Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

[R B]

Are these so called "Smart Tabs" worth it? I hear it helps plain the boats and rides at plain better at lower speeds. My lakes by me are shallow so I would think that would help me a lot.

Question is, does it effect pulling skiers?

 

[OllieC]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

Is your boat a bow rider or cuddy?
21' starts to put you in an adjustable system. I have Bennetts, and they're wonderful. I get on plane faster and can balance the boat while under way.
I'll let the pro's respond.

 

[R B]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

It's a 2011 Glastron GLS bow rider.

 

[OllieC]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

The reason I asked is weight. I believe after a certain weight, it makes better sense to go with adjustable vs. the smart tab system. I am just paraphrasing what others have said on this forum.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

I'm not sure that it helps much of anything related to shallow water lakes. Sure, it helps get on plane quicker and at a lower speed, but you're still going to draft the same amount. I wouldn't be cruising too fast if you are in waters shallow enough that coming off of plane will cause you to hit bottom.

 

[skyking897]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

I put the Pro Troller Smart Tabs on my 22' Sylvan. It's a fairly light aluminium boat. I mainly put them on for 2 reasons, one the slow speed wander and second to help reduce my trolling speed when fishing. I've only splashed my boat once this season and am still verifing the success of the Smart Tabs. All I can say is they worked for both issues. I will have to wait until I have a couple of buddys on board to help test the time to plane but from my short test run I believe they do work.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

RB;
First let me tell you that I was never pleased with the Name "Smart Tabs" for our Trim Tabs, however I was out voted by my wife, kids, and friends. Anyway, let's talk about Trim Tabs in general. The most common reason to add trim tabs is to assist the boat to plane sooner and easier. This occurs because they add extra stern lift at slow speeds. They improve other characteristics and performance because they, in effect, change the hull design as needed. Note that the hull design dictates the performance, ride, and handling of the boat far more than the power plant (motor). When the trim plates move up and down, together or seperatly, the unning surface of the boat is changed.

Will trim tabs help you get out of the "hole" quicker? Let's look at this in a different way - if the trim tabs are correctly sized there should be "NO HOLE" therefor no hole shot. The boat should launch nearly level. In your case there are two benefits from this, 1) THE LACK OF STERN DROP UPON ACCELERATION ALLOWS FOR OPPERATING IN SHALLOW WATER; 2) THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE TO PLANE WITHOUT CLIMBING A HILL PROVIDES EASIER TOWING OF SKIERS. Keep in mind that if you are not using the HP to climb up hill then more HP is available to accelerate forward. A lot more! Once on plain the trim tabs can be adjsuted or in the case of Smart Tabs, will self adjust to the conditions as required.

Trim Tabs are the single best thing you can do to improve the overall perofmance, ride, handling and economy of your boat, without question.

 

[Tabman]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

John has some great points in his post. For getting on plane quicker and staying on plane self adjusting Trim Tabs such as Smart Tabs or Bennett SLTs are great. And for skiing they will indeed get the skier up faster and give you a smaller wake at lower speeds, great for teaching the little ones!

There is a safety factor too, since the boat comes up on to plane with far less bow rise you can see where you are going without standing up.

But if you you want to make a small wake for skiing and still be able to make a big fat wake for tubing or wake surfing, then adjustable Trim Tabs are the way to go. I taught the kids how to ski on my 20 ft Aquasport, using the adjustable Trim Tabs to get up quickly and tow them with a nice small wake.

But when they wanted some fun in the tube I would retract the Tabs and trim the motor out to make a big 'ol wake. They loved it!

Being able to get up on plane with no stern squat is of great value in shallow water, and that's why the "flats boat" fishermen here in FL have adjustable Trim Tabs on boats as small as 16 ft. So yes they will be a great help to you.

Adjustable Trim Tabs do allow you to control side to side trim "on the fly" (self adjusting Trim Tabs cannot do this). On my 20 ft Aquasport it was priceless to be able to trim the boat side to side and fore to aft without having to tell my two daughters and wife to move around.

I hope this is helpful!

 

[rallyart]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

Smart Tabs are fine for skiing and help with what you are asking. They are not good if you pull wakeboarders, however. Then the Bennett Tabs which can be adjusted from the helm are a great improvement.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

Sometimes boaters use our PR500 kit (plate retractors) when wake boarding. However, slowing the boat a few miles per hour can let it "settle" a bit more and increase the wake. A ski and wake boat have different characteristics and make it difficult to optimize both.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

I put Smart Tabs on my 20' V8 runabout several years ago. They made a completely new boat out of it, both empty and loaded. The boat is a fairly light fiberglass boat that is rear heavy with the V8 in it. It is not a bowrider and as such has a generous cockpit that can comfortably seat 6 people plus ice chest. When fully loaded the boat got a bit wallowy and wanted to porpoise. Also when fully loaded and trying to pull tubers or wake boarders at slow speeds, it was either bow high and too slow or up on a plane and too fast.

