Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

[Icyharp]

Ok I have been searching around for a few days and I would like to add tabs to my boat. Being it is 20ft long and having a V-8 in it I would like to get rid of my bow lift when taking off and the lift when slowing down.

A whale tail is not going to happen on my boat so please don't suggest it. But I am looking for experienced users of both the smart tab and any counsel controlled tabs.

I hate to beat this topic to death but searching this site for info it has been rather hard to find what I am looking for.

Thanks, Icy

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

Welcome fellow fin hater..

I like the Bennetts for more control in the wind and varying load conditions. I'd say Bennetts are a no brainer for boats over 23'.
Smart Tabs work well, no fuss, relatively inexpensive, easy to install etc.

Your boat appears to be fairly low profile, probably doesn't get the wind steer effect.
Go the Smart Tabs and have some extra fuel/beer money or the Bennetts for extra control.

 

[Icyharp]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

Will the Smart Tabs adjust themselves for load in the boat? For my boat I run the Mississippi some smaller lakes in my area and Lake Superior, I was leaning towards the Bennett's that is why I have the name in the title but I like the idea of them just doing their thing without me thinking about it.

Yes I am fairly low profile I have not had the wind give me issues, but I do have to tell people where to sit to balance out the boat, not often but I don't like coming across as a pain in the butt either. On plane the boat handles waves like a champ, like I said it is the rise of the bow when taking off and no load in the cuddy and slowing down when the stern settles in.

 

[QC]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

Will the Smart Tabs adjust themselves for load in the boat?

Define better, but they do not adjust on the fly. They are somewhat adjustable manually, but not on their own.

I like the idea of them just doing their thing without me thinking about it.

This says SmartTabs.

I do have to tell people where to sit to balance out the boat, not often but I don't like coming across as a pain in the butt either.

This says Bennett's or other helm adjustable tabs. I can tell you with helm adjustable, you will not be sorry. Best tool you can add to any v-hull.

 

[Icyharp]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

QC - part 3 of your response answered the first. I have been researching as much as I can about these tabs my biggest issue as I state is the bow lift taking off and slowing down. My wife is getting use to me telling her to not sit behind me while underway so balancing the load in the boat is not too much an issue.

There are so many threads about these tabs makes me spin, just needed some things cleared up that I could not find in my own researchs

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

It's $175 vs $450. The Bennetts were the best $ I ever spent on my boat. You can plane it off @ 10 mph when sightseeing. It pulls like it's got 50 hp more--as the front end doesn't rise. You can level your boat off if you get too much weight on one side. If you come up to a big wave, you can tap the tabs down, and it'll slice thru the wave--then retract them. It makes your boat ride like it's 3' longer. Obviously, I can go on and on.

 

[skargo]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

I love my Bennets! It's great being able to adjust for side to side issues too.

 

[blifsey]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

I'm toying with similar thoughts but was also considering Lenco electric tabs. How would they compare to Bennetts in both function and price?

 

[Icyharp]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

I'm toying with similar thoughts but was also considering Lenco electric tabs. How would they compare to Bennetts in both function and price?

I looked into the electric ones and did not like the fact of having electric motors sitting in the water. I cannot give you any comparisons for ovibous reasons, but I talked myself out of even lookiing at electric.

 

[QC]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

SmartTabs will keep the bow down if you are concerned about asking people to move fore and aft. Bennett's will allow people to sit on one side and you can make her run flat from side to side no matter where the bow is. With Bennett's you can keep the bow down harder and longer than with SmartTabs and you can keep the bow up if you need to for a dry ride.

 

[high'n'dry]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

Love my Lenco tabs. We boat in the ocean, "Smart Tabs" are too stupid for that use. Would not spend 25 cents on them. For a freshwater boat trying to correct a single problem, maybe the "Smart Tabs" are smart but to me, on my boat, for our use, they are plain useless.

Following sea, tabs up
Front sea, tabs down
Wind (seas) abeam, tab to the wind
Unbalanced load, tab to the heavy side
Low speed, tabs down
High speed, tabs neutral or as needed to control porposing
Etc.

How can "Smart Tabs" do very much of the above conditions? Nah, pass on the spring loaded flippers.

JR

 

[nikon]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

^^ agreed, I just installed lenco's about a month ago and couldn't be happier. My experience with bennets (friends/family) is they are prone to leaks/failures. I can understand bennetts for a boat that stays in the water, but even then you can paint the lencos, they are sealed.

