trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

[wcsparky05]

i have a 16' fish or ski open bow with an inline 4 cyl merc 3 litre 140 hp engine. i got a great deal on some trim tabs but i am wondering if the hyd. ones are worth the cash? i live in norcal and fish and wakeboard equally. Also, i wanted to know the proper location and angle of the trim tabs and what prep work or waterproofing i need to do to install them? they talk like all you need is a 3/8 drill bit and a screwdriver. that cant be right. you have to seal the stern, right? thx in advance!

 

[nlain]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

Smart Tabs will work great for your boat, to me the hyd tabs were not worth the money, if I were to get hyd it would be Bennets. I have Smart Tabs on my 185 and they are great. As to mounting, you want them as far out as possible for best results, Smart Tabs come with a sealing strip but I also bought a tube of sealant and put it in every hole and on every screw before I installed,the provided sealing strips would probably sealed perfectly fine, but this way I felt better about the installation that way. Here are a couple of photos of mine to give you an idea of the mounting position. The design of your transom my be different from mine but this will give you and idea.

 

[wcsparky05]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

thx, nlain, but won't putting the tabs so wide affect my steering capabilities? and what are the proper pressure springs to have for 140 horse?

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

The wider you put them the better they perform.The 40 or 60 lb. actuators would be best.
I take it these are Smart Tabs you are talking about..
Make sure you install so they are at a 25 degree angle from the bottom of the boat,per instructions..

 

[wcsparky05]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

thanks gary and nlain! much obliged.

 

[QC]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

SmartTabs are a wonderful product, but helm adjustable tabs are simply much more flexible and obviously more adjustable than SmartTabs. I have run both and have installed both. There is no question SmartTabs are easier to install and less money. After that, adjustables offer things you simply cannot do with the others. Examples are if someone gets up and moves to the other side of the boat, you can adjust for that weight transfer, same for fore and aft shifts. Also, when conditions dictate I can run them full down at higher speeds and full up at lower speeds. I absolutely guarantee that those who have run both will agree with this assessment.

If you like full control at different speeds, different weights and different conditions, adjustables are the way to go. Both offer great low speed and high speed performance. Adjustables require helm tweaking and adjustments all day, which I find fun. SmartTabs are a turnkey and leave it deal once they are initially dialed in.

The hydraulic and even electromechanical adjustable installs are waaaaaaay more involved. If you prefer a simple install, at a lower cost, then go SmartTabs. They come with some tape for sealing the screw holes though many also use a sealer. Hydraulic and Electromechanical systems go all of the way through your hull and there are many more holes to seal. Locating the tabs as far out as possible is correct in both cases. Angle instructions are online or in the box and need to be followed carefully. Both systems are wonderful and you will not be sorry either way.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

ive used and currently have both. i have hydaulics on my aqua sport and smart tabs on the mako. i always thought te smart tabs were the best thing since sliced bread. never again!

the only people who say it aint worth it, never had anything else.

 

[RCSConstruction]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

So are you saying you didn't like the smart tabs Phatman?
I am looking ahead and was pretty dead set on smart tabs being my first after market part to buy.
Sounds like I need to look into the adjustable tabs.
Be safe

 

[QC]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

I think Mike is referring to adjustables vs. SmartTabs. I love SmartTabs, as I believe any tab is better than no tab. But it is worth noting that those who passionately (and respectfully) recommend adjustables, are also those who have run both . . .

 

[Boatist]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

If all you want is to get the bow down and get on plane faster then smart tabs are the way to go. Also if you never boat in rough water then go with smart tabs.

I would never install anything but adjustable tabs and I love the Bennett I installed on my boat back in 1981.
I boat in small streams and lakes and in the Pacific Ocean out to 30 miles. Condition change every hour of every day. Sheltered inland small streams and Small lakes it no big deal. In larger waters and the ocean you need to be able to adjust the boat for current conditions. With adjustables tabs you can adjust for best safe ride in any condition every day. No 2 days are the same. In big swells where you are Quartering the swells to reduce the stress on boat and crew you need to change setting every time you change course. Running into a swell you will use totally different settings than running with the swells. Running with the swells you should use no trim at all.

Even on windy days in medium size lakes in the chop adjustable tabs will give you a better ride because you can adjust for that condition. Round the conner and hit bigger chop adjust again for that. In my boat with cross winds it is the difference between a smooth dry ride and a rough wet ride with spray all over the back half of the boat.

