If one was to put a tall transom motor on a short transom boat, what are the advantages/disadvantages of using a jack plate verses just building up the transom the old fashioned way with welded aluminum.

Not sure how much difference it makes, but this hypothetical situation is in reference to a 36 ProDrive, which, as you know, is heavily back weighted.

I'd build up transome and be done with it. A jack plate will put that heavy ass motor 6" further back which will make it want to squat. You'll notice it when taking off in shallow hard bottom. Besides what you will spend on a Jack plate you could put toward building up the transom.

Sounds like a bad idea to me..

And x2 on msm

It's definitely cheaper to build up a transom, which is obviously a factor. I wasn't sure how much the offset was. 6" is more than I'd imagined. My biggest worry would be strength. How susceptible would the jack plate be to damage under mud motor running conditions? (Stumps, logs, kicking up, dropping hard, etc.)

The only real advantage I see in my head is that by being able to drop a tall transom motor to short transom height would give you an extra 4-6" of downward reach with improved drive angle. In theory, a ProDrive would benefit immensely from this with respect to reverse.

Is that logical thinking?

Y'all have said everything I would have.

Another thing is will your transom hold up with putting all that weight 6" further back on the transom?

I would build it up if it were my rig.


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It may be possible to get a 4" setback but idk for sure. Everyone I ever seen seemed like it was 6".

you would need three hands to operate trim, hydraulic jack plate, and throttle at the same time. DDM runs them on his big boat and they have been able to withstand the abuse

I agree if you built a boat strong enough to hold one it would be a great option for the pd's in the soft stuff.


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In theory it sounds great. However, If you look where the gear knuckle of the PD is, it is above the bottom of the boat at all times. If you lower the whole motor you increase the area causing drag. Will it work in some cases, yes. To make a PD run mud like a GTR, no. There is more factors that are involved in traversing mud flats than how deep you can get.

I'm pretty sure I've seen 4" set back jacks. Search micro jack plates if I remember right (it's been a while)

Check your clearances with the trim ram.

How long is your hunt deck?

Forget it. It isn't feasible on my rig. I'm glad I asked the question, but it doesn't seem like it's an option. My HD is 22". I certainly can't afford to lose another 6"!

Just looked, and the 4" setbacks are for "small outboards"...

A jackpot sets your motor back off the transom and makes the boat sit lower in the water. Build the transom

Hunt decks and pro drives aren't a real good fit. I had a hd/pd rig once. Wasn't optimal to say the least. But mine was a short transom. I'm sure a tall makes a difference.

I tried a jack plate and ran it once then went straight to the weld shop. Wish I had that Saturday back that I wasted putting that thing on.

I like my hunt deck and Prodrive but then again mines a CC.