Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

[chriscraft254]

I am starting this thread to help people with understanding the who, what, when, where, why, and how about nauticus smart tabs. This forum is not intended to lead into a "whats better than what thread" on this forum. Rather, what it is intended to do, is point out what smart tabs do and how they do it. I am in no way saying these are perfect for every size boat or every condition or operator. I am also in no way part of Nauticus and have no affiliation with them. Just a satisfied customer.

I invite all to chime in on there experience wether it be good or bad with the product. Even if you have had a bad experience,please do share it so that people will know about your experience, and who knows maybe we can fix the issue. I will include only my experience with the boats that I have had and the tabs/foils I have run. I truly beleive this is a great discussion that can help many people make a good informed descision on the products at hand and increase the performance of there boat .

This is my experience.

First, the reason for installing trim tabs was because my boat had a hard time planing fast due to the weight of the boat in the stern. Simply put, I felt like the motor was having to work to hard to get this old battle wagon up and out of the water. 350 vortec/ omc outdrive, 2 deep cell batteries, two bait wells, high gunnel height/weight, storage compartments in aft gunnel, seats in the stern, swim platform off the stern. All of this plus a 125 gallon fuel tank towards the stern, equaled a heavy stern in comparision to the bow area.. My boats bow would raise significantly while getting on plane and took its time doing it also.

Though I had boats previously in my life that had helm controlled tabs, I looked at the nauticus tabs simply because they were self adjusting and would install without having to run electric or hydraulic anything. I did have room for hydraulic or electrical systems, but it was nice, not to have to install all that and then have to worry about the maintenance of those systems in the future. My boats helm was also a consideration, because I was running out of room at the helm station for add ons. Though it wasn't a deciding factor, cost of the smart tabs, was intriguing to say least.

For my size boat/ weight of boat, the Nauticus people recommeded the stainless steel tabs with the dual 80 lbs actuator set-up to give my particular boat the lift/performance that it would need. Every boat is sized differently and will require different size actuators an tabs. Installed the tabs in about an hour. That was including a couple beer breaks. The tabs were simple to install and I have had no issues with them for two years now.

I can simply say, these tabs have made a good boat great and the tabs have outperformed my expectations..

These are just some of the results from my boat. I'm sure everyones will be different but these were mine.

I gained 4 to 5 mph at wot. This was dependent on what direction I was going, up river or down.
I planed in atleast half the time w/half the rpms. Faster excelleration.
My bow rise while getting on plane decreased atleast 50% set on the center position on the tabs.
I can cruise at 22 to 23 mph compared to 29 mph before tabs.
I had no chine walking and no porpoising at all with the tabs installed.
No reason to have to keep adjusting the wheel at low speeds anymore, because the tabs keep the boat going straight. This is noticable at high speeds also.
I have also seen mpg increases with tabs installed.

There has been alot of deliberations on these compared to other tabs and foils. Please keep this discussion civil as it is just intended to bring facts to the table. Not bash anyone, including me.

If you feel that you have some useful information including your experiences please chime in. My experience is smart tabs indeed bring a different type and level of performace to the table in comparison to other products that claim to do the same things these were design for. Smart tabs are different and perform differently than foils or helm controlled tabs. Notice, I didn't say they were better, just perform differently!

If anyone has questions about the smart tabs or how they are adjusted or set-up, I will do my best to answer your questions based on my experience. If I can't answer your question with certainty, I will simply tell you that I don't know and you would be better off contacting someone at Nauticus.

Here is a picture of my boat running with the tabs installed properly, notice how far out of the water the bow is. When properly set-up, you should still have the boat in the best running position for your style hull. If the boat is to much bow down and your losing speed, more than likely, the tabs/actuators need to be adjusted. In comparison I am including a pic of the boat at idle.

 

[cannonman]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

I installed some on my Crownline 202 BR late this summer. They did install very easily.
I really haven't gotten them dialed in yet. I could tell that the boat planed quicker. Top speed results varied depending on setting.
My son doesn't like the change in the wake for wakeboarding. I will probably put some PR500 brackets on over the winter and try them out further next summer. I hope they work out.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

My experience with them on a 21' Pro-Line was VERY similar to chriscraft's. It was a stern-heavy boat. I gained 1-2 mph at WOT. The downside was that it took several attempts to dial them in. Not everyone will need to experiment beyond the 'recommended' settings, but I did have to, and it cost a fair amount of time and fuel... nearly to the point of making the outlay for helm-adjustable tabs 'a wash'.

