Thoughts on using a jack plate
 

I am in the market for a new to me motor and I have found a Honda 150 4-stroke with low hours for a decent price, but it has a 25" lower unit. I am wondering if anyone has used a jack plate to mount the motor higher on the transom and what the results have been. Is this a good idea? The motor weighs 485 # and the jack plate would add another 35 # for a total around 520 # hanging off the transom. Is this too much? I had a mariner 150 2 stroke previously. Is this too much torque on the transom? Any thoughts and ideas are appreciated.

Carl

Have you seen the T-H marine fixed hi-jacker? Its simple, two pieces of u shaped aluminum. Designed for your situation. About three inches setback. Reelapeelin has a Honda on his V he will chime in on the weight. Usually most four strokes are heavy.

From what I could find, my old engine (150 hp mariner) I believe weighs around 375 pounds. Am I adding too much additional weight (over 100 pounds) to the boat? Can this be compensated with trim tabs?

Thanks

I had a hydraulic jack plate on the back of my V-20 cc with a Merc 225 saltwater series 2 stroke. It was definitely a good addition for the boat in terms of performance (extra 2 mph at WOT and an extra 3 mph at cruise). The setback was only 6 inches so I think that the effect on the transom was negligible. My transom failed because it was old and waterlogged, not because of the extra lbs from the jack plate.