BigBendFishing.Net

Just wanted to tell of my trouble and get some opinions.

I have my boat in the shop, some maintenance (gel coat repairs), some upgrade (new fish finder/GPS, all new upholstry and seats) and some repairs (drop tongue jack, new 3 bank 45 amp charger). It is a 01 Ranger Cayman 184 with a 01 200 HP Merc. I love the boat, it is perfect for my kind of fishing. No complaints there. All told, my bill is getting up there right now, and I am starting to want to pinch a penny, for now at least.

So here is the problem - jack plate is kaput. It is, of course, a Detwiler. I have owned the boat for 2 years and have adjusted the plate up or down maybe two or three times once I got it where I like it. When I am skinny, I just slow down (thanks to where I fish and my loss of a lower unit last year). I just don't find I need to use the plate that much. With it set where I have it I can run in the mid to upper 40s with trim tabs down and a very smooth ride. If I want to trim up a little I can get more, but I don't tourny fish, just fun.

So my options are as follows:
1) Boat guy said he could put a bolt in the current plate and keep it's position (it is leaking and slowly sinking down).
2) New manual C&C jack plate - probably 400 after parts and labor
3) Hydraulic Jack plate-around $1000-1400 just for the plate, plus labor

I realize not putting hydraulic back on will hurt resale, but I have zero plans to sell it any time soon. I see using this boat a minimum of 5 more years, probably longer. Am I missing something with the superiority of a hydraulic jack plate on a fairly deep flats boat (12" depth-more like 14" when loaded). The position it is in is fairly high already, so it is not like I am likely to move it up much even when needed. It does have a lower water pickup (Bob's).

Thanks for any thoughts. Going cheap is not always the best, I am just finding it hard to justify the expense right now.

I have run hydraulic jack plates on all my skiffs up until buying the Bayshore. When I asked the builder about it, he suggested running first and then adding a jack plate if necessary. It wasn't. I can trim the engine and idle in less than 10 inches, so I never saw the need to add that weight, setback and expense. I've owned the Bayshore for 10 years now.

If you go with a manual, you're spending $400 for what you can do with a $3 SS bolt.

The hydraulic unit is nice and would add some to the resale value, but it sounds like you're getting along just fine as is. So if it were me, I'd do your other repairs, save some dough and keep fishing it. If you do go with the bolt/manual fix, I'd have the mechanic drain the existing reservoir so it's not leaking into the water. If you plan to keep the Cayman that long, the value of adding a JP will be minimal in terms of resale.

WHAT SILVER KING SAID. I HAVE MY PLATE LOCKED WITH SS BOLT AND NEVER CHANGE IT, I CAN IDLE IN 18 INCHS OR RUN WILD IN ABOUT 10 INCHES WHEN ON PLANE. TUNNEL DRIVES LET YA GET REAL SKINNY WITHOUT TEARING UP SOMETHING.
PA
SEMPER FI

Why is repairing the current jackplate not an option?

It is not repairable (well I should say the costs of the parts and labor would be more than a manual and almost as much as a hydraulic)..

Thanks for the ideas guys and kinda where I was headed. I told him to fix it with the bolt and I will run it and see if I miss the ability to raise or lower it.

Great point on removing the source of oil leak. I will do that too.

who is doing your Gel Coat repair i need some repairs on my boat

Speed and Custom Marine in Quincy. I'll let you know how it looks. So far, if it has been on a boat, Scott can fix it.

Look at Bob Machine shops versa jack...it's manual and you can adjust it. If you decide you want to make it hydraulic at a later date - you can do that too. Around $400 depends on setback. That Cayman should be a mid 60's boat with a 200

I'm sure it is, but I never seem to need to run that fast. I have never really played with tweaking it. I run it at 35 real comfortable. I think the highest I have hit with my trim tabs down was like 48-but I know it had more with coming up on the trim tabs and trimming up the motor a little. I have never really played with the setup much-it feels stable at that speed. I just don't have a call to run that fast. Most folks I have talked to say it is a mid 50's boat without some tweaking but I don't know.


I'll check out the versa jack if I ever go that route. Thanks.

Just looked it up. Perfect. When I replace it, I will go that route. Thanks.