transom height and shaft length

[mike b.]

I have a 21ft carolina skiff seachaser deep v with a 20 inch shaft 150hp motor.My cavitation plate is about one inch higher than the bottom of the transom(lowest possible position).Problem is the bottom of the transom is not the bottom of the boat.It has a stepped bottom.I other words another section thats v shaped(looking from rear)that has all the drain plugs aerator pickup,etc.The prop seems to be even with this part of the boat.Ive seen other boats and the cavitation plate seem to be lower.My questions are did my dealer screw me?I suspected this when I bought it and the dealer told me it would be able to run in shallower water.Ive heard of an extension kit to convert to a long shaft,where can I find one?The boat is two years old.I think it should ride dryer when I go offshore.Does shaft length affect how "high" the boat sits on plane?When I raise try to raise the bow in choppy seas I get a "rooster tail."Hope I was clear enough in explaining this.Any help appreciated.<br />Thanks<br />P.S.I saw on spec sheet somewhere that said this boat has a 25inch transom if this helps

 

[steelespike]

Re: transom height and shaft length

I guess my first question is do you have trouble with cavitation.If the boat is sensitive to cavitation you probably do need to lower the<br />motor.Im not an expert on jack plates but I believe you could install one and use it to fine<br />tune your motor height.Unless someone modified the transom you couldnt run a 20inch motor on a<br />25inch transom. Good luck.

 

[oldboat1]

Re: transom height and shaft length

You seem to be within tolerances for placement of the anti-ventilation plate (about an inch above or below the bottom). I think I would try trimming the motor first to make corrections. If you are throwing up quite a rooster tail, you might want to trim the motor in a little (towards the stern) and see if that helps. A different prop might be a possibility too, depending on use -- want to be sure yours is cupped (probably is).