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

[chriscraft254]

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

Data supports this, why is anyone confused. Weight balance . . . classic. This is an example of why the Nauticus diagram showing the hull flat is wrong. Boats are fastest with the bow up. If you can get the bow higher with the tabs, and you can shift more weight aft with the tabs . . . voila, faster

Nobody is deliberating that point. With smart tabs properly installed you have a bow up attitude when on plane, you can still trim the motor up to gain a few mph after you are on plane. The diagrams that the site shows are not saying that the boat should be completely in the water, it is showing in relation to bow high attitudes while getting on a plane. It is faster to have the bow down and the boat running more level while acheiving a plane speed. Once that plane is acheived, yes, you can trim the motor to gain a little more speed. Faster the boat, the more speed you will probably gain by trimming the motor up.

The boat being put on the right running attitude 'lifting the stern and whole boat out of the water more" will help to gain more speed by trimming the motor. Yes, more boat in the water causes drag. But to much boat out of the water causes instability.

Not so sure about that. I'd set the motor up after the tabs. The tabs allow you to trim higher and possibly mount it higher, this is how they can "allow" for higher top speeds.

I would set the motor up and the prop first to max out the hulls capability first. Especially on an I/O. With an outbaord I would still want to know the best hieght and starting point before adding tabs. But you are correct, the motor hieght on an outboard may be able to be raised once tabs are installed. I would say this would be limited to a few different style hulls.

 

[hd79irnhrs]

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

OK typing this for the second time,have no idea where the first response went.I want to thank you all for the great wealth of information you guys have just given me.In response to your questions my boat has a 320hp merc I/O with a 25hp big foot merc outboard kicker mounted on port side.The boat has a 8ft 6inch beam and weighs 5000lbs.The trim tabs are recessed.I have never tried to count the time it takes for the tabs to deploy singly.I have always ran them both at the same time.But I did notice the port tab was a bit slower than the starboard tab.I will definitely look into running one tab at a time and also see if the port rocker switch operates the port or starboard tab.I assumed port was port and starboard was starboard.(of course this is why the word assume is so great) I primarily use the boat for walleye fishing running big boards.I am also equipped with down riggers. I fish the Saginaw Bay.I have a 20 minute no wake ride on the Saginaw river to the bay.I run this with tabs up.Then when I get to the bay I run tabs fully down to get up on plain.But it seems I have alot of drag.I do believe I have been over trimming after reading your reply's.And I agree practice will be needed to get comfortable with it.You should see some of the looks you get when you take someone new to the boat and your doing 30mph and you overdue the trim and she list one way or the other.Most people don't understand what your doing trying to trim level and they freak out.Had some good laughs.But on the serious side it could be dangerous,thats why I need to get this under controll.Its almost 2am and I can't think of anything else right now.I you don't hear from me Friday It will be Monday,heading to deer camp this weekend bow hunting.Again thanks everyone for your help and am looking forward to some more correspondence.

 

[chriscraft254]

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

OK typing this for the second time,have no idea where the first response went.I want to thank you all for the great wealth of information you guys have just given me.In response to your questions my boat has a 320hp merc I/O with a 25hp big foot merc outboard kicker mounted on port side.The boat has a 8ft 6inch beam and weighs 5000lbs.The trim tabs are recessed.I have never tried to count the time it takes for the tabs to deploy singly.I have always ran them both at the same time.But I did notice the port tab was a bit slower than the starboard tab.I will definitely look into running one tab at a time and also see if the port rocker switch operates the port or starboard tab.I assumed port was port and starboard was starboard.(of course this is why the word assume is so great) I primarily use the boat for walleye fishing running big boards.I am also equipped with down riggers. I fish the Saginaw Bay.I have a 20 minute no wake ride on the Saginaw river to the bay.I run this with tabs up.Then when I get to the bay I run tabs fully down to get up on plain.But it seems I have alot of drag.I do believe I have been over trimming after reading your reply's.And I agree practice will be needed to get comfortable with it.You should see some of the looks you get when you take someone new to the boat and your doing 30mph and you overdue the trim and she list one way or the other.Most people don't understand what your doing trying to trim level and they freak out.Had some good laughs.But on the serious side it could be dangerous,thats why I need to get this under controll.Its almost 2am and I can't think of anything else right now.I you don't hear from me Friday It will be Monday,heading to deer camp this weekend bow hunting.Again thanks everyone for your help and am looking forward to some more correspondence.

