I just purchased a trolling plate for my boat. I haven't installed it yet but did a lot of research. The one I went with is heavy heavy duty and doesn't need to be manually raised or lowered. Install it and forget about it.. This one also has a center hole to allow for better reverse control.

http://www.johnsonmarinesupply.com/trolling_plates.htm


I know this is about drift socks but these will slow you down as well. My boat was zero to 4 mph at the slowest speed and was hard to control even when docking. So I wanted an option to help both with trolling and with a more manageable idle.