APR 2005 (Bass & Walley Boats Magazine) Any rigger will tell you that more setback isn't always better. Mercury's Verado is a prime example. Placing that much weight more than 4 inches behind the transom of even the widest, beefiest bass boat will cause it to get squirrelly at high speeds. And then there's the issue of transom stress on lighter boats. Clearly, having just the right amount of setback is critical for achieving optimum performance with any boat and engine.

Hydro Dynamics understands how to achieve optimum setup as well as anyone, and has recently introduced a 6-inch setback version of its popular Rapid Jack Magnum jackplate, which includes all mounting hardware.

This is the fifth jackplate in the Magnum family and, like the 10-, 12-, 14- and 15-inch models, the 6-inch version is made of 1/2-inch 6061 aircraft-quality aluminum and also comes with the company's patented ratchet mechanism for precise adjustment. The newest Magnum, which can be optionally power coated, has two large cross members and extra-long bolting bars that add strength and rigidity.

"One unit, the Rapid Jack, is very different from the rest. It incorporates a unique ratchet-lifting mechanism that allows adjusting the engine up or down in easy 1/4 inch increments with one wrench. This is one of the nicest manual units on the market! Rapid Jack offers the most convenient-to-use manual jack. Louisiana's Hydro Dynamics focuses all of their efforts on building high-quality manual jack plates and extension plates."

Chuck Goodman's company, Hydro Dynamics, is probably the best kept secret in the world of outboard performance. Chuck and a small staff run a very specialized shop in the small town of Benton in northwest Louisiana. The shop is dedicated solely to the science of building the parts necessary to propel some of the world's fastest outboards.

While Hydro Dynamics builds a wide variety of outboard-related performance products, including some of the trickiest jack plates, foot throttles, modules and Mercury go-fast parts in the business, their most impressive offering is the Nitrox line of nitrous oxide injection systems for outboard motors of every kind. I first met Chuck on a cold winter day in February of '94 while at Mirage Boats of Texas laying out plans for the new Mirage Jet Boat. It was months later that I became aware of Chuck and who he was. It seemed that every time I observed a really fast outboard, I learned that it had a Nitrox Injection kit on board.