Since then, I've owned 2 boats with Bennetts and love them. Helm-adjustable tabs are far superior performance-wise.

I'm not in any way knocking Smart Tabs... they work! But at $4.00+ per gallon of fuel I'd rather have Bennetts than try a half dozen different ST settings in varying water conditions.

My .02

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

Helm-adjustable tabs are far superior performance-wise.

For big boats they are. I've had the opposite experience on small boats though, in particular jet boats. They tend to ride very light in the water, often out of the water as much as they are in! Smart tabs are constantly moving, and soften up the ride considerably. helm adjustable tabs can't do that on the fly, and although they are better at setting trim, they don't do anything to the ride other than what the change in trim angle does alone. (yes, i've had smart tabs AND adjustable electro-hydraulic tabs on the same hull to compare)

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

I have Lenco (electric) that came with the boat (21' deep V Center console). Never had tabs before but prvious boats were smaller. I like being able to adjust them myself, especially side-to-side, and for the considerable waves/chop I deal with regularlyin open water. I don't see any need for them on a smaller boat much as I love them for the bigger boat.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

My experience with them on a 21' Pro-Line was VERY similar to chriscraft's. It was a stern-heavy boat. I gained 1-2 mph at WOT. The downside was that it took several attempts to dial them in. Not everyone will need to experiment beyond the 'recommended' settings, but I did have to, and it cost a fair amount of time and fuel... nearly to the point of making the outlay for helm-adjustable tabs 'a wash'.

Since then, I've owned 2 boats with Bennetts and love them. Helm-adjustable tabs are far superior performance-wise.

I'm not in any way knocking Smart Tabs... they work! But at $4.00+ per gallon of fuel I'd rather have Bennetts than try a half dozen different ST settings in varying water conditions.

My .02

Not quite sure why you would say what you have said. Nauticus tabs simply get adjusted with-in 4 or 5 holes. It might take you 1 day to tune them in. Guess we might need more detail here. How exactly did you adjust your smart tabs? What size actuators did you have? What kind of smart tabs were they? How are the helm controlled tabs far superior to smart tabs when it comes to performance? Details would be nice.

 

[metalwizard]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

I put a set on my 17.5 foot bowrider trihull this summer.. The price was right, they were really easy to install. and I am REALLY happy with thegains I got from them ESPECIALLY bowrise. before I could NOT get out of the hole hard.. or the front would come up HARDOCRE.
Now the nose stays down and she gets on plane really fast and easy.. even when I am towing a tube or skiier.

I also made a mistake when I ordered my set (my own dumb mistake) so I called nauticus, told them what I did, they sent out the parts I needed (actuators) for the right set no questions asked... and no charge for the extra shipping.. now that is customer service..

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

I put a set on my 17.5 foot bowrider trihull this summer.. The price was right, they were really easy to install. and I am REALLY happy with thegains I got from them ESPECIALLY bowrise. before I could NOT get out of the hole hard.. or the front would come up HARDOCRE.
Now the nose stays down and she gets on plane really fast and easy.. even when I am towing a tube or skiier.

I also made a mistake when I ordered my set (my own dumb mistake) so I called nauticus, told them what I did, they sent out the parts I needed (actuators) for the right set no questions asked... and no charge for the extra shipping.. now that is customer service..

That is great service. Hey man, did you ever get the trim motor in? How about the leaning issue, did installing the tabs correctly resolve the issue? Did you ever get any performance numbers together?

 

[Sabbath]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

Im looking at getting a set of these for my ~14 ft boat.

It has a 115hp outboard on the back so it dies downlow until it climbs out of its hole. Only problem is, the way they designate their length/hp rating i cant find a set that fits exactly. I was looking at getting these, but not sure if the fact they're for a larger boat, would hurt their designated purpose.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NAUTICUS...477?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb883c2ed

 

[JoLin]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

Not quite sure why you would say what you have said. Nauticus tabs simply get adjusted with-in 4 or 5 holes. It might take you 1 day to tune them in. Guess we might need more detail here. How exactly did you adjust your smart tabs? What size actuators did you have? What kind of smart tabs were they? How are the helm controlled tabs far superior to smart tabs when it comes to performance? Details would be nice.

Not sure what details you're looking for, but I'll try. I boat coastal waters and wind and wave conditions change considerably during the course of a day- from dead calm in the morning to a foot or two of chop in the afternoon, on a nice day.

