I agree with BLKOUTLS, my plate does NOT extend below the boat...all the way down is pretty much even with the hull.

I got my plate working yesterday, and unfortunately am not 100% sure what fixed it. I checked the levels, but a note of caution to be careful with this...I almost filled it more because it only read 1/2 full, but the plate was down....when I finally got the plate up the fluid level read almost full. Anyway, there was a loose wire to the back of the gauge (although I doubt that was the problem). I grabbed the lines from the pump and wiggled them wondering if there was a kink somewhere...also tried several other things. Then, voila, plate goes up and down no problem?!? I'm worried it was a lucky glitch, and will fail out on the lake again, but I'll go down that road when I get there. My dealer was really nice, had the tech call me and give me some things to try to isolate the problem. I figure we need to spread the love of good dealers, not just when problems occur. If you live in TN, Joyce at Marine Outfitters is great to deal with (Charleston, exit 33 on Hwy 75).