No problem, thats what this thread is for. Running a kicker and because your tabs are pocketed, I would simply stay with whats stock to your boat. You will have more adjustment capability side to side running the bennets. Practice will get you there. I would say, go out without people on the boat and practice first to get use to them. Might even take someone you know that runs a similar type boat with helm controlled tabs and let them show you the ins and outs. It is pretty easy once you get use to it. All boats have a sweet spot, you will want to find that as well.

 

[chriscraft254]

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

I CAN see however that there are other situations where speed would increase but I think a better way to word my point is that gaining speed is not the primary purpose or a given and the fact that a boat did not gain speed does not mean the product isn't working properly

I agree, I would have been happy with just the other performance gains. If the tabs are not expected though to give increased gains in speed, then nauticus probably shouldn't advertise it in there gaurantee. According to there gaurantee these tabs should gain you 2 to 4 mph at wot. I can say it only makes since because I get more speed per rpm at every speed. So why would I not get more speed at my wot rpm?

A tab can not increase bow lift.... just can't do it..... as such with a boat that runs faster with more weight in the rear, while the tab did help in other areas, it is not the solution to that problem.... he needs more trim from his engine

The nauticus tabs with the 40 lb actuators lifted the stern more and pushed the bow down than the 30 lb actuators that he has now. So his balance on the boat could be off. They really need to be tested with no trim at all to start with. If he is testing these tabs with inconsistant motor trim, he will never get them dialed in correctly.

The best way for him to test is run the boat with the motor trimmed down all the way or 90 degrees to the boat stern. Then install the tabs and re-test. The trim of the motor may not effect the boat in the same way as it did without trim tabs because you are using the motor trim more for bow up/speed gain than to adjust for poor boat attitude.

I am as interested as everyone to see how this plays out and to see if nauticus can get him straightened out. All I can do from here is guess because I have never operated his boat. I can only base my opinions on the way they are suppose to work and have worked on my boat, which of coarse is much larger and different that his.

 

[smokeonthewater]

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

he MAY also need a smaller tab as hit boat may just have less of a stern weight bias

This stuff is where that great customer service we always hear of from nauticus comes in.... If he keeps working on it they will get him squared away

 

[chriscraft254]

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

I think nauticus will always have a few boats that give them issues on the set-up. Most don't take anytime to adjust properly. I don't think it will be a tab size problem, more than likely a set-up problem or tuning wrong. But I have seen where they had to go to a stainless set instead of the composite tabs. I just hope they get the issue fixed for him. Sounds like the top speed is the only issue at this point.


I did notice they are coming out with new tabs for higher horsepower boats and up to 30 feet.

 

[jacoboregon]

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

I have a 13' zodiac C3 with a 40hp 2-stroke. I installed the 30lb acutators per nauticus. I've done several adjustments after starting at the "recommended" settings and have ended up at the 2nd to least pressure hole and the angle less than 25 degrees with the motor trimmed 3 holes out to get a good ride. Anything less gives me too much bow down attitude. My boat/motor is at the dividing line of the 20lb vs. 30lb actuators. I believe I would have been better off with the light actuators as I don't have as much effect on the bow+rise as I'd like, but on the minimum settings it does handle better at speed than without them.

 

[chriscraft254]

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

I have a 13' zodiac C3 with a 40hp 2-stroke. I installed the 30lb acutators per nauticus. I've done several adjustments after starting at the "recommended" settings and have ended up at the 2nd to least pressure hole and the angle less than 25 degrees with the motor trimmed 3 holes out to get a good ride. Anything less gives me too much bow down attitude. My boat/motor is at the dividing line of the 20lb vs. 30lb actuators. I believe I would have been better off with the light actuators as I don't have as much effect on the bow+rise as I'd like, but on the minimum settings it does handle better at speed than without them.

Hey man, welcome to the thread, Are you saying the while getting on plane the bow isn't down enough? But then when on plane you get to much bow down? According to the chart you should have 30 or 40 lb actuators. Says the 20 lb actuators are for 10',11',12' with 4 or 2 stroke. But only 8 to 15 hp motor.