If I remember correctly (not entirely sure- it was 4 years ago), I had 60 lb. actuators and they were the right stiffness for the boat. I also spoke with the people at Nauticus before I ordered to insure I had the right set, which I did.There are adjustments that can be made to change both downforce and tab angle, and I wound up finessing both to find the best ride characteristics in various conditions. It took 2 weekends and hauling the boat onto the trailer a half dozen times before I was satisfied. Also consumed 30 or 40 gallons of fuel to do that... 21' Pro-Line WAC with 175 hp Johnson on a factory set-back bracket.

IMO, there's no substitute for being able to adjust the tabs from the helm on the fly, particularly in a following or quartering sea. Like I said, Smart Tabs work. No question. But given my experience I'd opt for Bennetts every time unless the boat was very small.

Hope that helps.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

Im looking at getting a set of these for my ~14 ft boat.

It has a 115hp outboard on the back so it dies downlow until it climbs out of its hole. Only problem is, the way they designate their length/hp rating i cant find a set that fits exactly. I was looking at getting these, but not sure if the fact they're for a larger boat, would hurt their designated purpose.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NAUTICUS...477?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb883c2ed

Your best bet will be to contact nauticus directly. I would purchase them directly from them, not ebay. They will be able to point you to the right sized tabs/actuators when you talk with them. There great to deal with, you can email them also. Good luck.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

Not sure what details you're looking for, but I'll try. I boat coastal waters and wind and wave conditions change considerably during the course of a day- from dead calm in the morning to a foot or two of chop in the afternoon, on a nice day.

If I remember correctly (not entirely sure- it was 4 years ago), I had 60 lb. actuators and they were the right stiffness for the boat. I also spoke with the people at Nauticus before I ordered to insure I had the right set, which I did.There are adjustments that can be made to change both downforce and tab angle, and I wound up finessing both to find the best ride characteristics in various conditions. It took 2 weekends and hauling the boat onto the trailer a half dozen times before I was satisfied. Also consumed 30 or 40 gallons of fuel to do that... 21' Pro-Line WAC with 175 hp Johnson on a factory set-back bracket.

IMO, there's no substitute for being able to adjust the tabs from the helm on the fly, particularly in a following or quartering sea. Like I said, Smart Tabs work. No question. But given my experience I'd opt for Bennetts every time unless the boat was very small.

Hope that helps.

JoLin, the reason I asked for details is I wanted to know why you had such a hard time dialing the tabs in to help others in the future. I also wanted to know why in your opinion you think that the helm controlled tabs are "far superior". I'm trying to keep this thread fact based for people that don't know the differences in what each different tab manufacturer brings to the table.

Simply put, my experience is that when talking about smart tabs or helm controlled tabs, they are both superior in different ways and in different conditions compared to one another. Neither one is superior in every way. Helm controlled tabs excell in different areas than smart tabs do. Smart tabs excell in other areas that helm control tabs don't. Like many things with boats it is a trade off when deciding what works best for you and your boat. Different sized boats, different uses, and what performance your looking for all can be deciding factors on what is best for you and your boat.


Helm controlled tabs are exactly that, they are controlled at the helm to adjust boat attitude by the operator. These tabs have to be operated and controlled by the operator of the boat at all times to try and get the best performance, ride and effecientcy from your boat. This can be a good thing in situations like you stated. They can be adjusted all the way out of the water for a following sea condition. They can be adjusted for rough quartering seas and ride smoothness in all different sea conditions. They can be adjusted for extreme load variances side to side. They are great imo for large boats.


Now the down side to me is, when helm contolled tabs are adjusted for these conditions, they also have to be adjusted again and again fand again for changing conditions if you want the most efficientcy from them. They have to be helm controlled down when getting on a plane, then adjusted upward/in once on a plane. Helm controlled tab plates are sized to the size of the boat but the actuators are stiff all the time, which means they will cause drag alot of the time when changing positions for different seas and changing for different attitudes on the boat. Operator contolled tabs have no way of being effecient most of the time because they don't self adjust and are stiff. They can be under adjusted and over adjusted, and are most of the time by operators. The reason is, the changes in water pressure are constant, if there is no give on the plates you can be causing to much drag at any given point. Also if the tabs are raised completly while running/planed out, they do nothing to help the stability/ride of the boat while at speed.


We know helm controlled tabs out perform self adjusting tabs when it comes to certain things, like I stated above. But lets look at where self adjusting smart tabs excell.


