Re: Should I fabricate a jack plate for my boat?

[Casey Lynn]

Asa – Anything you try will work, there’s no question about that.
The idea behind a jack plate is to optimize the performance of a particular boat/engine combination.
In our hobby we use the same boat for several different engines. Therein lies the problem. No one height will work for all engines.
OMC made all kinds of changes to mid-sections throughout their history. Almost none of their "15 inch" engines ever measured at 15". Anytime there was a mid-section change the overall transom to cavitation plate length probably changed as well.
Some gearcase designs are capable of running higher than others. See how high I had to run the square tanker?
Now…..add all of the other manufactures, past and present, into the mix and the differences in measurements on each "15 inch" engine will boggle your mind. No two are the same.
Back to my first comment. "Anything you try will work, there’s no question about that"
A true adjustable jack plate just makes it easier to optimize all of the different engines you are likely to run in your future engine projects.