Dumas Scarab/outdrive question

[paint-boy]

As I posted about a week ago I aquired a Dumas Scarab 38 boat (never put together) and with it an AMPS International Hobbies outdrive. The person I bought the boat from had only mounted the outdrive on the transom. I was looking over the installation instructions with the outdrive (yeah yeah I know guys aren't supposed to read those things!) but anyways it says: "Cavitation plate should be 1/16" below bottom of boat (for mono-hull submerged propeller)" .....now my question.....he mounted the drive with the cavitaion plate about an 1" above the bottom of the boat (the prop shaft is just a bit below the boat now) which one is correct??? If anyone could help me that would be greatly appreciated. I can also attach a pic if you would like to visualize it better
Thanks Dane

[e boat]

It sounds like it was being set up for a surface drive ie prop half in half out when it is running

[paint-boy]

thanks for your reply, but which is better / correct?? I'm fairly new to boating so I honestly don't know the most. I've switched over from airplanes

[e boat]

The surface drive is better . When the prop is only 1/2 in the water you can spin it faster and there is less stuff hanging under the boat to cause resistance ( drag) to slow it down

[e boat]

some pics would be good

[paint-boy]

okay thanks for the information so far, it just seemed to me that the bottom of the boat and the transom would make "turbulant" water....so the prop wouldn't get good "clean" water to bite (but I'm here to learn, and any information you guys can give is great) I'll attach a pic that I have. Sorry for the poor quality but you know how hard it is to watch a 10 month old boy, and do a few other things at the same time!ha

[Fluid]

That depth is a good compromise between a racing surface drive and a submerged drive. Full-scale outdrives and outboards will run the prop partly out of the water for the same reasons stated above, and in truth most high-performance R/C boats like yours run the prop shaft above the bottom of the hull vee. It appears that what you have is a good place to start.

.

[paint-boy]

excellent....thanks for the information and the help again (I'm sure I'll have many more questions to come also)