Motor height placement 19ft Sylvan-115 Evinrude

[MSteven]

I just bought a used Sylvan 19ft Eliminator and the 115 Evinrude is mounted on the transom with the top portion of the bracket 2" above the top of the transom.
With the motor down, the cavitation plate is not even with the bottom of the keel.
Isn't the cav plate supposed to be level with the bottom of the boat? :confused:

I could drop the motor by removing the top bolts and loosening the bottom ones, then dropping it down till one of the other top holes in the bracket line up.:idea: There are three mounting holes for the top bolts, and right now it's mounted in the bottom set, meaning the motor is as high as it will go.

Those who are more expert in boat/motor setup please give enlighten me on this. Is it something to worry about? :help:

Thanks in advance, Mark

[FishTales]

I just bought a used Sylvan 19ft Eliminator and the 115 Evinrude is mounted on the transom with the top portion of the bracket 2" above the top of the transom.
With the motor down, the cavitation plate is not even with the bottom of the keel. Thanks in advance, Mark
I have a 17 ft Tracker with a Merc 75 on it and mine is set up just like yours. Mine works just fine the way it is.
I would try it out, if it works okay, don't worry about it.
Rich

[kingfisher 11]

I have the exact same boat and a 115 hp merc. I guess I can go out and look at mine. Do you have a picture so I can compare?

I can tell you mine runs great. I will tell you one thing. When I feather my trim so its not bottomed out. I gain at least another 7 MPH. Sounds and runs much smoother.

[TONGA]

On a typical fishing/pleasure boat the cave plate would be set up to be about even with the bottom, however the more of the lower you get out of the water the less resistance you will get,and the faster she will run.
That is provided you can maintain a good bite on the water and your motor is getting a good drink of water to keep her cool.
This is the reason they make adjustable jack plates. Now if you get into the real go fast stuff like say a 17' hydrostream a hot setup would be to run a chopper type surface prop and have the motor setup so the prop shaft would be up to an inch higher than the bottom of the boat and use a low water pickup to keep her cool.
Now I am assuming you mean your cave plate is higher than the bottom? So it sounds like someone was trying to ring every last MPH out of her. if it's lower than it sounds like someone put a 25" motor on a 20" transom.
I would suggest you make sure she is pumping good water and take her for a test spin, if she performs good and keeps a good bite on the water then it's probably just fine.

[MSteven]

I've been busy with company this weekend, and haven't had time to get back with you.
To answer a couple of your questions, the motor has a 20" shaft, the same as the transom.
The cavitation plate is above the bottom of the keel, by the same amount as the bracket is above the top of the transom.
I'll give the boat a try and have my wife pilot it while I observe the water flow around the lower unit.
So, I should be looking for the cav plate just level with the surface of the water, and the water flow nice and smooth around the lower unit?

How will I know if the motor is getting the proper water flow?
Will I notice a spotty stream from the pee hole?

Thanks for you help so far. Mark