# New guy With a new boat



## Downtown (May 17, 2013)

Hello,
New guy here with a new boat. I've been checking out this site for awhile and figured i would finally say hi.
Here is a pic of my new river ride. It is a 2013 tracker grizzly 1648 SC w/ a 60/40 Merc.
Unfortunately I dont have a trolling motor yet and I doubt I will until next spring.
I mostly fish the susquahanna in the wysox/towanda area.


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## bleumunkie (May 17, 2013)

Welcome, nice to see a fellow PA'er here. Your a bit of a run from me here in Reading, but still nice to see. Nice looking boat.


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## Downtown (May 17, 2013)

Thanks, This boat seams to be about perfect for the river, I opted for the grizzly because of the room to move around and i thought without the carpet it would be easier to keep clean.


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## Downtown (May 17, 2013)

The only complaint i have with this set up is that the foot sits 1.5 inches below the bottom of the boat. The motor is mounted as high as it can so i might have to invest in a jackplate in the future but it still runs good and jumps on plane pretty quick. I was wondering how much performance or speed i will be losing with the foot sitting an inch and a half low.


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## Rrider (May 18, 2013)

I have the same boat, but a 2012. I would recommend moving the battery and gas tank further to the front of the boat, with stock setup the boat required almost three feet of water to get on plane. I have since tossed the side console and mounted a custom front console. The boat will now jump on plane in very little water. Enjoy your new ride. Cheers.


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## Canoeman (May 22, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=315058#p315058 said:


> Downtown » 17 May 2013, 11:50[/url]"]The only complaint i have with this set up is that the foot sits 1.5 inches below the bottom of the boat. The motor is mounted as high as it can so i might have to invest in a jackplate in the future but it still runs good and jumps on plane pretty quick. I was wondering how much performance or speed i will be losing with the foot sitting an inch and a half low.



That has to spray so much with the foot that low. That is also a ton of drag and a rock magnet sitting that low..

Get it flush with the bottom, you'll never regret it being correct.


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## Downtown (May 23, 2013)

Yes it does spray.
Ive been looking at jackplates but doubt i will be able to get one this year. The motor is mounted as high as it can go so my only option is a jackplate.


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## lowe1648 (May 23, 2013)

Was that bought new at the dealer?


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## Downtown (May 23, 2013)

Yes it was.


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## jeremy0998 (May 23, 2013)

Nice looking boat. I'm sure it will look even nicer with a trolling motor sitting atop the bow. I also fish mainly the Susquehanna but south of you, usually between Sunbury and Harrisburg with a few trips on the Juniata when the water is up.


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## Downtown (May 23, 2013)

trolling motor next spring and probobly a jackplate.


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## RAMROD (May 23, 2013)

If that is a brand new boat bought from a dealer, well it is not set up correctly I would look into having them set it up properly!


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## lowe1648 (May 23, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=315804#p315804 said:


> RAMROD » 14 minutes ago[/url]"]If that is a brand new boat bought from a dealer, well it is not set up correctly I would look into having them set it up properly!


 
That's what I was getting at when I asked him if it was new from the dealer. 
Don't let them talk you into a jack plate either. Doesn't take much looking around on the internet to decide if you want one or not.


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## Downtown (May 23, 2013)

Well to be honest I dont really want a jack plate, However, in order move my motor up I will have to drill new holes as the motor is mounted as high as it can go. Just looking at it without taking measurements Im sure I can drill new holes 1.5 inches higher without any issues.
The way it sits right now im on plane in about 1 in a half boat lengths, once Im on plane I trim my motor up a little. I havent had any issues with the set up but I know there is room for improvement.


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## lowe1648 (May 23, 2013)

I decided to see how height I could raise my motor today. I forgot to grab a drill but ended up moving it up 5/16" and picked up 1.5 mph. I still didn't have any cavatation. With mine going from flush to 5/16 higher and gaining 1.5 I would guess your definitely losing a decent amount of speed.


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## Downtown (May 23, 2013)

I went out and looked it over real good after my last post. I might have to go with a jack plate. The holes are that are drilled in the transom are as high as i would dare go and the motor is mounted as high as it can go, so instead of drilling new holes and moving the motor up i may have to drill new holes for a jack plate and go that route or just settle with the way it is. Either way it is what it is for this year.


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## catmansteve (May 23, 2013)

I think you'd be alright drilling new holes and moving it up. My grizzly has a 20" transom and the motor mount is sitting on about a 2.5" spacer block. I would definitely put some diagonal bracing or bigger corner gussets on though, the welds on my gussets were cracked when I bought the boat. I used 3/4" metal conduit for braces, I can post a pic if you're having trouble visualizing what I'm talking about.


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## Downtown (May 24, 2013)

yeah i would like to see a pic


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## mphelle (May 24, 2013)

Could you clarify, with a straightedge against the bottom, are you saying that the toe (front) or heel (rear) of the foot is 1.5in below that line?


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## Downtown (May 24, 2013)

the toe is 1.5 below the bottom, I used a carpenters square


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## mphelle (May 24, 2013)

Could you post the name of the dealer that sold that package? I think even Judge Judy would award you a jackplate.