I think the adjustable tabs are worth every penny, You adjust the tabs for best safe ride and adjust your outdrive trim for best fuel mileage.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

I will agree that adjustable tabs would be a great thing on larger slower boats, say WOT of around 40 MPH or less. But, I loved the Smart Tabs on my last Bass boat and miss them already. The last thing I want to worry about when going at speeds over 60 MPH is messing with trim tab adjustments, I want both hands on the wheel, I`m going to put my trim button on the wheel also and I already have a hot foot.

One of the coolest things they did was completly eliminate any back wash and I didn`t have to even think about it. I could chop the throttle and when the boat slowed down the tabs would automatically go down and lift the back of the boat up. I`m sure this was just an added atraction as I bet this wasn`t even thought of in the designing of the product.

It really depends on the boat.

 

[QC]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

LubeDude, Every offshore racing V-hull has adjustable tabs . . .

I have run 60+ with adjustables and you are not playing with them at that speed; you adjust as you get to 50ish and then go up from there. Again, I love SmartTabs, but those of you who have not run adjustables simply do not know. This is why Phatman posted and why Boatist and I keep it up. I have never spoken with either of them, but I know. Once you have used adjustables, you know something those who haven't don't.

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

Well guys here we go again - my least favorite debate!

As the manufacturer / inventor of Smart Tabs I have always said that the choice should be made based on the application, the use, and personal preference.

1) What is the boat? Size? HP? Weight? etc.
2) How are you going to use the boat? Cruising, or Tubing? etc. Will the pilot be attending to other things while in route. Where are you going to use the boat? How fast is the boat?
3) How comfortable are you with tilt & trim, trim tabs controls, navigation controls, etc. What can you afford?


There are boats on which I would not use our Smart Tabs, but would use helm controlled tabs.

There are boats that I would not use anything but our Smart Tabs.

There are no (power) boats that I would have without Trim Tabs, one or the other.

The point to most consumer questions is how effective are they, and what do you get for the $$.

Trim tabs are much more effective than most people understand, because if they did understand they would not be swapping props to fix handling and plaining issues as much as they do. The best set up is using both trim tabs to adjsut the hull performance and the correct prop to maximize the use of the power.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

Sometime's thing's are so simple and effective, we try to find way's to improve on them, in this case for my need's and most boat's on inland water's, there just that simple effective and inexpensive, kinda like schock absorber's on a car........ and yes we have air schock's for those that demand more.....

 

[LubeDude]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

LubeDude, Every offshore racing V-hull has adjustable tabs . . .

Agreed, but most of them also have a pilot and a control person.

Plus, things happen fast on boats smaller than twenty feet like Bass boats if you get confused as to what button you are pushing. Like I said, for me, I like it happening automatically

 

[QC]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

but most of them also have a pilot and a control person.

I just knew you'd say that . . . good on ya mate. My first boat with tabs was a very light 20 footer, with an I/O. I think it probably handled very similar to a bass boat and it ran 60. Again at the highest speeds you've already made your adjustments, but I think you have made the one legitimate argument against helm controlled tabs, other than cost and install, since I've been fighting the good fight . . . Somebody has to stick up for tabman against these rabid SmartTab peoples . . .

 

[LubeDude]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

"I just knew you'd say that . . . good on ya mate".


8) Well, I don`t know what to say, but I do know that smart tabs will eliminate chinewalk as long as some of the tab is still in the water. If you were approching 6-70 MPH and you were having a bit of a problem and extended the wrong tab you could be in for a heap of trouble real fast. Very few people have any kind of a tab on a Bass boat anyway. I have made a few of them take notice though.d

 

[Jdeagro]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

We have just released our New SX series and would like hear what you all think. With the cost of Stainless going up and up for the past two years the pricing was keeping us from serving the consumer at a price point we felt was affordable. Although the Stainless product is a bit more flexible from an application standpoint, the SX series will serve most of the more traditonal installations, and provide equal results and performance improvements. iboats is now up on line with the new SX series. (http://www.iboats.com/Marine_Store/...submit.y.10--submit.x.33--search_type.keyword)

Hope to get some feed back. Thank You!

 

[cjames]

Re: trim tabs.. are hydraulic worth the $ or are springs ok

I can imagine that at 60-70mph, a little tab adjustment goes a long way.