 

[jacoboregon]

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

Not quite, unless I use the absolute minimum settings. The 30lb actuators on the lowest pressure setting and angle less than 25 degrees gives not quite the bow-down effect while getting out of the hole, but okay on plane. If I increase the pressure or angle to give the desired bow down getting out of the hole then it is also way too much bow down attitude while on plane. I'm thinking the 20lb actuators with the 25 degree angle would give the desired hot shot performance and relax enough so the bow isn't too flat on plane.

 

[chriscraft254]

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

Not quite, unless I use the absolute minimum settings. The 30lb actuators on the lowest pressure setting and angle less than 25 degrees gives not quite the bow-down effect while getting out of the hole, but okay on plane. If I increase the pressure or angle to give the desired bow down getting out of the hole then it is also way too much bow down attitude while on plane. I'm thinking the 20lb actuators with the 25 degree angle would give the desired hot shot performance and relax enough so the bow isn't too flat on plane.

How did your boat run before tabs? How much bow down are you getting in comparison to what it did without tabs? You may be right,you may need the 20s, but I suspect the 20 lb actuators even positioned all the way down to the 25 degrees would push up to easy and wouldn't give you more bow down attitude while getting on plane. . Have you tried moving the motor up or down more with the 30s set the way they are? Does your motor trim? Sorry, not real experienced with the inflatables on set-up. I'm sure nauticus would swap you out for what ever size actuators you wanted to try. Have you talked with them? Also, what kind of tabs are you running, stainless or the SX composite?

 

[skbry]

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

No response from Nauticaus for a few days now. I may be one of those difficult customers.
I'll try setting up the tabs first then trim the motor, see what I get. The tabs do get the boat on plane sooner with less bow rise but I really wanted the speed for my little boat. The motor is a Force 50hp 2 stroke that only weighs 152lbs. I'll try everything to get it right, but right now at WOT the boat feels best without the tabs.

 

[chriscraft254]

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

No response from Nauticaus for a few days now. I may be one of those difficult customers.
I'll try setting up the tabs first then trim the motor, see what I get. The tabs do get the boat on plane sooner with less bow rise but I really wanted the speed for my little boat. The motor is a Force 50hp 2 stroke that only weighs 152lbs. I'll try everything to get it right, but right now at WOT the boat feels best without the tabs.

Yeah, somethings not right then, I would be calling them until they get you fixed up right. Do you have the original prop on your motor, what size/pitch are you running? You aren't running a foil also on that motor are you? Keep us posted for sure on the outcome.

 

[jacoboregon]

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

How did your boat run before tabs? How much bow down are you getting in comparison to what it did without tabs? You may be right,you may need the 20s, but I suspect the 20 lb actuators even positioned all the way down to the 25 degrees would push up to easy and wouldn't give you more bow down attitude while getting on plane. . Have you tried moving the motor up or down more with the 30s set the way they are? Does your motor trim? Sorry, not real experienced with the inflatables on set-up. I'm sure nauticus would swap you out for what ever size actuators you wanted to try. Have you talked with them? Also, what kind of tabs are you running, stainless or the SX composite?

I started with the motor lifted about 2" or so to get the cav plate at the surface when on plane, and the motor trimmed out 2 holes. Ran great except a lot of nose up on take off and a little unstable on smooth water at wot (a little rocking motion side to side). I now dropped the motor about 1/2", as it is too high with the plates installed. The trim is now 4 holes out in order to keep the bow up some on plane. The actuators are set to the lowest pressure hole and the angle is around 20 degrees. Runs great on plane, the bow is better on take-off but not what I expected. I just find it strange that I need everything set to the minimum settings with the motor trimmed way out in order not to have it too flat while on plane. It just seems to me that the actuators have too much force, maybe because my boat is light and rides high in the water??? My boat/motor/gear/me is about 580-600 lbs. I have sent an email nauticus way. I'm wondering if I need the lighter actuators, or maybe the next size plates to create more contact/pressure against the 30lb actuators?

 

[Sabbath]

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

No response from Nauticaus for a few days now. I may be one of those difficult customers.
I'll try setting up the tabs first then trim the motor, see what I get. The tabs do get the boat on plane sooner with less bow rise but I really wanted the speed for my little boat. The motor is a Force 50hp 2 stroke that only weighs 152lbs. I'll try everything to get it right, but right now at WOT the boat feels best without the tabs.

I tried emailing them 2-3 days ago regarding the question i posted here and same deal. Nothing, not a peep from them.

 

[Don S]

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

I tried emailing them 2-3 days ago regarding the question i posted here and same deal. Nothing, not a peep from them.

