How to Get a Boat Motor Lower on the Transom

Getting an outboard motor to sit lower on a boat's transom doesn't need to mean transom surgery. The bottom of your outboard's anti-cavitation plate -- the horizontal plate located above the propeller -- should ride at the surface of the water. Whether the transom of your boat is tall or your outboard's driveshaft is short, a jack plate can lower your motor on the transom, elevator-style, so that the motor is at its most effective height.

Things You'll Need

  • Jack plate kit
  • China marker
  • Drill
  • Adjustable wrench
  • Hydraulic fluid
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Instructions

    • 1

      Position the jack plate in the center of the outside of the transom. Mark the location of the mounting holes onto the transom with a china marker.

    • 2

      Drill holes in the transom at the locations you marked for the mounting holes. Bolt the jack plate onto the transom with the mounting bolts provided with the unit.

    • 3

      Mount the jack plate's hydraulic reservoir in an out-of-the-way location so that it does not become a tripping hazard. Position the jack plate's hydraulic pump vertically, adjacent to the hydraulic reservoir. Bolt the pump in place with an adjustable wrench and the bolts included with the jack plate kit.

    • 4

      Connect the hydraulic hoses to the pump, the hydraulic reservoir and the hydraulic ram -- the piston that moves the jack plate -- using the screwdriver to tighten the hose clamps.

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    • 5

      Mount the control switch on your boat's dash. Connect the red power lead to the boat's power bus using the screwdriver to loosen one of the power bus screws. Place the ring connector of the red lead on the screw and retighten the screw. Loosen one of the screws on the boat's common ground with a screwdriver. Place the ring connector of the black ground lead on the screw and retighten the screw.

    • 6

      Open the hydraulic reservoir's filler, located on top of the reservoir, and fill the reservoir to the bottom of the filler with hydraulic fluid. Operate the jack plate several times. Add fluid to the reservoir, as needed, until it is full.