outboard motor height?

[vetstudent]

I was wondering if there were any guidelines on how high an outboard should be mounted. I have a 1996 tracker with a 40 hp merc on it. There are several holes in the mounting bracket and my motor is mounted at the "deepest" setting (factory I'm sure). Now If I was running in deep water all the time this would be fine, but I am usually on rivers where the depth can be shallow and underwater objects (logs) are readily found. I generally have to tilt the motor up a lot to get through shallow areas and this keeps me from being able to stay on plane.<br /><br />What I'm wondering is... How much can I raise the motor and not "suck air" when I'm in corners. I know this is somewhat subjective depending on load and boat size (17.5 tracker BTW). I'm assuming I can use a level under the bottom of the boat to see what the distance is from the top of the prop to the boat bottom... I just wouldn't know how to interpret it. I don't have any trim tabs or anything of that nature on the motor/boat if that makes a difference. <br /><br />Also, how hard is it to raise??? DO I just remove the four bolts, lift, and replace??? Are there other considerations? It looks like silicone squirted out from under the current mounting position.<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Brent

 

[chuckz]

Re: outboard motor height?

As a starting point the cavitation plate should be even with the bottom of the hull.<br /><br />Do some searching of the forums and you'll find lots of information on motor height.<br /><br />Somebody who knows maore about your specific motor will have to chime in and tell you how to adjust the height on your set up.

 

[JB]

Re: outboard motor height?

Moving to Outboard Non-repair