Finally took the boat out for a test run this past weekend.
I was fishing a very small local river with a buddy of mine, so my test runs were with a second angler and a full tournament load, as well as a half tank of gas.
I managed a hair over 52 MPH but ran out of space due to a very sharp (90 degree) turn! Straight stretches on this river are short, so it isn't the ideal testing ground.
I could feel a difference in handling and the amount of trim needed to attain top speed, but without sufficient space to play with it, I never really got a good feel for how much difference it will make overall.
I really want to test it with just me in the boat and the room to run it WOT without running out of space.
I have a water pressure gauge that I also need to install so I can start playing with the height of the outboard and try to get the optimum setting, without losing water pressure.
So I still have a long way to go, but at least the plate is on the boat, which is the hardest part