# Stiffy Shaw Wing on Shoalwater Cat 19



## thundercles (Oct 30, 2012)

Im sure this has already been covered but i would like to let everyone know about my experience with Stiffy and their Shaw Wing on a Shoalwater Cat 19. 

Originally, my shoalwater cat 19 (with yamaha F115LB and Turbo FX4 18 pitch) would not get on plane unless the jackplate was at 3 or below and the motor fully tucked. Although, I did have a good top end of 40-42 mph (light load) with this setup. I was not happy with the amount of water required to get on plane so I ordered a medium Shaw Wing cavitation plate. 

The customer service folks at Stiffy were great to deal with, answering all of my questions in a very timely fashion. They had my Shaw Wing delivered the day after placing my order. 

After installing the Shaw Wing, the boat behaves completely differently. I can now jump up on plane with the jackplate on 6 and the motor trimmed fairly high. Basically it will get on plane as long as the cavitation plate is still in the water. The boat also tuns much better with the jackplate elevated. Best part is with the improved shallow water performance, I did not have to give up any top end speed. 

I highly recommend a Shaw Wing cavitation plate to anyone running a Cat 19 who is not happy with the shallow water performance. I feel that now this boat will do everything that it was designed for.


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## southbay (Aug 30, 2010)

Glad to hear a cavitation plate helped your cat. We've had a bunch of cat owners say the manufacturers say a cav plate isn't needed, but after installing our cav plate or another brand performance definitely improved. The way I see it, a cat is just another type of tunnel boat and as we all know, a cav plate is a must have on a tunnel boat. Of course, the right prop is key too.


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## jorgepease (Apr 14, 2011)

The wing, for me, helped with blowout on turns and maneuvering around the dock. My boat is a flat bottom and only drafts 6 in so don't need any help planing but was totally worth it.

I was going to get that same prop in a 16 pitch and having 400 rpms of cup added ... I have the same motor. Curious, what are your revs to speed or have you calculated slip already? Thanks


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Thanks for the review. I've sent them a few emails and they always reply back immediately. That's something I give a lot of credit for because so many companies either don't return emails at all or don't do so in a timely manner. I think I'll order mine today after seeing your post.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

Tran makes a nice plate too, it solved a lot of issues on my hole shot and handling. The sides curve down more than other plates, a great design that keeps water around your prop. I can jump up with half my prop above water.


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## TexasRenegade (Feb 2, 2015)

I'm looking to get a Cav Plate on my 19 Cat now too. Waypoint Marine re-propped my boat yesterday from a 15 Pitch with heavy cup to a 16 Pitch 1/4" smaller diameter and little to no cup. 

With the 15 I could launch with the engine at any height, amazing hole shot. But it seems like it was putting too much load on the motor (115 Merc Pro XS) and I was constantly overheating @ 4,000+ RPM even with good water pressure. With the motor all the way down and tucked under I could only get 5,200 RPM max & 32 MPH.

With the 16 I lost the jump on the launch, but it still gets up within respective distance. With the motor all the way down and trimmed up slightly I'm now hovering at the redline on WOT and pulling 39.6 MPH with no overheat issues. Now I'm experiencing exactly what you described, will not get up with the motor over 3".

Did installing the Shaw Wing let you trim you motor a little higher while on plane? I don't have trim tabs, just the fixed metal ones that came on the hull, and don't have much room to trim while on plane without causing the hull to start :an4:


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## jorgepease (Apr 14, 2011)

I shot a short video of my shaw wing ... you can see when the plate no longer interferes with the flow from the tunnel, at that point its about 1.5 inches above the top of a 6" tunnel. I could jack the motor another 3.5 inches but at that point all it's doing is maybe keeping water on the pickups.






PS ... that was not a calm day, I think she performed pretty good considering.


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## thundercles (Oct 30, 2012)

texasrenegade, I have the same fixed tabs on mine. I believe the cavitation plate had a small impact on the porpoising issue. I believe that i can trim the motor up a little higher now before it starts to hop, but it is hard to tell without a trim meter.


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## TexasRenegade (Feb 2, 2015)

Just put in my order for a medium ShawWing today, opted for a black one to fit the colors on the boat. If it's all you say it is my boat should be back to the shallow water shots in no time.


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## spooksupeRipple (Feb 28, 2015)

You'll be happy with a shaw wing. I had one and it makes a big difference in shallow water performance and being able to stay on plane at lower speeds and hole shot will improve.

Design and fit is second to none. No drilling holes in lower unit. That sandwich design is real sturdy and the plate is a strong piece of glass. A little 5200 around seems and it's like the plate is actually a part of the lower unit. Will not vibrate and catch seaweed like some of the others


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## 5moreminutes (Jan 14, 2014)

How much is it going for? Also do you have to take your boat in to get measured?


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## jorgepease (Apr 14, 2011)

While I like the wing itself and it performed really well, the notch they cut was pretty ragged and I contacted them first before installing it to make sure it would be okay. Since you fill in the gap with caulk it doesn't matter so much. 

Also I wouldn't use the 5200 on it again unless you don't mind not being able to take it off without leaving some scratches behind.


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## spooksupeRipple (Feb 28, 2015)

jorgepease said:


> While I like the wing itself and it performed really well, the notch they cut was pretty ragged and I contacted them first before installing it to make sure it would be okay. Since you fill in the gap with caulk it doesn't matter so much.
> 
> Also I wouldn't use the 5200 on it again unless you don't mind not being able to take it off without leaving some scratches behind.


