Wow best purchase so far !!

[spdracr39]

Add me to the club of smart tab lovers. I installed my Nauticus SX smart tabs and went out today and WOW what a difference. The boat planed out so fast with almost no bow rise and I could stay on plane down to about 18 mph. The water was moderate choppy and it made the ride much smoother. When the wind picked up and the water got even rougher it allowed me to go slow enough it wasn't an issue and stay on plane. I don't know why they don't put these on new boats from the factory it doesn't make sense not to have them. Besides it only took bout 30 minutes to install them.

 

[LX Kid]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Congrats on the new tabs! Where's the pics?

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Here are some pictures.
View attachment 111917

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Congrats man, you should also see improvement in speed, turning with out reducing speed alot, acceleration will be faster, wondering at low speed should go away, track better in quartering seas, no porpoising and no chine walking. You should see improvement in mpg and over all ride also. You should also not have to adjust the motor up or down much or at all anymore. I've been preaching these for two years now, since I installed them on my Chris Craft. They are amazing and was the best upgrade I made to my boat, and I made alot of upgrades. Its nice to know they are always working to improve your performance and all you have to do is drive! Enjoy!

By the way, according to Nauticus website, there are some manufactures installing these from the factory. Not sure what brand boat. Here is a great link with some great info for others that are interested in Nauticus tabs, And no I'm not affiliated, just a happy customer. This info is kinda hidden under the install link on there website. This info is good for any boater to havehttp://www.nauticusinc.com/pdf/nauticus_smart_tabs_tech_info.pdf

 

[LX Kid]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Pics didn't work!

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

I think I fixed the picture. And I must say again how awesome these things are. We had twenty mph winds today and the rough waters were no problem. Also when pulling a tube I can plane out at about 15mph where my lowest plane speed before was about 22 mph. Even when loading back on the trailer the wandering is gone which makes it much easier.

 

[V153]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

I'm a skeptic by design but keep hearing great things about these Nauticus tabs.

Any negative comments?

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

You can't hide under the swim platform and scare people anymore That's about the only issue though.

 

[ufm82]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

I have only one negative comment about my Smart Tabs and it isn't even the tabs' fault. On my current trailer the two frame sections are directly under the tabs. This makes the use of my SS Boat Buckles impossible as there is no place to mount the buckles and hook them to the stern eyes. I have to use regular straps and angle them off to the side of the tabs. I tried everything including designing new mounts for the buckles but nothing would work. Again, not the tabs' fault as any style of trim tab would be in the way. Other than that, I love mine. No negatives that I can think of.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Smart tabs will make the bow ride down, depending on the setting. For rough water this can be ideal. For smooth water this is not ideal. If you want to trim the motor up for max speed, smart tabs will interfere with the bow rise that trimming produces.

On a lot of bigger heavier boats, smart tabs may be a good idea. Performance boats will suffer with them. Hydraulic tabs are the best choice, but have that hefty cost.....

 

[cannonman]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

The only thing I will have to do differently with mine is install the PR500 bracket so that I can disengage them when we wakeboard. They make the wake smaller for jumping. Other than that, I think they're great.

 

[jkust]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

I don't know why they don't put these on new boats from the factory it doesn't make sense not to have them.

Because lots of hulls don't need them. My Extended V-plane in my sig for example has none of the issues you mention as it was designed to mitigate those things and neither does my low quality Bayliner sequential lift hull and again none of those issues. The fact is I really haven't heard any negative issues when they've been installed on boats that present those symptoms.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Smart tabs will make the bow ride down, depending on the setting. For rough water this can be ideal. For smooth water this is not ideal. If you want to trim the motor up for max speed, smart tabs will interfere with the bow rise that trimming produces.

On a lot of bigger heavier boats, smart tabs may be a good idea. Performance boats will suffer with them. Hydraulic tabs are the best choice, but have that hefty cost.....

I have to disagree on a lot of this.