The Smart Tabs allowed the boat to stay on plane at low speeds and control the speed that I wanted to pull at. It also eliminated the higher speed porpoising AND the excessive no wake wandering. For a fire and forget solution to several deficiencies, you cannot beat the Smart Tabs!

I also do crabbing with my boat. It is a pure joy, with 4 people on board and several loaded 7 gallon crab buckets, to be able to accelerate from trap to trap without having to stand up on my tiptoes to look over the bow to be sure I do not run over someone else's trap floats.

 

[Tabman]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

Nowadays almost all Watersport Boat manufactures install adjustable Trim Tabs as a way to get the best wakes for water skiing, wake boarding as well as wake surfing. Tige boats pioneered using a single Trim Tab in the center of their inboard powered boats to adjust the wake for different types of water sports. Now, some boats ever have three trim tabs, one in the center and two on the sides for the adjusting the wake in a wide variety of shapes.

So when it comes to wanting to ski, tube, wakesurf or wakeboard, all in the same day I do recommend considering adjustable Tabs.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

The answer is a factor of what you have to spend and how serious you are about the particular activity. If you own a Tige Wake Board boat you are very serious, and helm adjustable trim tabs would be the choice.
What should be kept in mind is that when skiing and tubing you want to minimize the wake which means you want to ride more level and draft less water. If you want to optimize the boat for wakeboarding then you want a larger wake. These two activities are opposite when it comes to boat attitude and draft.

 

[Tabman]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

Tige makes a "water sport" boat that can accommodate water skiing and wake sports. Just as John points out the attitude of the boat determines the size of the wake. By deploying the adjustable Trim Tab to create more lift aft the boat rides level at slower speeds and creates a smaller wake for slalom skiing. Then if the Trim tab is raised the stern settles deeply into the water making a big wake. It's pretty neat, we made a gauge for the Trim Tab position for them, but instead of showing the angle of deflection it showed what type of wake you wanted for wake boarding or skiing:



When I was towing the kids around on the tube having a small wake was good for the younger kids (and the old guys like me). But the teens liked a bit larger wake to bounce them around, so I could raise the Tabs and give them a more "exciting" ride

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

I believe Tige's system is the "TAPS" system. Somewhat similar to the "wake plates" that other DD/V-drive boats employ. The Tige has the tab in the center though, so no help for leveling out any list.

 

[Tabman]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

Yes it's the Taps system! We make the Tab and hydraulic system for them and other Water Sport builders. The Tab is in the center and as you point out cannot help with side to side trim. Tige's hull (and other builders) also incorporate hook, rocker and other hull shapes to maximize the effect the Trim Tab changing the boat's attitude has on the wake.

There are some inboard water sport boats that have 3 Trim Tabs and can shape the wake and also adjust side to side trim.

While the typical outboard or I/O powered boat will not have the same dramatic ability to produce a nice flat wake for skiing and a big one for wake boarding, the addition of adjustable Trim Tabs will have a great affect on it's size, as well the ability to adjust side to side trim on the fly.

 

[lprizman]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

i have the smart tabs on mine and work as advertised...also have the retractable set up as well

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

since I'm smarter than the tabs, I want the ones I can adjust myself.

 

[BeachRum1962]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

Sometimes boaters use our PR500 kit (plate retractors) when wake boarding. However, slowing the boat a few miles per hour can let it "settle" a bit more and increase the wake. A ski and wake boat have different characteristics and make it difficult to optimize both.

Hey John would your company please make an adapter that would fit with the existing standard installation? You talked me out of the retractors but wish I had gone with my gut and bought them. There are times when I would like to retract them but I do not want to fill current holes and drill new ones. I have the SX 9510 with 60 lbs actuators. I would like to beach with rear of boat facing beach and it does make a difference.

 

[BeachRum1962]

Re: Smart Tabs for 21' Boat?

Hey John would your company please make an adapter that would fit with the existing standard installation? You talked me out of the retractors but wish I had gone with my gut and bought them. There are times when I would like to retract them but I do not want to fill current holes and drill new ones. I have the SX 9510 with 60 lbs actuators. I would like to beach with rear of boat facing beach and it does make a difference.

BTW I love the smart tabs and recommend them to anyone who asks. Just wish I could retract them.