Trim tabs

[CATAHOLIC]

Can someone tell me if trim tabs are worth the money. I have had them on a boat before, but they were on there when I bought it. I'd like a before/after comparison.[grin]
Thanks,
Steve

[THOMAS70]

Really depends on application. What type of boat, and how is it powered?

[CATAHOLIC]

This is the boat that I am thinking of putting them on. 20'4" Angler w/ 115 yamaha. http://images.snapfish.com/3459%3A9%3A8%3A%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D323%3B%3E492%3E495% 3EWSNRCG%3D32334572%3B%3A7%3A%3Bnu0mrj

[Lone Ranger]

Yes,Yes and Yes!!!

[J Lavender]

Lone Ranger said it best.

I have a 20' Grady that I purchased without trim tabs and after running it for a few months I added the tabs.

They help me get on plane better when I have a heavy load and make a big difference in rough water. When used properly they greatly reduce the pounding.
I can't think of a downside to them other than the initial cost but if you plan on keeping the boat for awhile it's worth every penny.

Bennets are the the way to go and if you contact them they will help you pick the right ones for your boat.

http://www.bennetttrimtabs.com/

[AlexT]

I think the primary advantage of tabs on a small boat is getting bow down in rougher water to smooth out the ride. If you often find yourself slowing down because of pounding, then you will definitely benefit from tabs. The only downside is that fuel consumption will likely go up when they are deployed in these circumstances. You'll be able to run a lot faster, but you'll burn more gas due to the resistance of the tabs.

I would also suspect that, with a walkthrough, another benefit will be evening out the ride of the boat on the roll. With a center console this is usually less of an issue since weight tends to be centered along the keel line.

Depending on how your hull rides, you may in fact get better gas mileage through judicious use of the tabs. My old boat, a Parker, was at its most efficient with the tabs not deployed at all, but some hulls, perhaps yours, will run more efficiently with a little bit of tab.

[Hippie Joe]

second the motion; also the waves are knocking into the bow quarter sometimes one down will help you keep your heading better and keep you more level.

[Hippie Joe]

PS, nice ride, esp. like your top

[maestro]

I've fished on both the dual console and center console versions of the Angler 204. One had tabs, one didn't. Like someone else said....get the tabs!

Fixit used to have the same boat. He and I stuffed the bow off of Point Lookout, VA on Thanksgiving weekend a few years back. 6:30 AM and 8 inches of green water on the deck! Dont go too crazy with the speed and the trim tabs down into a steep head sea! They do really help though in the typical chop.

[CATAHOLIC]

Thanks guys for all the info I'm going to order some tonight! I'll let you know how they work out.[excited]
Steve

[fixit]

YES, Big OLE YES.......... That is one sweeeeeet boat and Do I ever miss mine... I put tabs on that almost exact setup and was ocean fishing in her... That boat rides bow high anyway and with the tabs she is one sweet running boat. I did not have bennets but some off brand hydraulic tab and it was still awesome..... 12 X 9 will do fine... It will be a different boat after you put them on...

[Sandtiger]

J Lavender originally wrote:
Lone Ranger said it best.

I have a 20' Grady that I purchased without trim tabs and after running it for a few months I added the tabs.

They help me get on plane better when I have a heavy load and make a big difference in rough water. When used properly they greatly reduce the pounding.
I can't think of a downside to them other than the initial cost but if you plan on keeping the boat for awhile it's worth every penny.

Bennets are the the way to go and if you contact them they will help you pick the right ones for your boat.

http://www.bennetttrimtabs.com/

I agree 100%. I, too, bought a boat that had no trim tabs and it has a 24 degree deadrise. Without the tabs it always rode a bit to one side. I put on the Bennett trim tabs the way they recommend for the size boat I have and after they were on the boat, it was like driving a different boat. It handled very well and the fuel mileage improved a little bit.

A friend of mine has a Grady and constantly had to trim his engines down to get the nose down. It's a 26 foot boat with Bennett tabs, but much smaller tabs than Bennett recommends. He called Bennett and after speaking with them purchased what they recommended and the boat now handles much, much better than the way it did from the factory. Grady still maintains that he didn't need to increase the size of his tabs......... he's not listening............... [grin]