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What is a jackplate and why would I need one. I have seen this referred to in some posts and since I have no idea, I thought I should ask.
Thanks!
MDBayMontauk

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A jack plate is used to mount an outboard engine either higher up on the transom, or back from the transom, or both. Some are mechanically adjusted up and down, some are electric/hydraulic in their adjustment. Backset can be chosen in many different amounts, they are not generally adjustable. Think of a Gil bracket that 'adjusts.' Hope I got that right........ if not someone will chime in.

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There is no such thing as a stupid question. Fabricator is correct.

Additional uses for a jackplate include:

Mounting a modern engine on a transom with a non-standard mounting holes. An owner may prefer to not fill/drill the holes, instead mounting the jack plate using the old holes.

Adding power tilt to an engine that does not offer it by using a jack plate with power t/t.

Converting a boat that came with OMC stern drives to a modern outboard.

Using a longer shaft engine than recommended by installing a jack plate and raising the engine up.

For pictures, Dave (Buckda) and Kamie have photos of their jack plates. See their personal pages.

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Alot of shallow running boats use them to lift teh motor up and let the prop push the water that comes through a tunnel that is cut out in the keel of the boat. Thus allowing the boat to run in "skinny" water.

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Again, no stupid question at all. Some people have old motors that they just want more function out of. Adding power tilt and trim to that old reliable motor is a good use for a jackplate. Maybe the motor you have does not have an ideal shaft length. A plate would help you use that motor.
You know who uses these a lot? The tournament bass fisherman. Owners of so called "bass boats" run plates. You'll see lots of those boats running very questionable power to weight ratios. To each his own of course, but the peculiar eccentricity of grossly overpowering boats seems to be a prerequisite in these designs. Jackplates help facilitate and manage these configurations. You can look for examples of their use by searching under jackplates or bass boats. There are lots of references.
Thanks for your great question! Enjoy the site.
Grady

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No stupid questions! I will point something out here that applies to Whalers and Outboards. The majority of jack plates I see on boats come on flats, cat hull or tunnel hull boats. The jack plate essentially allows you to raise and lower your engine -- not tilt/trim but physically lift or drop the motor vertically. With my Whaler (17 Montauk) there is no real advantage to adding a jack plate.

The V shape of the Montauk hull requires the motor to be run much deeper than the boats mentioned above. The motor manufacturer recommends the motor to be set no higher than the lower unit fins adjacent to the bottom of the hull. If I were to add a jack plate I may get an inch or two before the engine would cavitate or starve for water. The inch or so I may gain while running or getting up make no sense. If you want to run your boat that skinny buy something else. Whalers are not designed for shallow (1' less) water.

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Thanks all for the excellent explanations!!! Now I need to head over to the marina and test my skills in finding one.

Doesn't sounds like I need one on our Montauk, but nice to know what they are if I need one in the future.

Thanks!
MdBayMontauk