I was going to send this via email but I figured more could add to it or tell me I am crazy so here goes…Bill,I tried the 25 Fury on that boat and it ran a little close to the rev limiter for me at top end. There wont be any gain on top and the hole shot will improve a bit, but not anything world changing. With your current prop (26 Fury) and full gas tanks, you shouldnt struggle at all getting on plane. Fill the livewells and it will slog around a bit. I am not sure what you are doing with the plate but here is how I ran that boat and hole shot was never an issue. Assume gas was full all the time. As I said, I never saw any performance difference with full or half full tanks. That boat, and the 08 I had before ran a lot better with full tanks. Hole shot was never affected by the amount of gas I had.With full tanks and no water in the livewells, I ran that boat with three people several times and I can say with certainty that we all weigh significantly more than your group. I saw the pictures of at least one of your friends and he was smaller than my buddies as well, so with three people, I can say we had you outweighed at least. The amount of tackle, rods, etc is a much overstated thing. Adding another person is like doubling even the heaviest tackle load and then some. Long story short, three people AND all my stuff, never had any trouble getting on plane. You need to run the plate all the way down to take off and work it up as you need to. That is why I think these things need a hydraulic plate. There is probably a way to make a manual work in one place but I have never tried. I just know how much I was moving it.Since I know you dont fish tournaments, I cant see where you will fill the livewells but some day you may happen into some walleye and you need to bring those home for the grill so you may use it. With full livewells, run the plate all the way UP for takeoff and as you give it gas, come down with the plate. You will need to let off the gas as it comes over to prevent cavitation. This will take a few reps to get used to, but it works great and the boat is on plane almost instantly. Works like a charm, even with the heaviest load and full livewells. Works great in shallow water also. If there were a way to make the jackplate go faster, you wouldnt have to feather the throttle to avoid the cavitation.A couple of thoughts:A smaller pitch prop will undoubtedly help the hole shot, but you will see the loss at top end. There is a mix and a happy medium for everyone and whatever sacrifice you feel comfortable making, go right ahead. My techniques above work and you will keep top end and overall performance once you have mastered that little trick for heavier loads.You may have engine issues though I think you are looking for the one sweet spot in regards to the jackplate and I dont know if there is one if you want your hole shot and top end to be optimum.Just my thoughts. Call any time if you want more.BillBill Spence St. Albans, VT [url=mailto:billspence@yahoo.com]billspence@yahoo.com[/url] http://www.twinstatebassin.com Bass Cat Boats http://www.basscat.com Vexilar Marine Electronics http://www.vexilar.com
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