Smart tabs self adjust. They are in the down position when at rest. When you apply throttle to get on a plane, they will automatically lift the stern and lower the bow to provide better forward thrust attitude. With no help from the operator, Once the acheived pre-determined up pressure on the plates is acheived, the smart tabs actuators and plates relax into the up position as to not cause significant drag while at speed. No adjusting the tabs upward/in is needed by the operator. The tabs while relaxed will still be providing enough down pressure to allow for extra stability to the boat while running making for quicker adjustments to changing waves/conditions.. This is all achieved by the actuators being sized properly and the relief valving in the actuators. This helps the boat react quicker and fight back against changes in waves to provide a more stabil/level ride. The tabs constantly adjust up and down independently. When you turn, they keep the boat more level and stabil allowing you to turn tighter and at higher speeds. In a quartering sea or just going across a boats wake, they self adjust independently to provide a smoother ride. This all relates to better fuel economy and improved speed/performance because the boat is in a better attitude most of the time. All this is obtained by self adjusting tabs, not by having to adjust the tabs. A person would have a hard time adjusting helm controlled tabs to do what smart tabs do all the time.

These tabs can be a great thing for small boats that do a lot of stop and go running. Like fishing, skiing, cruising from beach to beach. I would hate to half to adjust my tabs the 50 times I move in a day. Alot of people that have helm controlled tabs don't use them all the time because its not worth it in there eyes just to get a skier out of the water or move down the river a couple thousand yards to fish a different spot. My point is, there are certain boats and certain ways of using a boat that will determine wether these are benificial or superior to helm controlled tabs. Smart tabs are not for every boat, they are designed for boats under 8000 lbs and 26 ft long. My boat is at the very top of what size boat would run these. If I were to need the helm controlled tabs where I run my boat, I might invest in them. But the improvements in performance I see with the smart tabs out weights the couple things I can't do that helm control tabs do for my needs.

All this being said, if the smart tabs are not set-up right or are the wrong size for your boat, they might cause poor performance. You have to make sure they are set-up properly and tuned correctly. Every size/set-up/boat is going to be different in regards to what tabs it calls for and what pound actuators are needed.

So like I said, each person will have to decide whats better for there boat and what performance gains there trying to acheive. Helm controlled tabs are far superior in some areas, but smart tabs are far superior in other areas. Whats more important to you. If I had helm controlled tabs, I would be looking into the self adjust control modual for them. That could get expensive but worth it on a larger boat imo.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

and of course, the obvious one... COST! For some people, electrohydraulic tabs might double the money invested in the boat! Smart tabs are a far lower investment.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

I put them on my 21 ft. Hurricane Sundeck primarily to try to reduce planning speed. I installed the SS tabs with the 60 lb. actuators. Installation was easy, but you need a helper to get them aligned properly.
My results:
-Better Holeshot
-Reduced bow rise approximately 30%
-Reduced planning speed 4 mph (from 19 to 15 mph)
-Smoother ride in chop.......this was totally a totally unexpected benefit
-Reduced my top speed by 2 mph........I may be able to get close to my original speed with a little more tweaking, but this is not a big deal for me.

My only complaint is that my boat is kept in dry storage and has to be forked out of the water. I have to remember to engage the tabs when I go out and dis-engage when I come in, so they will not be damaged by the forks. I have the Protroller system, which is a little bit of a PITA to get to from the stern. Maybe Nauticus could come up with a system that would let you engage/disengage the tabs remotely.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

I put them on my 21 ft. Hurricane Sundeck primarily to try to reduce planning speed. I installed the SS tabs with the 60 lb. actuators. My results:
-Better Holeshot
-Reduced bow rise approximately 30%
-Reduced planning speed 4 mph (from 19 to 15 mph)
-Smoother ride in chop.......this was totally a totally unexpected benefit

My only complaint is that my boat is kept in dry storage and has to be forked out of the water. I have to remember to engage the tabs when I go out and dis-engage when I come in. I have the Protroller system, which is a little bit of a PITA to get to from the stern. Maybe Nauticus could come up with a system that would let you engage/disengage the tabs remotely.

It would be nice if they had a better system to raise them out of the way and then deploy them for sure for people like yourself and people with small boats that beach alot.. I don't have to worry about the raising of the tabs when I beach because with the length of my boat I still have plenty of water under the stern.

I have no experience with the pro-troller series. Do you troll with that boat?


Your top speed and bow rise kinda fall in the same adjustment catagory. Try adjusting one more hole up so the tab is deeper in the water while getting on a plane. You will have to play with it some to see what will give you the gains in speed. Thanks for joining the discussion.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

and of course, the obvious one... COST! For some people, electrohydraulic tabs might double the money invested in the boat! Smart tabs are a far lower investment.

