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Tampa Company Helps Boaters Jack It Up

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By FRANK SARGEANT

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 23, 2008

Many who own flats boats and bass rigs would rather go fishing without their tacklebox than without a hydraulic jackplate in place on the transom. Functioning as a sort of "outboard elevator," the plates make it possible to raise and lower the entire powerplant vertically up to 6 inches at the touch of a button. For those who frequently boat in shallow water, the benefits are obvious; you can putt across water only inches deep without dinging your prop, and also without cutting up environmentally important sea grasses.

But according to Greg Pelini, managing director of BMS International headquartered in Tampa, jackplates serve other important functions, too.

"With performance hulls including many flats and bass boats, you can expect a 5 to 10 percent increase in top end, or if you want to look at it another way, you can get that much better fuel economy," Pelini said. "The less of your lower unit that's in the water when the boat is on plane, the less drag you have, and so the better the efficiency."

Pelini and family, who bought the business from founder Bob Icenogle of Ruskin several years back, are now among the largest builders and distributors of jackplates in the nation. Production at the factory on Raleigh Street begins with flat aluminum plates, and through a series of computer-driven milling machines, shapes the finished product, most often the popular Flats Jac, which weighs 38 pounds and offers a 6-inch setback from the transom.

Pelini and other go-fast experts say the setback is also part of the reason boats with jackplates do better on gas, and/or run faster.

"The prop gets a bite on clean water when you move it behind the transom with the plate, so there's an added advantage in addition to raising the prop and lower unit to reduce drag," Pelini said.

Some boaters also report smoother running in choppy water with the plates, particularly those with longer setbacks, up to 10 inches; effectively, the plates add that much length to the hull, helping to reduce the "rocking horse" action as it hits the waves.

Running a boat with a plate takes a bit of practice, however. For one thing, most boats won't even plane with the plate fully up; the prop can't get a good bite on the water because it's too near the surface, so it ventilates and draws in air, losing its grip.

Normal operation begins with the plate set at a couple inches above the transom; this gives a good hole shot. The plate can then be raised gradually to the point that the prop just begins to lose its grip on the water; go back down a touch and you're likely at maximum efficiency for that particular load and water condition (adjustments to the trim, made with the trim button that's found on the throttle of most motors, also affect how much elevation you can add with the jackplate).

Jackplates work much better for crossing shallow water at low speed than using the trim button, which tilts the prop up but back, thus pushing the transom down. With the vertical lift of the jackplate, the thrust of the motor goes straight ahead; there's no "squatting" of the transom, and you can cross more shallow water easier and without damaging grass.

All of this does not come cheap; the standard Flats Jac sells for around $865, and it's an added $175 to have it installed at the factory. Since installation involves lifting the outboard off the transom, most boaters can't manage the job at home unless they have a hoist.

"The mounting holes are designed to fit the same footprint as the mounting holes of the outboard, so you don't have to drill more holes in the transom," Pelini said. "It's a quick process and we usually get the boat back to the customer in a couple of days."

Pelini said many performance boat customers pair a jackplate with a streamlined nose cone and low-water pickup, also built by his company, which allows the motor to be raised much higher without losing cooling water, and thus reduces drag and increases speed considerably.

He said tests with a Nitro bassboat and 150-horse Merc outboard showed a 5-mph increase on top end over the stock lower unit.

For more information on the products, visit www.bobsmachine.com or call 1-800-966-3493. Other companies that make hydraulic jackplates include CMC ( www.cook-mfg.net), Panther Marine ( www.panthermarineproducts.com) and Detwiler ( www.detwilerjackplates.com).

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