Ready to try out Smart Tabs

[Rudderman]

Well I bought the smallest smart tabs I could get last week and fitted them to my little 10 ft runabout with 15hp outboard. I can't wait to try them out. They were really easy to install and they look nice on the boat. After all the hype, I am expecting great things from the tabs! <br />Here is what my boat was like before the tabs:<br />Major bow rise on acceleration<br />Took maybe 5 boat lengths to get on plane properly<br />Top speed was 26.7mph with one adult on board, 22mph with 2 adults. <br /><br />I will post the results I get when I test the boat out shortly.<br />You can see a photo of the installation here >> http://www.sum-it.biz/squirt/website/

 

[Tufan]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

Good looking boat - let us know about the performance.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

Gotta love those old wooden boats.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

Rudderman;<br /><br />Keep me posted on the performance.

 

[Rudderman]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

Its been a while, but I finally got to try out the smart tabs today!! Wow what a difference. The boat planes immediately when you gun the throttle, with minimal (practically none) bow rise. Also when you are slowing down and coming off plane, the back of the boat doesn't sink down into a hole like it used to. I haven't had any problems when reversing. I need to adjust the strut outwards at the bottom because it is forcing the bow down too much at full speed. I will do that and try it again tomorrow.<br />The boat seems more stable in turns and when it jumps over wakes it feels more stable. <br />Unfortunately I don't have any accurate "before and after" statistics to give you, because I made quite a lot of changes to the boat at the same time as I installed the tabs. <br />But my point is that the tabs did what they were supposed to do; get the boat on plane faster, minimise bow rise, increase stability and enable the boat to plane at slower speeds. <br /><br />Well worth the money.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

Rudderman;<br />So far so good! But I think you need to look at the manual a bit closer. If you feel the bow is too far down (too much stern lift) then you need to reduce the lift pressure. I think you know this! But you move the actuator mounting on the trim plate bracket closer to the plate (inward) not outward. This is a common misconception. Moving the Actuator outward will not lift the plate and reduce the pressure it will only increase the pressure. <br /><br />Also note that you may need to adjsut the motor trim. If you have the pin as in the hole closest to the transom then the motor is also lifting the transon too much. The motor should be perpendicular to the water surface when running on plane. (out one or two holes) If you make this adjsutment then waite until you try the boat again before adjusting the trim tabs. If you have any questions call 800-233-0194.

 

[Chuck2557]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

I installed Smart Tabs on my son's 1993 13' Boston Whaler Sport, they work superbly!!! No more high attitude bow rise when powering up, just a smooth stable, level attitude all the way up to plane, which occurrs almost immediately!<br />The hull has a new Johnson 30hp 2 strke which is plenty of power for a kid. No power trim however, I have adjusted the fixed trim bar a few different ways to maximize the motor's performance. The SMART TABS have worked supberbly in this instance. Shop around since the ones I purchased online cost $99.99 but I saw the same model at West Marine for $199.00!!!<br />I think these tabs are Great and would probably work very well on inflatables as well.

 

[SeaHorse]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

My "squirt" had a 10 hp 59 Johnson which would plane two people just barely. I switched to a 1953 RD14 (25 hp) and things really got moving. An unobtainium 2 blade prop REALLY moved things along. However, for everyday use I think a 15 to 18 is just right.

 

[Rudderman]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

NautiJohn, thanks for the tip, I trimmed out the engine by one notch and the boat definately goes faster. The only down side is that now there is a slight bit of porpoising (and I am sure that the aft section of the hull bottom is perfectly straight and the trailing edge is crisp). I will try firming up the settings on the tabs to see what difference it makes.<br /><br />Seahorse, I think an 18hp would be a perfect match for the boat. A 20hp four stroke would be a bit too heavy though so it would have to be a two stroke. Its a cool little boat!

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: Ready to try out Smart Tabs

After you adjust the lift pressure let me know if the porpoising is all gone. Thanks for your posts!