# Atlas Micro JackPlate



## Matt Baldwin (Mar 26, 2018)

I am frustrated the jack plate doesn’t have numbers or any indication lines I have noticed. Has anyone found a nice looking way to add height measurement lines that looks good? Pictures would be awesome!


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

You could stick a rod ruler on the face of the rear plate.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

Tape a hellsbay gas gauge(stick) to it. Or don't worry about it. You will learn the sound of prop and exhaust


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

I have a bobs on my red boat and a microjacker on my yellow boat. I never look at the markings on the bobs. I am disappointed that my 12 or maybe 16 month old microjacker is running really slow and stuttering. From what I've googled it my be a bad actuator which is the main hydraulic unit. Sent them an email as they don't apparently give out phone numbers.


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

devrep said:


> I have a bobs on my red boat and a microjacker on my yellow boat. I never look at the markings on the bobs. I am disappointed that my 12 or maybe 16 month old microjacker is running really slow and stuttering. From what I've googled it my be a bad actuator which is the main hydraulic unit. Sent them an email as they don't apparently give out phone numbers.


Check the inline 5amp fuse holder. I was having same problem with mine and discovered that the fuse holder was corroded and not making a good connection. It was less than a year old. Changed it out and now it runs perfect.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

I will check that out. Thanks for the tip.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

devrep said:


> I have a bobs on my red boat and a microjacker on my yellow boat. I never look at the markings on the bobs. I am disappointed that my 12 or maybe 16 month old microjacker is running really slow and stuttering. From what I've googled it my be a bad actuator which is the main hydraulic unit. Sent them an email as they don't apparently give out phone numbers.


They will send you a new actuator, you have to call TH Marine.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

couldn't find a phone number on their website. Sent an email.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

devrep said:


> couldn't find a phone number on their website. Sent an email.


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

devrep said:


> couldn't find a phone number on their website. Sent an email.


CMC is who you need to call. Here is the number 580 252 1699. And here is the number for TH 256 772 0164. I would definitely call CMC if you havn't already.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

CPurvis said:


> CMC is who you need to call. Here is the number 580 252 1699. And here is the number for TH 256 772 0164. I would definitely call CMC if you havn't already.


I post TH Marine contact because they make the Atlas plate. CMC is a sister company, partner or something I think. Maybe I’m wrong? That person sent me my replacement actuator. I know you went through the same situation, didn’t know you got your replacement through CMC. Maybe they are all affiliated like a lot of companies now.


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

I was referred to CMC when dealing w an issue with my microjacker.


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## Matt Baldwin (Mar 26, 2018)

Capnredfish said:


> Tape a hellsbay gas gauge(stick) to it. Or don't worry about it. You will learn the sound of prop and exhaust


This isn't a matter of me not being able to identify the sound of the prop....its a matter of looking behind me quickly and adjusting as needed before I take off. It seems this(lack of visual height gauge) was overlooked by the manufacturer. I'm going to make some sort of markings....just wondering if anyone knew of an existing high quality decal or plate that has been used successfully for this purpose.


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## trucha del mar (Apr 1, 2016)

Matt Baldwin said:


> ....just wondering if anyone knew of an existing high quality decal or plate that has been used successfully for this purpose.


You could do what I did and call Bob's and ask them for a replacement ruler sticker and then stick it on your MicroJacker. They threw in a bunch of other cool Bob's stickers too, which would be funny plastered all over your non-Bob's boat.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

CPurvis said:


> I was referred to CMC when dealing w an issue with my microjacker.


I just got an email from TH Marine telling me to call CMC.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Just spoke to Rick in cust svc, very helpful guy. Told me how to jump it directly to battery. If that cures the problem it's an elect problem, if not its a bad actuator. Will try it tonight if I get home early enough.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

well its definitely a bad actuator...


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

devrep said:


> well its definitely a bad actuator...


Really!!? That sux! What did you do to determine this?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Sounds like a lot of bad actuators with these plates. I hope my new one holds up. So far so good.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

CPurvis said:


> Really!!? That sux! What did you do to determine this?


see 4 posts above..


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

When my Microjacker dies I’m definitely buying a 4” Bob’s Flat’s Jac. They are way faster, the motor doesn’t kick sideways and definitely more reliable. My buddy has had his since 2013 and not one issue and he fishes about 3-4 days a week.


