Cavitation Plates

• Cavitation resistance

• Sharper cornering and propeller grip

• Maintain water pressure

• Foil provides stern lift to plane faster

• Less lower unit drag for faster or equivalent top end

A cavitation plate is essential to a shallow running combination. We offer various models of cav plate depending on how skinny you are looking to run.

The Hybrid is designed for running at or near stock motor elevations. These can include setups with stock propeller, no jack plate, and/or no trim adjustment on the fly. Any propeller and hull combination will reap the performance benefits of a cav plate without inducing drag at cruise speeds if run properly.

The Extreme Series is designed for setups running at high motor elevations. These combinations typically have highly cupped propeller, jack plate, and trim adjustment on the fly. The Extreme Series has aggressive fins to keep water at the propeller. This is especially important for tunnel hulls and can also be effective for flat bottom hulls.

Both styles of cav plate come in the No Drill or Direct Mount attachment methods. If you do not want to drill holes in your lower unit, the No Drill is a great option. It is a two-piece design that clamps around the lower unit. If you prefer to drill holes through the lower unit to fasten the cav plate, then the Direct Mount is for you.

Direct Mount Instructions

Place gasket on top of the lower unit

·       Slide cav plate onto top of lower unit from the rear

·       Use soft clamp to hold plate in place

·       Drill 6 holes, 3 on each side

o   Insert a locating fastener after drilling each hole

o   Some holes will have to be drilled from the top, some from bottom

·       Remove the locating fasteners and cav plate from the motor

·       It is recommended to paint the inside of the freshly drilled holes

·       It is recommended to apply dielectric grease to the fastener threads

·       Place the cav plate on top of the gasket

·       Insert screws/washers from bottom

·       Insert washers on the top side

·       Insert lock nuts on the top side

·       Torque fasteners to 130 lb-in.

·       It is recommended to apply sealant to the edges of the cav plate

·       Take a picture of your rig and send it to @skiffresearch

No Drill Instructions

Place gasket on top of the lower unit

·       Slide cav plate with fins onto top of lower unit from the rear

Place gasket on top of the front cav plate portion (bottom of lower unit)

·       Slide front piece onto bottom of lower unit from the front

·       Insert screws/washers from bottom

·       Insert washers on the top side

·       Insert lock nuts on the top side

·       Torque fasteners to 130 lb-in.  

·       It is recommended to apply dielectric grease to the fastener threads

·       It is recommended to apply sealant to the edges of the cav plate

·       Take a picture of your rig and send it to @skiffresearch

Routinely maintain your cav plate as you would any tool in your fishing arsenal that is exposed to the harsh environment of the places we love to go. A freshwater rinse with soap after every use and occasional application of corrosion preventative to the metallics will keep your cav plate looking good for many years of use. 

Different trim/jack settings will help optimize the features of the cav plate. The cav plate will provide much more response in both steering and trim adjustments. With that being said, the behavior of your setup depends on a multitude of factors such as your hull design, propeller type and pitch, and even weight distribution of your gear. The best thing to do is experiment with your setup at different jack plate elevations and trim angles through a variety of running conditions to see what works best.

To get on plane, it can be advantageous to trim the motor down. This will increase the angle of attack of the cav plate, generating large amounts of lift at the stern to help get you up. Once on plane, the motor can be trimmed up or down to balance increases in speed with ride quality. 

Steering will become especially responsive if the cav plate is trimmed down in turns. This is the same action of lift generation through increase in angle of attack, but in the left and right directions instead of up and down.

When running on plane, it is best to adjust the jack plate elevation so that the fins are just barely out of the surface of the water or higher. If running at the correct height, top end speed should either stay the same or increase.

Let her rip!