PDA

View Full Version : merc straight 6 transom jack



nelsoncat
08-09-2001, 12:07 AM
I have a 78 merc 1400 on a 16' Inland Tiger Shark flat bottom. I would like to put a hydro jack plate on but was
wondering if it is possible with the old style clamp screws
and external trim cylinders. I also have a Hydrostream Vector with a 175 v6 and would like some advice on proper setup. How much setback, brand of hydro jack,
nose cone or not,etc? It has dual cable but am thinking of going Hydraulic. Any and all advice would be appreciated!!!
Nelsoncat

Raceman
08-09-2001, 06:37 AM
The old inline will work fine on a hydraulic jack. You just have to make sure the two upper transom mount bolts don't interfere with the way the hydraulics mount in the plate. The trim ram brackets will bolt to the plate just as you would bolt them to a transom. Also you'll need to build a shim for the upper 2 transom bolts between them and the plate. This can be done with wood or alum. shims.

As far as the setback on the HydroStream, I've always prefered to run them bolted to the transom. The Streams have a notch in the pad which is setback in itself. There are people on this board who run setback on the Streams and like it, but I've never found it necessary, especially on the Vectors and smaller.

nelsoncat
08-10-2001, 08:05 AM
Raceman, thanks for the reply. After reading many many posts and reading between the lines I am going to assume that a flat bottom sk style outboard like my Tigershark needs lots of setback. As for the Vector, if I want a transom jack it should be one with the least amount of setback, correct? The Tigershark handles like a Corvette and I don"t want to screw that up. How will adding setback affect this? The Vector on the other hand feels very fast but doesn't corner all that well. Is this the nature of a pad vee or is something not quite correct with the setup?
I guess I'll save more questions for later.
Thanks again

Nelsoncat/Waupaca, Wisconsin

Raceman
08-10-2001, 12:28 PM
I've only run 1 Vector with a jack plate, so I'm not qualified to make a recomendation on how much. I think I've read on this board that some people have run as much as 6", but I've just never liked the idea. A Vector's basically a 15 foot boat with a 2 foot nose. I've never had one that handled very well in the turns either, I think it's the nature of the beast.

mxz
08-10-2001, 12:40 PM
I use a Land & Sea hydraulic Jack on my '81Vector/'81 225 Merc. The Land and Sea only has 4" of Setback. I use a jackplate because I also Ski behind it and you need the motor low to Ski.
I agree with Raceman, I think it is just the nature of the Vector not to turn to well.
As for whether to cone or not. I had a stock case then later switched to a CLE. The LWP of the CLE made my motor run much cooler at speed with the motor raised with more water pressure. The CLE also took away a some of the chine walk and steering torque.

nelsoncat
08-13-2001, 12:13 AM
Thanks MXZ, What kind of top speeds are you seeing with your setup? What kind of steering do you have and if you have a foot throttle what kind and where exactly is it mounted? I wand to start buying some goodies and don't want to make any wrong moves.
Nelsoncat

mxz
08-13-2001, 07:16 AM
Nelsoncat,
I am getting speeds of 78-80mph at 6300rpm on gps with a 28" Mazco RE4. This is a 4 blade prop and is the best prop I have tried so far, not the fastest but definately the most versitile. I get good top end plus I can carry 4 adults no problem and even pull a slalom skier from a deep start. I have tried a 29" SRX and saw about 84mph. At the moment I am looking for a 30" chopper for those solo speed runs and hopefully close to 90mph.
As for set up, my Vector was a handful to drive when I got it. There was no jackplate, stock lower unit, soft motor mounts and no trim on the wheel. It did have a foot throttle though and dual cable steering(which I still have). Now I have L&S jackplate, CLE lower unit, Solid mounts and trim on the wheel. My foot throttle is the stock one that came with the boat. It is mounted for left foot use, took a little getting used to but I don't think you could mount one straight ahead for the right foot. The jackplate, solid mounts and CLE all helped my Vector handle better, I noticed a difference with each one as I added them one at a time, all definate necessities. With these changes my Vector has gone from a nose high in the air, bad chine walking drive to a level running rocket which only has a little chine when I am by myself.
To answer your other post :
The CLE was Mercury's old style offshore lower unit as far as I know. Has a cone and lower pickups cast right in and I think heavy duty internals, but I could be wrong. From what I have heard a Bobs noseconed lower is faster than the CLE. I ended up with my CLE on my Vector instead of a nosecone because I found someone who traded it to me staight up for my stock case. As for my jackplate I bought it used for $350US.
Any more questions about my setup let me know.
mxz



[Edited by mxz on 08-13-2001 at 07:25 AM]

Hank W
08-16-2001, 12:29 AM
mxz,
Funny you should mention the left/right throttle thing. This past Sunday I took my Viper to the lake with a temporary foot throttle mount. I have a brand new Bob's "HotShot" throttle with the optional front-to-rear adjustment plate. I fastened it to a piece of plywood not much wider than the plate but much longer. I then put it on the floor in the left foot mode. I secured the rear of it with a 25# bag of shot so it would not tend to move. I drove the boat for an hour or so. I thought I did not like the left side so I swapped it over to the right. As you had imagined this was awful, I could not rest my entire foot on the pedal and within minutes my entire foot began to tingle as the bloodflow was restricted. I also had to position my right knee between the wheel and shifter. I swapped it back and forth several times. After several tries I choose left. I'm sure someone has modified his bowshelf to accomodate a right foot throttle. I modified mine( and I don't want to again) to get the battery up front so my wife would pull me on slalom...she didn't like the skying when towing me. I am ready to mount it permanently on the left. Now I will be faced with the challenge of driving the Stream with my left foot and my Ally with my right foot. It may be interesting.

77STREAM
06-19-2004, 08:26 AM
What is a good brand name of jackplate to use for this setup? How do the 2 bolts on the outside of the trim cylinders bolt to the jackplate? I have been told that these motors will not work with a standard jackplate, because the plates are too narrow. The modern B.I.A. bolt pattern, which is on all jackplates does not match the bolt pattern of the early inline 6's. Do the two outermost bolts not bolt into anything, or is there a brand in particular that is wider then the rest? I am also looking for a jack plate for my 1977 Vector 1500 Mercury inline setup!