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## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

I've killed an actuator in my MicroJacker. I admit, I used the heck out of it and (maybe abused it a bit). They sent me a new one but was a bitch to install. Would love to have all my electronic gear to just work but daily use and saltwater really puts a hurt to my gear.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

timogleason said:


> I've killed an actuator in my MicroJacker. I admit, I used the heck out of it and (maybe abused it a bit). They sent me a new one but was a bitch to install. Would love to have all my electronic gear to just work but daily use and saltwater really puts a hurt to my gear.


You need the correct size roll pin punch and it’s a 10 minute job as long as you don’t have it hard wired. I rigged mine so I have wiring disconnects accessible from the rear hatch.
Does your motor jerk side to side when you move the plate up and down? I don’t understand why the actuator ram is not centered. It makes no sense!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Rick is sending me a new actuator. He did tell me I was way out of warranty but he would take care of it but I have to pay shipping (and of course swap it out).


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> When my Microjacker dies I’m definitely buying a 4” Bob’s Flat’s Jac. They are way faster, the motor doesn’t kick sideways and definitely more reliable. My buddy has had his since 2013 and not one issue and he fishes about 3-4 days a week.


I took my Bob's off this boat and put on the microjacker as the Bob's was right in the way of the plume from my tunnel. The Microjacker gave me way better performance with the motor jacked way up. I am very disappointed about the failure at 18 months though. The Bobs was 18 years old and is now mounted on the project boat I did with my son and grandson and still working flawlessly. I have a Bobs on my SilverKing also.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Here's why I switched plates The Bob's came stock on the tunnel models from HB. In these pics you can see I had actually raised it over an inch, It was














was originally mounted at the bottom of the black starboard.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

This is better.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Bob's was the only good plate available for a long time.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

devrep said:


> I took my Bob's off this boat and put on the microjacker as the Bob's was right in the way of the plume from my tunnel. The Microjacker gave me way better performance with the motor jacked way up. I am very disappointed about the failure at 18 months though. The Bobs was 18 years old and is now mounted on the project boat I did with my son and grandson and still working flawlessly. I have a Bobs on my SilverKing also.


18 months...my actuator was bad out of the box then the second one crapped out after about 8 months. 
I am convinced the offset actuator ram causes the guides to put the actuator in a bind and it eventually fails. When I raise mine you can see the motor jerk to the port side because the ram is picking up on the starboard side of the plate and racking the whole thing. 
I can see where that starboard would effect the rise of water out of the tunnel.


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## POCtied (Oct 19, 2016)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> You need the correct size roll pin punch and it’s a 10 minute job as long as you don’t have it hard wired. I rigged mine so I have wiring disconnects accessible from the rear hatch.
> Does your motor jerk side to side when you move the plate up and down? I don’t understand why the actuator ram is not centered. It makes no sense!


Mine jerks to the side under initial load, but definitely not side to side the entire travel


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> 18 months...my actuator was bad out of the box then the second one crapped out after about 8 months.
> I am convinced the offset actuator ram causes the guides to put the actuator in a bind and it eventually fails. When I raise mine you can see the motor jerk to the port side because the ram is picking up on the starboard side of the plate and racking the whole thing.
> I can see where that starboard would effect the rise of water out of the tunnel.


not just the starboard but the whole bottom of the Bob's plate was deflecting the rise.


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

POCtied said:


> Mine jerks to the side under initial load, but definitely not side to side the entire travel


So are you making sure your slidebolts are loose? Also I hit my slide bolts with some yamalube when it seems a little rough. Mine seemed a little rough going up today and i hit those slide bolts with a little spray lube and fine after that. Note: loosen jam nut before messing with slide bolts.


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## POCtied (Oct 19, 2016)

I haven't done any maintenance yet, first shakedown was this past weekend, but my previous setup and other boat does the same thing so I assumed it was normal.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Those damn slide bolts are finicky. Either too tight or too loose!


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Those damn slide bolts are finicky. Either too tight or too loose!


True!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

when I checked mine after a year and a half they were very close to spec and very easy to adjust.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

devrep said:


> when I checked mine after a year and a half they were very close to spec and very easy to adjust.


I didn’t know there was a spec for them. Did you use a torque wrench or what?


