I apologize for the ignorance here, but I ran across a clip of the new 17 EVO running with the motor jacked all the way up and the lower unit damn near completely out of the water. Is there any long term affects on the motor from running like this? I imagine that you can’t get anywhere close to top speed and understand that there is a low water pick up installed but it just seems like its putting a lot of stress on the lower unit components. Again, this might be a stupid question, but I am a NE FL guy that hasn’t really had a need for anything rigged like this.
No damage done to the engine so long as everything setup properly, the one trade off is top speed. You do loose some WOT Mph but generally only a couple Mph.
It’s all situational.. if you run in super shallow hard bottomed areas - it might be a necessity. What you will learn though is that when your motor is rigged too shallow (or jacked up and running shallow….) that your hull will tend to “blow out” when you’re making turns. Since I’m not a fan of jackplates (and not running in places where they’re really needed….) any skiff I rigged might start out with my motor a bit high but when turning is a problem - dropping down a bolt hole or so will be on the agenda…
This forum has the best technical information of any forum I’ve been on for shallow water skiffs…there are a few of us on Maverick Forum that have specific knowledge on a few of their bay and skiff’s, but, here, it’s across the board…
Forgot to mention…. I won’t rig a skiff - without a clearly visible water pressure gauge - it’s that important for a healthy motor to have cooling waters… I run trips at night and, in my area coming across suspended plastic bags and other garbage is just one more hazard. Wrap a bag around your lower unit and immediately your water pressure… goes to zero. The same thing happens if you jack up your motor high enough that it’s no longer able to pick up water as you run (that’s why the mods Smack installs are so important if you’re going to take your gear to it’s limits….). Yes, you can cup the blades on your prop, and switch to a four blade prop to allow you to run skinny - but you must have water or your lower unit will cook (and leave you somewhere…).
I consider that water pressure gauge an “early warning” capability - allowing me to shut down and clear whatever is around my lower unit - before that overheating alarm goes off (maybe not in time to prevent damage…). Hope this helps..
I went with a NMEA water pressure gauge and it is so much better than the analog gauge. The analog is a must no matter what, but if possible, go digital. My analog gauges would be flaky - sticking, or not working at all. They have to be pulled and the tube and sensor cleaned out. They can get salt water inside the sensor and corrode - all things that can be handled with maintenance.
Now the digital gauge, I can see it move in real time with the smallest trim and plate change, and also set an alarm on my Simrad to warn me if it drops too low.
One note though - when you run high, there is more noise from the engine. The prop chopping water, the exhaust is fully out of the water, and the gear case is louder - each has its own sound.
Having both analog and NMEA water pressure is even better. The analog gauge is quicker to respond and if you ever have voltage issues you will still have your water pressure reading along with the pee stream. I run both and also run both 6YC dash gauges and NMEA. The most important parameters are always water pressure, engine temperature and RPM.