Smart tabs properly installed and tuned will not make the bow ride down, and will not interfere with drive trimming. They do in fact allow the drive trimming to be used for what it is designed for, the angle of attack for the prop, so the drive does not have to pry the bow up.

Need to define bigger, heavier boats. 28 footers and above are too big for smart tabs and hydraulics are the best choice, in fact become a necessity at that mass.

Nauticus does not recommend smart tabs for all boats, and they quote the sizes that they intend to cover on their site.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

At one point in the recent past, and maybe still, Nauticus was supplying smart tabs as options to different MFG's.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Maclin, Smart Tabs are intended to make the bow ride down, that is their whole purpose....

Also, when you trim up for max speed, you want to "pry" the bow up. This reduces wetted surface and increases speed. That is the whole purpose of trimming the motor. An unwanted by-product of trimming the motor up is a rough ride in any chop. My speedboat will do maybe 45MPH with the motor trimmed down. Trim up and 60+MPH is easy.....So you think I should put Smart tabs on it so the bow is always down?

Some boats do not benefit from trimming. These tend to be larger boats 25' and over, although my friends 30 footer would realize a significant increase in speed, with the tabs up and the motors trimmed up. So it depends on type of hull and size of boat. I am not saying Smart tabs are not a good product. They may very well be a good product, for a particluar application.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Maclin, Smart Tabs are intended to make the bow ride down, that is their whole purpose....

Also, when you trim up for max speed, you want to "pry" the bow up. This reduces wetted surface and increases speed. That is the whole purpose of trimming the motor. An unwanted by-product of trimming the motor up is a rough ride in any chop. My speedboat will do maybe 45MPH with the motor trimmed down. Trim up and 60+MPH is easy.....So you think I should put Smart tabs on it so the bow is always down?

Some boats do not benefit from trimming. These tend to be larger boats 25' and over, although my friends 30 footer would realize a significant increase in speed, with the tabs up and the motors trimmed up. So it depends on type of hull and size of boat. I am not saying Smart tabs are not a good product. They may very well be a good product, for a particluar application.

Smart tabs are designed to retract with resistance. If you're doing 65 mph with smart tabs on they will be fully in the raised position and have little effect on your ride. They are designed to get you on plane faster and keep you on plane at slower speeds. Smart tabs can cause issues when trying to reverse into a slip and also when going slow in a strong following sea. Obviously controllable hydraulic tabs are a better option, but at a much higher cost. For guys that spend most of their time in lakes the smart tabs are a great option.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Tabs are designed to provide lift for the stern in stern heavies. The hull does the rest. They do not force the bow down.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Andy, While it is true that the SmartTab will be pushed flatter at higher speed, the force needed to flatten them against the resistance of the springs will be balanced by a loss of bow lift. In high performance boats, you want to carry as much bow lift as you can. We have all seen the bass boats running at high speed, with the waterline quite a bit behind the driver and passenger. That is the profile you want on a performance hull, with as much hull out of the water as possible.

Maclin, When the stern is lifted the bow must go down. The boat will pivot to maintain displacement. It is the same as sitting on the bow of a small boat in shallow water, in order to raise the prop up and maybe not hit bottom with it. I presume a lot of us needed to use that technique on occasion.

I have nothing against SmartTabs. I just want to be clear on how they work.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Chris you haven't used them have you?

 

[kahuna123]

Re: Wow best purchase so far !!

Smart Tabs are a great idea for a boat that was poorly designed to start with. And yes they do force the bow down. A boat that would benefit from having the bow raised to increase speed will suffer with smart tabs. A boat the wanders needs a better driver, not more drag. They just make up for having a boat that's balance point is way to far aft. Most small I/Os fall into that category. There is a reason high dollar ski boats, well designed sportfish, Bertram, Cabo, Hatteras, have the engines amidships. Ever wander why a 30ft Sea Ray doesn't have those big blocks up against the transom? Cause it couldn't get on plane if they were.
Nothing against the product. I am sure on some of these smaller I/O boats they are a miracle. But if they are supplying these to builders. I'd stay away from their boats.