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I've never seen a 16/17' model that was setup properly with the engine all the way down.
The engine was always too low in that installation.

Adding a Jack Plate may help to install the engine but may open up a larger can of worms. Some setups could suffer from more porpoising and less performance.

Example:
If you knew that your fuel mileage and top speed would double by raising your engine up one hole, would you do it?
Unfortunately a person won't know unless they try...

I owned a Montauk with the engine all the way down. The engine needed to be raised up one hole for sure. Maybe two.
There was entirely too much spray coming from the cavitation plate which shouldn't be considered normal.
Unfortunately I never got around to raising it before I sold it.
I have however experimented with my Outrage 18' and there is a huge difference in how the boat performs when the engine is set at the correct height.