Maybe you and skbry should try something different than email. I here they have a thing called a telephone now where you can actually talk to a person. Usually works better than waiting for them to read one of their thousands of emails from DIYers that just can't figure out the instructions. Bet they don't read this forum.

 

[nlain]

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

jdeargo is a member here, he is also the owner and designer of Smart Tabs. I don't see him on here as much as I used, probably one of the downfalls of a growing business. Give them a call, the phone number is on the bottom of the page on their website. It is even possible that John may answer the phone.

 

[skbry]

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

Spent the day tuning all 3 trim positions with all 5 tab positions with 26mph being the best top speed. Took the tabs off and got 28 mph. I'm going to keep the tabs off because when I run the boat it's at WOT or pulling the kids on a tube and they like the wake better without the tabs. I'm done playing tab tech, I'm ready to enjoy some 28 mph runs around the lake all day.

 

[chriscraft254]

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

Spent the day tuning all 3 trim positions with all 5 tab positions with 26mph being the best top speed. Took the tabs off and got 28 mph. I'm going to keep the tabs off because when I run the boat it's at WOT or pulling the kids on a tube and they like the wake better without the tabs. I'm done playing tab tech, I'm ready to enjoy some 28 mph runs around the lake all day.

The reason the wake is less is because the boat is riding more efficient. This can be a bummer for wake boarders. I wouldn't give up. When the stern is farther down in the water, you will be pushing larger wakes. Call John or Greg at nauticus this week and get them to resolve your issues. Seems like there are much more issues with the SX versions than the stainless. Let us know the outcome,good or bad. If your not happy with them in the end, make sure you return them and get your money back. Good luck.


By the way, you never answered me, do you have a foil on this boat?

 

[John_S]

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

1997 Bayliner 2050CL 5.7L Vortec, ST1290-80:

No porposing: Before, would trim up to highestest position, without loosing bite, and hitting some small waves could put it into a porposing sequence.

No chinewalk: Before, at 52+mph would start to get some chinewalk.

Bowrise: Was able to control before install, but required constant trim adjust getting on plane. If you left it at a satisfactory running trim position, and launched would get significant bowrise. ST significantly reduced that. Makes it easier for first time captains.

Planing times: I am sure it reduced it some, but I didn't really have an issue there.

Slow speed V bow wander: Reduced it significantly. With only me in the boat, still get some. If second person is sitting in bow, no wander.

High speed turning: Better control, more stable.

Speed Increase: about 1-2mph, but haven't tested in a while.



1967 Starcraft mariner V 14' 40HP Nissan (fixed trim), ST980-30:

No porposing: Before, could get porposing at 30mph.

Chinewalk: None, before or after.

Bowrise: Reduced, but boat is fairly balanced and wasn't an issue before.

Planing times: Some improvement here, don't remember any details.

Slow speed V bow wander: None, before or after.

High speed turning: Improved, feels like it is on rails.



Nauticus Customer Service: I haven't used it in a number of years, but was top notch when I had questions or issues when the tabs were new.



Boot failures: I had the original long style actuators. The rubber boots failed, cracks/holes, and allows water in. pistons start sticking. Nauticus replaced the ones on my Bayliner, with the shorter actuators. They have held up fine. I do get occasional sticking after sitting for long periods, but manually actuating a few times befoe the start of the season, seems to help that.

The ones on the starcraft failed and I never replaced. I have them wired up and out of the way. I would need to go to the pro troller brackets if I did decide to use again. Reason being, I was getting sonar reflections/blockage on tabs with my HB SI.

Bottom line, the boots are made of rubber and from age and uv, will eventually leak, and require replacement. Seasonal inspections should identify problems before they happen. Cost of replacement pistons should be considered (especially the "dual" piston tabs), over the timeframe you plan to have the boat.

 

[calvinman]

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

We have a 17.5 glasstron with the 4.3 volvo in her. I put tabs on this summer just to lower the on plane speed a bit for those liesurley(sp) evening cruises.
The tabs lowered on plane speed from 19 mph to 15, and even off of pane the boat slips through the water with no bow rise.
The tabs also had all the other benifits mentioned in this thread. Not sure about my wot speed, as I never really noted it before the tabs, but I can get the boat to redline with 3 big fellows(myself included) on rough water and have throttle to spare going 51 mph(gps)
All in all the best $150 I've spent on the boat, love them!