Quick Ride Plate Questions

[Some Kind Of Monster]

I had the boat out today on flat water (haven't done that in awhile) and I noticed some porposing. I decided to play with the ride plate and I noticed that a couple screws are loose and exposed so I am re evaluating it's position. My question is:
What is a good starting position for testing the plate? I realize that I need to test and change it's position until it works for me, but where should I start? Flat? 5 degrees? Also, should the front of the plate (where the plate meets the boat) be even with the bottom of the boat or a little higher? Here's a pic to give you a better idea of what I have. I am heading back out for the weekend tomorrow so the faster the replies the better!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1683CIMG0381.JPG

[Some Kind Of Monster]

Oh, please don't make fun of the silicone and the dust. I'm working on it. The guy I bought the boat from is a phucktard.

[MoparSanger]

phucktard.
that is great ;) I think I need to use that.

[victorfb]

on my rogers 18 i also notice alot of porposing. i got underneath and re-evaluated the set up. my ride plate was above the keel line of the hull about 1/8". its an old school set up so the plate is actually part of the shoe. i had a small spacer underneath the plate but i made a larger one to bring the plate to the keel line, then back cut the plate as some shoes are. i left the angle at about 4 degree up and holy crap did it make a huge differance. the boat rides just were i like it and with the diverter slightly up with about a 3 to 4 foot high roost. before i had to keep the diverter at a downward angle to keep it from porposing. basically dragging the nozzle. the plate also used to extend into the intake a bit (about 1 1/2"). i didnt like the way it cut down the intake so when i back cut the plate it allowed me to open the intake hole almost all the way to stock size. i think this allowed a bit more volume of water to enter the intake as my roost seems a bit fuller now. is "fuller" a word? anyhow, i hope this helps and you actually understood what i was trying to say. bottom line is--- just that, keep the plate flush with the bottom. it worked on my hull. not sure what you have but if you think about it, it should be right for most any hull. good luck.

[Some Kind Of Monster]

Thanks for the reply. I just got done setting it up with a guess. I made it level with the hull and made spacers to keep it at about 4 degrees. I also counter bored the holes a bit better so that the screws will sink even with the 4 degree angle. We'll see how it runs tomorrow.