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## Chad Cohn (Mar 8, 2018)

I spray the entire slide area and actuator shaft WD-40 Lithium spray every couple of uses and so far so good. Granted because of my location I'm in fresh more than salt.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I didn’t know there was a spec for them. Did you use a torque wrench or what?


I use the term spec loosely. The washers are supposed to be loose enough to turn with your fingers but not just spin easily. If you can't turn them by hand they are too tight.


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

Chad Cohn said:


> I spray the entire slide area and actuator shaft WD-40 Lithium spray every couple of uses and so far so good. Granted because of my location I'm in fresh more than salt.


The actuator is supposedly self lubricating. There should be no need to lubricate. But definitely spray that slide.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

CPurvis said:


> The actuator is supposedly self lubricating. There should be no need to lubricate. But definitely spray that slide.


I spray the whole plate with Corrosion X red once a month and so far not one bit of corrosion anywhere. I also used TefGel on all the fasteners and pins.


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I spray the whole plate with Corrosion X red once a month and so far not one bit of corrosion anywhere. I also used TefGel on all the fasteners and pins.


Looking up Tefgel now. I'll have to try it.


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## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

CPurvis said:


> Looking up Tefgel now. I'll have to try it.


That [email protected]$t ain't cheap!


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

CPurvis said:


> That [email protected]$t ain't cheap!


I got the stuff made here, the first tube I bought was $100 made in Australia. Same stuff, teflon gel. I used it on my aluminum boat build and lots of dissimilar metal marine projects and 5 years or more with zero corrosion where I used it.


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## Chad Cohn (Mar 8, 2018)

CPurvis said:


> The actuator is supposedly self lubricating. There should be no need to lubricate. But definitely spray that slide.


I do it just for that little extra piece of mind.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

New actuator just arrived at my office.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

hey Smack, when you replaced your actuator did you remove the motor? Is it best to do the replacement with it jacked up or down? I will freely admit I haven't looked it over much yet.


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## Cam (Apr 5, 2017)

I spray everything these days with Fluid Film. Relatively cheap, fantastic corrosion resistance and works on just about everything including as a lightweight deck wax. It even smells nice.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

devrep said:


> hey Smack, when you replaced your actuator did you remove the motor? Is it best to do the replacement with it jacked up or down? I will freely admit I haven't looked it over much yet.


No, I have a PDF showing how to replace it. If you have no way to support the motor I think you tighten the slide bolts to hold the jackplate. I can’t remember for sure.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Here you go, read the bold print. 
https://www.overtons.com/assets/prodman/AtlasMicroInstallationInstructions1.pdf


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

timogleason said:


> I've killed an actuator in my MicroJacker. I admit, I used the heck out of it and (maybe abused it a bit). They sent me a new one but was a bitch to install. Would love to have all my electronic gear to just work but daily use and saltwater really puts a hurt to my gear.


man I feel bad for you having to fish every day


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Bobs


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Here you go, read the bold print.
> https://www.overtons.com/assets/prodman/AtlasMicroInstallationInstructions1.pdf


It appears to be in the up position in that photo. Thanks!


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

permitchaser said:


> Bobs


Wrong thread


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Wrong thread


that was short for...get a Bob's jack plate


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

permitchaser said:


> that was short for...get a Bob's jack plate


I know but none of us want to pull ours off and swap unless we really need to.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

permitchaser said:


> that was short for...get a Bob's jack plate


if you read this thread the Bobs does not work with my tunnel.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

so I got my new actuator about 3 1/2 weeks ago and just got around to changing it out this morning as my boat was at a trailer shop for a couple of weeks. Change out would have been a piece of cake except that the 10" x 1/2" stainless bolt WAS SIEZED INTO THE ACTUATOR AND THE ALUMINUM SPACER TUBES THE BOLT GOES THRU. Tried a 1/2" impact wrench, PB blaster, heat and a big hammer. Finally had to cut thru the bolt on both sides of the actuator mount. Even after removing the actuator I had to heat the aluminum spacer tubes and drive the remnants of the bolt out thru them with a punch. It would have been nice if they had used a little anti seize or even some grease. Its bad enough a fairly new hydraulic unit fails and then this. And the damn bolt was 13 bucks at Ace. Jesus.


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## Guest (May 27, 2018)

sjrobin said:


> Bob's was the only good plate available for a long time.


IMHO, still only good plate made, If they need to modify to work on certain hull designs I’m sure they’d love to hear about it.


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