I will come to the defense of the helm controlled tabs when it comes to cost. The cost of the helm controlled tabs is more expensive than nauticus tabs, but buying either one and using them properly, is going to gain you better control of your boat which ultimately will return those up front cost to you over time in fuel efficiency. Most stern drive boats are going to be more efficient with trim tabs installed and used properly.

Which one will return that upfront cost faster is probably more of a deliberation though. I think this is another place the smart tabs can excell.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

With the Protroller bracket, you can install them one way to make the tabs go full down to act as trolling brakes, or flip them over like I did to enable you to pull the tabs full up out of the way for trailering, or in my case forking the boat out of the water. It's not a big deal, but for an old guy with bad knees kneeling on the back of the boat and blindly groping for the handle to put the tabs up or down can be a hassle.

Yea I know I can probably adjust the tabs a little to get my speed perfect, but I always forget to do it. I've been real happy with right where they are now, and my wife will seldom let me go WOT anyhow.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

With the Protroller bracket, you can install them one way to make the tabs go full down to act as trolling brakes, or flip them over like I did to enable you to pull the tabs full up out of the way for trailering, or in my case forking the boat out of the water. It's not a big deal, but for an old guy with bad knees kneeling on the back of the boat and blindly groping for the handle to put the tabs up or down can be a hassle.

Yea I know I can probably adjust the tabs a little to get my speed perfect, but I always forget to do it. I've been real happy with right where they are now, and my wife will seldom let me go WOT anyhow.

I get the bad knees thing! Marines ruined mine. And I'm only 41. I new they made a flip up bracket for beaching, but didn't know the troller series was what you had to buy to obtain that. I just checked there site, the PR500 bracket is the bracket I had seen for flipping them up for dry rack storage or beaching. This can be used in replacement for all the standard brackets. They came out with this shortly after I had installed mine.

I would dial them in when you get a chance. If your losing speed, it may not bother your admiral,but it might be effecting your fuel efficientcy. Thanks for the input. Thats what this is all about.

 

[skbry]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

I bought 40lbs smart tabs sx for my 14' bayliner capri with 50hp. Here's my experience so far. Installed per directions letting tabs hang then mounting top bracket. Ran boat and had a rooster tail behind boat and a lot of spray behind transom going above splash well. Contacted Nauticus (great customer support) needed to check tab angle which was 30 degrees, had to re mount top mount to achive 25 degrees in deployed position.
The next test I ran to find the highest speed prop and trim position without tabs first. This resulted in my highest pitch prop 13 and middle trim position with 27mph on the gps.
Installed the tabs the best top speed was 25mph adjusted trim angles and tab positions with no better results. When I shifted my weight to the back to see if the tabs where fully retracting the speed would increase to 27. Contacted Greg with results and traded for 30lb actuators.
Tested with trim in middle position I get 24mph, trim to highest position I get 25mph, move my weight to the back of the boat speed increased to 27mph. I adjusted the tabs to the hole closest to the transom which should result in the least amount of pressure I still get the same results. The tabs are retracting so there shouldn't be any drag. The boat does plane at 14mph now compared to 20mph without tabs but I was really hoping for 30mph or least the same speed with the tabs.
Anyone have any thoughts on why the boats faster with weight in the back?

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Nauticus Smart Tabs. The who,what,when,where,why,and how......

I bought 40lbs smart tabs sx for my 14' bayliner capri with 50hp. Here's my experience so far. Installed per directions letting tabs hang then mounting top bracket. Ran boat and had a rooster tail behind boat and a lot of spray behind transom going above splash well. Contacted Nauticus (great customer support) needed to check tab angle which was 30 degrees, had to re mount top mount to achive 25 degrees in deployed position.
The next test I ran to find the highest speed prop and trim position without tabs first. This resulted in my highest pitch prop 13 and middle trim position with 27mph on the gps.
Installed the tabs the best top speed was 25mph adjusted trim angles and tab positions with no better results. When I shifted my weight to the back to see if the tabs where fully retracting the speed would increase to 27. Contacted Greg with results and traded for 30lb actuators.
Tested with trim in middle position I get 24mph, trim to highest position I get 25mph, move my weight to the back of the boat speed increased to 27mph. I adjusted the tabs to the hole closest to the transom which should result in the least amount of pressure I still get the same results. The tabs are retracting so there shouldn't be any drag. The boat does plane at 14mph now compared to 20mph without tabs but I was really hoping for 30mph or least the same speed with the tabs.
Anyone have any thoughts on why the boats faster with weight in the back?

Any chance you can post a picture of the installed trim tabs, I have an idea, but will have to see a pic first.