I have the Triton TR-20X pictured to the left.  The boat came with a manual 8" jack plate on it.  I forget the name right off hand.  It may be a T&H jack plate.  The marina I purchased the boat from set the Jack Plate to run for optimum performance.  What I would like to know if would I gain anything by going to a hydraulic jack plate and being able to change the height of the motor while running down the lake and not being able to only change the trim on the motor?  Thanks in advance.

Jerrod

The dealer may have fine tuned the jackplate, but with a hydraulic setup you can SUPERTUNE IT .  Aside from that, it will allow you to jump on plane in shallower water and raise or lower the engine in the rough stuff as you need it.

If I had the choice of hydraulic or manual, I'd go hydraulic. With the hydro plate you can adjust and fine tune the motor while running in different chops, on straightaways and in turns.....it will maximize power, speed and gas efficiency by helping to get the front end up and out of the water. The less water you are "pushing", the faster you will go and the less gas you will burn. Bow lift is critical if you're looking to get the most out of your boat. If you're not too concerned about speed, the manual plate (if set correctly) will do a good job.

Check around with some others that own the same boat as you and find out what they are running (speed,rpm's,prop) and compare that to what you are doing with the manual plate. If you're not very far off from what the other guys are doing with hydro plates, (which is possible if your manual is set right) you might want to save your money for something else.

I have a manual plate on my Gambler and although I have it set correctly, it took alot of measuring, trial and error, wrench work and time to get it that way.

Thanks for the explanation fivebasslimit.  Gives me something to ponder on.  quarterly bonus are coming up and that maybe my new addition to the boat.

Jerrod