power trim or trim tabs?

[sly_karma]

Back in the spring I bought a 1980 fibreglass Lund 19.5 with OMC crossflow140 that has no power tilt/trim. It was a project boat and all the basics have been sorted and she runs very nicely out to 40 mph. Now I'm turning my thoughts to the details required to turn it into a platform for inshore salwater fishing. Will be re-wired over the fall/winter to provide power for downriggers, GPS, VHF, stereo and other goodies. The local marine wrecker has a compatible power tilt/trim assembly for $600 and I can do the installation myself. Or... for the same money I could get a new set of Bennet powered trim tabs instead. I want some way of adjusting the trim on the fly and either will work. I don't plan to beach this boat more than very occasionally.

1. are the trim tabs makers' claims of enhanced rough water stability true? Or true enough to make a real difference? I.e., will I be able to run faster in chop than I do now?

2. would you go with power tilt or trim tabs on this boat?

 

[JEBar]

Re: power trim or trim tabs?

it has been 30 years or so since I owned a boat that didn't have power tilt and trim on the motor .... it is a feature that I wouldn't want to be without .... during that same time period I've owned one cruiser with trim tabs .... within the next few weeks we will be installing Bennett trim tabs on our current (much smaller) boat .... for us, tilt and trim are a standard feature while trim tabs are installed to meet a certain need .... in our current case it is to keep the boat running level without having to move people and items around so as to balance the load .... I do believe that trim tabs can assist in running in choppy water but so and tilt/trim

Jim

 

[rallyart]

Re: power trim or trim tabs?

With adjustable trim tabs you will be able to be safer and run faster in rough conditions. Both into and with the waves.
Whatever you do, you want to ba able to adjust the attitude of the boat and put the bow up or down some. It saves fuel, makes starts faster, and lets you run safer in more conditions.

 

[sly_karma]

Re: power trim or trim tabs?

it has been 30 years or so since I owned a boat that didn't have power tilt and trim on the motor .... it is a feature that I wouldn't want to be without ....

It's been a while for me too, but this was a project, I knew going in, and hey, the hull-trailer-engine package cost me a whopping $1000. The odd thing is, I haven't really found it to be a huge imposition. Yanking that donk up isn't that hard, and I don't beach very often. I had a tinker with the trim positions and settled on a position quickly, but it would be nice to be able to make on-the-fly adjustment to fore-aft trim and save some fuel... crossflows are thirsty.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: power trim or trim tabs?

It's been a while for me too, but this was a project, I knew going in, and hey, the hull-trailer-engine package cost me a whopping $1000. The odd thing is, I haven't really found it to be a huge imposition. Yanking that donk up isn't that hard, and I don't beach very often. I had a tinker with the trim positions and settled on a position quickly, but it would be nice to be able to make on-the-fly adjustment to fore-aft trim and save some fuel... crossflows are thirsty.

I agree with comments made by other posters concerning pwer trim and trim tabs. The manufacturer's claims (in my case Bennett) are generally accurate, but you "milage may vary".

Personally, I think power trim should be standard equipment on everything that hangs off the transom. I believe it a necessity, ( see no difference between O/D's and outboards on this issue), especially the big ones, to get the best performance and fuel efficiency through minute adjustments at varying speeds / surface conditions. Smaller boats are probably more in need of control, just due to the nature of the smaller boats are effected more by small changes in surface conditions.

I added Bennett ST16 Sport Tabs to my 2550 SX cuddy (fairly large heavy boat), so I'm now using both trim and tabs to get the best ride / efficiency and now would not be without either on any boat in the future, if there is one. Granted, the tabs make a bigger impact on the larger, heavier and higher powered boats and perhaps something more simple, like the "Smart Tabs", may be a more cost effective choice for a 19' boat. (Manufacturer claims of slickest thing since sliced bread, but there is zero control of them)

I believe the Bennett Tabs added functionality to my 25 1/2 footer making it far superior in terms of ride and efficiency than it was before the install. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: power trim or trim tabs?

My old 19 foot I/O had both PTT and Trim Tabs. I found that most of the time I would use my trim tabs to push the bow down in rough water. This allows you to plane at slower speeds, which may allow you to go slower on plane in the ocean. I almost never used the tabs in smooth water, and rarely in chop in the bay.

I used the PTT alll the time, sometimes in combo with the trim tabs.

My new boat is so front heavy, I never felt I needed trim tabs. They would likely halp a small amount, but I never thought it worth it.

If you can only have one of the two, I vote for PTT.

 

[sly_karma]

Re: power trim or trim tabs?

Thanks all for the replies. I think I'll start off with the PTT, looks like more bang for the buck at this time. Not yet though, still some nice weather for boating and fishing. I have a nice shop to work in once fall sets in. More pressing right now is a water leak through the bow U-bolt. Nuts are seized of course - who uses carbon steel nuts with SS bolt?