 

[QC]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

I like Lencos for their ease of installation, but Bennett support is 2nd to none and they will send you cylinders for nothing if they leak. I don't think I'd base my decision on leak concerns although the Lenco's are definitely a simpler install.

 

[nlain]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

As a Smart Tab user and also not to argue with QC. The best money I ever spent was Smart Tabs, the do everything advertised, at least they do for me. I trim bow up and down with the outdrive trim, bow rise is greatly reduced, I use less fuel than without, low speed wander is gone, the rough water of the sound is handled much better, I do not beat my boat to death by jumping the rough water, I slow down and trim to split the rough water/chop, there is a fine line between wet and dry depending on the wind direction. No you cannot adjust for side to side weight on the fly, if you always list/lean to the right or left you can set more pressure on one or the other to compensate for that. If someone moves right to left you live with what that does. I have not noticed a major problem with side to side, maybe I have not had the right load to need the adjustment. There are times I would like to make manual adjustments just to see what would happen, as in, make a difference or not. I am happy with Smart Tabs, I would put them on another boat. What QC says I believe is true, but, for the money I am happy with the Smart Tabs.

 

[Icyharp]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

OK well then part 2 of what I am looking for, is how to determine what size tab I need for my boat. Here is a picture of its can, and as I see the speedo may be in the way. Although I have not ever dealt with tabs so I am a complete rookie at this. Or can I get away with mounting them where the curve is in the hull.............ugh so many questions for something so simple.

 

[ericcarr2000]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

I have a 20 foot larson which was having troubles with listing while underway. I purchased a set of the bennett hydraulic trim tabs from bennett a few months ago and can say I absolutely love them. It only took a few hours to install and a few more hours to get to know them. I'd suggest going to bennetts site and downloading the trim tab simulator though. They can get kinda tricky, but once you get use to them, you'll love them too. Once on their site, they have a estimator on which pair to get. I paid $450.00 for mine and they are the 12 inch ones. Once again, they are pretty simply to install, only takes minimal amount of tools. They even include a instructional dvd for your convenience. I'd highly recommend them...

 

[gozierdt]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

I just finished putting Bennett's on my 20' Sea Ray. I went with the Bennett's for the added control. I especially didn't like to think of getting caught out on Tahoe with a steep, short throw chop and not being able to trim the tabs up going downwind. I didn't buy Lenco's because of the electric motor in water issue. I bought the M120 tabs, which are especially made for boats in our size range, and are shaped to keep lift even though they are narrower than the standard tabs. They are easier to install because they're narrower. I didn't have to move my speedometer tube. Looking at your boat, you might need to, but that wouldn't be a big job in my estimation.

http://www.bennetttrimtabs.com/trimtabkits_pnfilter.php?PN=3

I found them on-line at Hodges Marine Electronics for $550 for the tabs with the Electronic Indicator Control included. The standard tabs are cheaper.

 

[Icyharp]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

Thanks, I have been on all them sites looking around and watching You Tube vids on all of this trying to determine what I want to do.

Well if I have to move the pick up tube so be it, I am slated to have my keel re-gel coated and a few nicks fixed may as well have them fix the holes as well. Good trade to give up a 188 motor and a 888 for some glass and gel work by a nice shop, I am no good at color matching gel coat. So I want to get this done soon. I am leaning towards the Bennetts, I don't want electric nor with the way Lake Superior acts up do I want something I have no control over.

 

[ericcarr2000]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

I purchased the M120's also and cant begin to tell you on how much youre going to love the performace of them. Plan on spending around $450.00-$550.00, depending on which type of rocker switch you end up with. Mine came with the standard euro type rocker switch. The nice thing is that the hydraulic ones use standard transmission fluid in them.

 

[skargo]

Re: Trim tabs; Smart tabs or Bennett hyd tabs

^^ agreed, I just installed lenco's about a month ago and couldn't be happier. My experience with bennets (friends/family) is they are prone to leaks/failures. I can understand bennetts for a boat that stays in the water, but even then you can paint the lencos, they are sealed.

You REALLY can say they are prone to leaks and failures? I find that odd as I actually own them, and know MANY others who do too and I can't recall a single incident of leaks or failures. Only issue I ever had was when I hit one up and one down by accident and blew a fuse.