Help on 79' Sleekcraft Aristocrat v bottom standard setback and set up heights!

[PhoenixGraphics]

I am new here and first want to say hello to everyone!
I here this is the only place to come for real boat info...
I have a 79' Sleekcraft Aristocrat with a standard v bottom
no tunnel which sucks but hey I have loved these boats
since I was a kid & I finally got one. Anyway I was needing info on setback and heights. It has a solid aluminum plate that was put on the transom and it has the motor about 2 1/2 inches higher than it was originally mounted. So I guess I need a jack plate now to get the motor back down right? Dumb Question I know! Who sells the best for a decent price & then what about set back? What do I need? The boat will loose bite when you turn a corner and you have to baby it till it it takes hold again. And excuse my terminology I'm a dirt track racer!
All help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[Motv18]

Depending on engine a four blade will probably hold in the corner.

If it is solid aluminum cutting it back to a normal or stock should be simple. Regular bi metal blade and a skill saw.

Jack plates are never ever a bad idea though.

Thats all all I got been forever even seeing a sleek raft I mean craft.

[PhoenixGraphics]

Depending on engine a four blade will probably hold in the corner.

If it is solid aluminum cutting it back to a normal or stock should be simple. Regular bi metal blade and a skill saw.

Jack plates are never ever a bad idea though.

Thats all all I got been forever even seeing a sleek raft I mean craft.

It's got a Merc 200 Blackmax on it and a four blade prop but not sure what the pitch is though. I know it's not aluminum it seems to be stainless.

[Motv18]

Your probably fairly high then and roiling the prop out. If it rolls

stock height would probably have a/v plate 1-2” above the keel bottom of the v.

Performance would be high as water pressure allows. You develop the loss of bite if the fiat rolls to much in the corner though. Bringing the trim in before turning can help if you haven’t tried.

[PhoenixGraphics]

Thanks Motv18. That is the info I was looking for. And would one of those fin things that go on the lower unit help as much as the say they do?

[Motv18]

I’ve seen them work like voodo magic and seen them make it worse. All depends on boat and which fin. For instance a dolfin works great on the 71 Starcraft dv18, but not so great on my tracker v18, and the old fashion wale tale made my monark 16 literally come up flat.

So fin are a mixed bag.

if you can find the numbers on the four blade someone can find out what it is and pitch

[SS Minnow]

Friend had a fin on a Thompson Sidewinder for a short period of time. Said that it helped for out of the hole but it grabbed when he was turning tight and it threw the back of the boat off course and almost caused him to wreck.

Another guy I know has one on a 17' Sea Ray, just an old tub of a boat with an inline 115 and he swears by that fin but also does not really drive as aggressive. I don't think his boat would cut as hard as the sidewinder either, so there is that.

Motor set back varies with boats, best to find someone that already figured it out and copy them. Otherwise, there are all different widths of plates, you can keep trying them until you find the right one. They come up in the classifieds every now and again.

Motor height in my experience changes with what prop I want to run, and what I want to do. For instance, If I want to run fast and will be light, I run a Raker 3B 24P and jack the motor up as high as it will go without losing water pressure. If I am gonna be heavy and run fast I run a Renegade 4B 21P and lower the motor 3/4" or it chine walks really bad. Pull skiers and light, same prop but lower another 3/4". Pull skiers and heavy or on a small lake and just want to hole shot, I run a 3B 17P OMC SST prop and lower the motor another inch.

I would highly recommend that you have a water pressure gauge that is properly installed and functioning before you go messing with motor height.

[SS Minnow]

It's got a Merc 200 Blackmax on it and a four blade prop but not sure what the pitch is though. I know it's not aluminum it seems to be stainless.

Almost every prop I have seen has a number stamped somewhere on it. Might be on the back side, but likely you will find one. Good info to know, prop type and pitch so you can have a base line to start with. Important that your motor runs within a certain rpm range when at full throttle.

Assuming you have a functioning tach, what rpms were you running at full throttle?