While I am no authority, I can speak to this topic with some degree of confidence. I currently own a 1650 Alumacraft semi-v tunnel hull. I have owned this boat for 4 years and have it tweaked to run perfectly with a console driven 50HP Yamaha.

First things first, this boat runs like carp w/o a 6″ setback and a jackplate. It plows too much water and has crappy fuel consumption. Once I installed the jackplate with the 6″ setback the performance instantly improved. The second thing I did was install a Manta Ray compression plate. This allowed me to raise the motor even further, approximately 3.5″ below the top of the tunnel. The last thing I did was add a flats cup prop for extra bite and instant hole shot.
This setup allows me to run on plane in 4″ of water making this truly a “Skinny Water” boat.

I don’t care what Alumacraft’s reps say, I have run their boat with the motor mounted directly to the transom and you may as well buy a barge. To truly get the most out of an aluminum tunnel jon boat it must be set up properly. And keep in mind, tunnels are great for what they are designed for. BUT if you want a conventional handling boat, don’t buy a tunnel. Reverse DOES suck.