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## catmansteve (May 24, 2013)

Here's my setup. I pulled the block out so you can see more clearly how high my motor mount is above the top of the transom. I measured it, the block is 2 3/4". 


This one gives a little better look at the braces. Not an ideal setup, but it works for now. Really, the braces should have been longer to be at a 45 degree angle, but the rod holder rack made an ideal mounting location for me without having to drill a hole in the gunnel


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## Downtown (May 24, 2013)

Kind of hard to see with the rod holder in the way but it is raining and i dont want to go get a new pic.
you can see the top bolts and see how high the motor is mounted


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## Downtown (May 24, 2013)

you can see it better in this pic


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## catmansteve (May 24, 2013)

Yeah, judging from the bolt holes on the bracket it looks like our motors are mounted about the same height on the transom, but mine doesn't stick down like that. The front of my foot is just a hair above flush. I wonder what the difference is?


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## hotshotinn (May 24, 2013)

That jet foot is low for sure.Here is you fix and costs about $140.00 these are from CMC and give you vertical adjustment and only about 1/4" of setback witch is nothing






https://www.thmarine.com/products/Outboard-Jack-Plates/Static-Height-Plates/CMC-Static-Jack-Plate-5-inch-vertical-extension


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## catmansteve (May 24, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=315988#p315988 said:


> hotshotinn » 10 minutes ago[/url]"]That jet foot is low for sure.Here is you fix and costs about $140.00 these are from CMC and give you vertical adjustment and only about 1/4" of setback witch is nothing


I made something similar to that for my old boat. Used 5/16" thick 3" aluminum angle bolted on the inside of the transom, then two squares of 3/4" plywood to make it the same thickness as the transom, ran my mounting bolts through the plywood and angle. Worked pretty good, pics are in the build thread in my signature.


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## Downtown (May 24, 2013)

I think that would be perfect. I will definetly check on them.
Thanks. Do the holes line up with the original holes in the transom or will i have to drill new ones? It dont matter was just curious.


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## Downtown (Jun 18, 2013)

Well after a few phone calls with the dealer, they said to bring it back so they can run it and see what options they have to fixing the problem.
They said that a jackplate wont hurt anything but they never had to put one on the 1648, but they do put them on the 17 foots.


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## Downtown (Jun 26, 2013)

The dealer has had my boat for a week now and the best they could do for me was to install the jackplate for free if I buy the jackplate.
I told them no that I wasn't paying for anything because it was not properly set up. The dealer came back with he will do it for $100. I told him I will be up to pick up my boat today. After getting there to pick up my boat I told them if I have to pay for anything I will pay a different dealer to do the work for me and I was done with them. The dealer said to call back on July 8th to set up an appointment to have my jackplate installed at there cost. So after a bunch of phone calls and going to get my boat, they finally gave in and going to fix the problem.


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## Tbradley (Aug 27, 2014)

I know this is an old thread, but I'd like to know if the jack plate solved your problem. My buddy has the same thing with his boat. Looking at a jack plate or those CMC 5" vertical extensions. Thanks...


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## Downtown (Aug 27, 2014)

Yes, the jackplate helped out alot. i still have a little spray but i installed a splashplate and now i have no complaints. Clocked it at 31mph with me and the wife and our gear, using my gps speedometer. I dont think i will get any faster than that.


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## brianb2247 (Aug 27, 2014)

nice boat and trailer id like to be able to make a trip from richmond va up to fish the susky


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## Tbradley (Aug 28, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=364660#p364660 said:


> Downtown » Yesterday, 18:10[/url]"]Yes, the jackplate helped out alot. i still have a little spray but i installed a splashplate and now i have no complaints. Clocked it at 31mph with me and the wife and our gear, using my gps speedometer. I dont think i will get any faster than that.



One more question. Could you give me some details on the jack plate you got, like what brand it is or the model number. I would like to get one with the smallest amount of setback. I found a Vance manual jack with 3" setback, thats the smallest I've found as of yet. Thanks again!!!


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## Darkside (Aug 28, 2014)

10 years ago we did the exact same thing on my buddy John's Tracker/Griz. Added a Manual Transom Jack Plate from Bob's Machine Shop. Then we welded a 16-17" section of 1.5x1.5 angle to the transom and put a 4" UHMW cap over the intake. 

John picked up 4mph, lost the cavitation issues and went from being unhappy to being thrilled. Boat was used on the Delaware, Susquehanna and Juniata rivers in PA.


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## Downtown (Sep 11, 2014)

Here is a pic of the jackplate and splashplate. As of yesterday i no longer have this boat. I traded up for a crestliner VT17 with a 115/80 Merc.


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## bobberboy (Sep 12, 2014)

I'm glad you kept the dealer's feet to the fire. So many are in your face until the deal is done and you need a search warrant to find them after. In your case, the boat was clearly not set up correctly in the fist place. It was set up at the convenience of the dealer and not for what was best for the performance of the boat. Brand new from the dealer? You bet they're responsible. If any dealers are reading this, it's so easy to do the right thing from the start. It may cost you a little up front but the good will it creates (read free advertising) is so worth it. As a dealer I wouldn't like my name to appear on an internet forum in any but a positive way.


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