Jack Plate on a 20

[jorgeinmiami]

I've been doing some shopping for a engine and have seen that most come in a 25" shaft and my boat is a 20". Choices are raise the transom but then I saw a boat that had a 20" transom with some sort of jack plate with a 25" engine. This would let me get a 25" engine and have it when I raise the transom.
Would that work or what are the draw backs?
Or keep looking for a 20" engine?

[Fr. Frank]

Jorge, that will work, but the drawback is still the 20" transom gives you little freeboard at the transom at sea. Raising a 25" motor with a jack plate gets the motor up off the water, but still allows water to come in over the transom in a following sea at anchor.

On my 20' Seafari, I have a 20" shaft motor. At anchor here off the coast, the current, wind, and seas rarely align. Often the current and the seas are at nearly 180* to each other. That means I'm constantly taking water over the transom while at anchor. The water runs in the rubber boots for my control cables and steering cable as they are below the top of the transom in the engine well. Which means my bilge pump spends more time pumping than not. Even with good pumps and batteries that makes me nervous.

One of my long-range plans for my Seafari is to close in the transom, put a Hermco bracket on it, and repower. I'm waiting for MEG's Vision 3.0L diesel (735 lbs). I'll put my current motor on the back of a skiff.

[anotherhassel]

I have one of those jack plates. They do work ,but they move weight aft which throws the balance off slightly. As FR. Frank said water can and will still spill over the transom. I have taht problem on the drift more so than on the anchor but when I usually anchor it is in the ICW. As you stated this will be a way for you to get a 25" motor until you could either close or raise your transom. I am in the same boat(no pun intended) as i bought the 25" motor do someday do the same thing ,but havent got around to it so I made a piece of wood that "raises" the transom not the end all but helps. Good luck.