A Boat Rigged Right Is A Joy Forever

Outboard Performance

From my earliest experiences in bass tournaments, I recall participants who were more concerned with their boat’s performance than their own performance at weigh-in time. That’s still true to an extent today, and nearly all bass anglers who run high-performance boats want them to run as fast and smoothly as practically possible.

Thumbing through an issue of Bass & Walleye Boats magazine will give you plenty of ideas as well as specific recommendations in your quest for a smoother and speedier ride. Bass & Walleye Boats also offers an “Outboard Performance Directory” with dealer listings of parts manufacturers and shops that specialize in tweaking rigs to wring the last mile per hour from the setup.

These folks are experts at adding features like nose cones and low water pickups that allow you to mount a motor higher on the transom for increased speed. Some modifications are easier, like adding hydrofoils, those winglike attachments on the cavitation plate that reduce hopping and give a smoother hole shot. Hydrofoils provide the most benefit on outboards under 150hp. Contact Doelcher, SystemSport, and Attwood for specifics.

Propellers: These certainly are the most talked about item in boat performance, and for good reason. Matching the proper prop for your boat, motor, and fishing style is tantamount to good boating performance. But dozens of styles exist, in addition to standard props available from outboard manufacturers. Custom designs and special cups also are options, including variable-pitch props. Pitch and number of blades are critical, but those variables must be matched with the style of the wheel and the operating characteristics you want. For example, maximum top-end speed is usually incompatible with a blistering hole shot or tight cornering. Mercury Marine offers Everything You Need To Know About Propellers, an excellent guide on the subject.

Jackplates: These rigging accessories have gone from a speed option to standard issue on some boats. Hydraulic jackplates allow the driver to raise and lower the outboard with a switch. Adjustments allow for idling into extremely shallow water, getting out of the hole in shallow water with the motor jacked up, and a stable ride in heavy seas when set deep. Intermediate adjustments as the boat reaches full plane keep it running at maximum efficiency and speed. The motor can be raised for trailering.

Manual jackplates allow the boater to adjust the height of the motor while the boat’s on the trailer, by using large wrenches. It also sets the motor back to improve hole shot, speed, and handling. Matching motor height to hull weight and configuration and also transom height can achieve the best all-around ride, though on-the-fly adjustments can’t be made.

Choosing the right setback also requires research, quizzing boat manufacturers and dealers, as well as jackplate makers. Choosing the wrong setup can prove a costly headache. Performance shops like Bob’s Machine Shop in Florida and Land & Sea in New Hampshire can provide telephone advice, and they offer a broad line of products. For more contacts, obtain the “Outboard Performance Directory” from Bass & Walleye Boats magazine.

Foot Throttle: This is a feature for everyone, but particularly valuable on high-performance boats. Driving the boat like a car lets you keep both hands on the wheel for safer handling at high speeds or in rough seas.

Easily installed, a foot throttle adds the safety feature that the boat immediately slows to idle if the driver is thrown from the boat or is otherwise incapacitated. A kill switch kills the motor if pulled, but most bass anglers don’t use this feature except in tournaments where it’s required. I’ve used a T-H Marine “Hot Foot” for four years with no problem. Land & Sea and other makers of performance accessories have similar models.

Remote Trim: In conjunction with a foot pedal, a remote trim switch allows the driver to trim the motor with his hands on the wheel, as it’s awkward to reach the trim switch on the throttle while driving. The old units had telephone-type wire twisted around the wheel. I like TH-Marine’s model, which mounts on the wheel for easy manipulation as you grip the wheel. Teleflex offers a similar unit.