can use somebody else's settings as a starting point but there's no substitute for trial and error and adaptability to constantly changing conditions on the water.