How ragged was it cut? I wouldn't use the permanent 5200 but the regular or something similar.


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## jorgepease (Apr 14, 2011)

spooksupeRipple said:


> How ragged was it cut? I wouldn't use the permanent 5200 but the regular or something similar.


Here is a pic of the cut. I wasn't frayed, just not straight. Made it a bit harder to line up. The gaps you have to fill with caulk once you get it clamped down. I used the black 5200 they sent me so it blended in well. I think I would notch my own on the next one, I think for the money the notch should be better cut.


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## spooksupeRipple (Feb 28, 2015)

That is WAY uneven. Must have a big gap on one side. Dang. Ya for what it cost.....don't look good

It does matter if that is the front plate or the back plate. One probly wouldn't matter if it's a little crooked


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

I should be getting mine soon, will update and take pics of the notch cut.


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## TexasRenegade (Feb 2, 2015)

Hoping mine comes in before too long. Ordered it Wednesday and haven't seen any updates since. Order page still just says confirmed.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

TexasRenegade said:


> Hoping mine comes in before too long. Ordered it Wednesday and haven't seen any updates since. Order page still just says confirmed.


I ordered mine last week. They called earlier this week to ask what color and confirm details.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Got mine today, quick lineup looks like it's gonna be a great fit for the tunnel on my setup. Disappointed I can't mount it tonight though, not only is the notch they cut too small it's a full 3/8" offset to one side so I'm going to have to carefully grind it down to proper fit. Not really a huge deal but there's lots of similar products on the market that are half the price and I bought this one thinking I wouldn't have to mess with stuff like this.


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## TexasRenegade (Feb 2, 2015)

I installed mine on Tuesday. Seems like an uneven cut is pretty common, but fortunately it does fit and I'll be testing it out this weekend weather permitting.


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## spooksupeRipple (Feb 28, 2015)

justletmein said:


> Got mine today, quick lineup looks like it's gonna be a great fit for the tunnel on my setup. Disappointed I can't mount it tonight though, not only is the notch they cut too small it's a full 3/8" offset to one side so I'm going to have to carefully grind it down to proper fit. Not really a huge deal but there's lots of similar products on the market that are half the price and I bought this one thinking I wouldn't have to mess with stuff like this.


Call Kevin shaw up and let him know about the cut. Maybe he'll fix it. Probly doesnt know they're getting cut uneven. Maybe the uneven cut isn't an issue really. ????



TexasRenegade said:


> I installed mine on Tuesday. Seems like an uneven cut is pretty common, but fortunately it does fit and I'll be testing it out this weekend weather permitting.


Looks good. Those plates are solid and work great


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

spooksupeRipple said:


> Call Kevin shaw up and let him know about the cut. Maybe he'll fix it. Probly doesnt know they're getting cut uneven. Maybe the uneven cut isn't an issue really. ????


It would definitely be an issue. The reason I measured it was because when I test-fitted it the prop would contact the side of the plate on one side but not the other. So I pulled it off and measured and sure enough it's offset.

I'm not waiting for all the cross shipping back and forth I'll just fix it myself. I'm taking the router to it this evening to widen it on one side and make sure it's even and would not expect any issues once that's done. I just don't understand why these cuts are not made with a router and a template to begin with, would take no more than a minute and they'd get a perfect cut every time.


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## spooksupeRipple (Feb 28, 2015)

Man I hear you. Those plates are expensive....should be cut right the first time. Not good. 

I had a boat gel coated at fibertex one time and gel coat never dried. Had to take it back and they had to take all the new gel coat back off and start over.


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## backwaterlabs (May 6, 2005)

I put a cougar cavitation plate on my motor made a big difference on performance. I also changed from 16 pitch to 14 pitch prop on my cat. The hole shot is unreal. I can raise motor to 6 on jack plate and get up in calf water with no problem. I did loose top end speed from 38 - 39 mph to 35 mph. But fishing in the lower Laguna I need and would rather have the hole shot.


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## Yorktown Slam (Nov 29, 2011)

Should be getting my plate soon, will also post pics of it when I get it, don't think I will let a crooked or uneven cut slide though..... For the amount of money paid for this thing, it NEEDS to be done right, just sayin.....


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## 5moreminutes (Jan 14, 2014)

How much are they going for?


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## Yorktown Slam (Nov 29, 2011)

all said and done w/mounting kit, about $300.....


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## spooksupeRipple (Feb 28, 2015)

Backwater that cougar plate looks well built


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## Yorktown Slam (Nov 29, 2011)

*shaw wing cav plate on my shoalwater cat 21*

Well, finally got my plate in, installed it this past Saturday, haven't had a chance yet to run it with it on so still don't know how it will change or help my performance. I have attached some pics.... 
Also, do you think it is necessary to use the 4200 caulk/sealant on this cav plate? I haven't used it yet, was wanting to take it out on the water first before permanently attaching it to my motor. 
The only thing I don't like about it is I wish the top plate would mount further up on my cav plate on the motor, further up meaning more forward towards my boat...


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## jorgepease (Apr 14, 2011)

I used an inner tube to test mine before using the adhesive. The bottom plate looks a bit short to me, I think mine ran all the way back past the top plate.


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## Z (Sep 22, 2014)

i think that's the difference between the "medium" and "large" size.


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