trim tabs

D

David Chandler

Member
Is anyone using trim tabs on their boat instead of wedges? There are small tabs on the market for 25 hp which appear to work off of the water pressure pushing them up as the boat speed increases. I'm running a cackler with a 27 hp mudbuddy which will fly, but the nose will not stay down without a hunting partner up front. My only concern is the tabs being down is shallow water hunting dragging in the mud.
 
tabs suck if you have to pull the boat out of the sand into the tidal water which happens to me frequently here on the ocean. Wedges are awesome as they require zero brain damage and are tough as hell.
 
I hunt the tennesse river and don't have to deal with the tides, but that is my main concern-pulling the boat backwards after I pulled it up under trees or next to shallow brush
 
have you had trim tabs on your boat? Have you pulled a boat off of sand or mud with trim tabs on them? Not being critical here but I suspect your not talking from experience....

Tabs can be trimmed up so that they will not be the dozer blades that you are suspecting they will be.....

Steve
 
I currently use both types of tabs on my boats.

Yes, the problem with the manual/spring load tabs is that they are actually "activated" all the time.

Electric tabs when "retracted/de-activated" can be anywhere from 1/4"-2" inches above the bottom of the hull.

The manual/spring tabs are always in the "activated" position with the outer edge sitting below the bottom of the hull.

Which means they act like a "front end loader" when trying to push off backwards.

The manual tabs are really meant for open water applications.

For MM's I rate them this way.

Good Luck!!!

1) Wedge
2) Electric Tabs
3) Manual Tabs


CJ
 
Lenco Trim Tabs!! two thumbs up. Once again application is key. I had a 1650 xpress with an outboard and they worked like champs and I never had any problems with them.
 
I think Dave's main concern is the occasional mud we have around here, right? In which case, any trim tab is gonna be a concern....either hanging up or tearing up on the trash and stumps that usually accompany our mud. I think Eric had some wedges in different sizes and angles that he'd experimented with until he found the right ones for his boat. Wonder if he still has some you can try out?
 
Don't have to have had them on a boat. Researched them heavily.

When pulling boats off of the beach, etc. your feet get right under near the transom. I've never pulled a boat with tabs, and I've never swallowed gasoline either ; )

A>
 
but I'd continue to disagree since the tabs aren't the full length of the transom.....still room available for your feet to be under the transom....

To Jeff's comment about them being fornt end loader blades he and I are clearly talking about different tabs...don't know the exact name of the but the one on John's airboat can be overcentered so that it is angle up instead of down so that if you were pulling backwards it would be of no consequence....

Steve
 
well maybe that one specifically but I have seen ones that work just like it on outboard powered boats......they are not uncommon at all in the keys which is full of skinny water where tabs, and flats, and groundings are all common.....

Steve
 
" I'd continue to disagree since the tabs aren't the full length of the transom.....still room available for your feet to be under the transom...."


Usually I agree with you...because you think things through.... but this time - sheesh...; ) Humping 700 lbs in 4" of water when the boat draws 6" is a chore and you need to get your legs and feet in places that haven't been invented yet... you stretched on this one ; )
 
David

Are you having porpoising issues or just a high bow?

I think I put my wedges on what, 5 or 6 years ago? Since then I've not had to do anything to them. They were tweaked in the begining, two or three trips to the river, made permanent, and all but forgotten until these posts come up where folks ask about trim tabs. I've had my Devlin in numerous environments over that time - shallows, soft mud, snags, rough, smooth, heavily loaded, lightly loaded, etc, etc., and I've yet to find them in the way, or encounter any situation where I wish they were adjustable. The materials involved were a couple scrap pieces of wood, scrap fiberglass cloth, and some leftover epoxy. They blend in with the hull and are hardly noticable. For that less than $20 investment I've had great service and expect they will be on the bottom of the boat when the boat expires or retires.

Like Bill said if you want some help making wedges then I'd be glad to assist. Way back when Jeff Smith and I cut wedges of varying size and put them on with two-sided tape and duct tape and gave each a try. It doesn't take much of a wedge to make a difference. We ended up using some about about 8" long and 5/8" proud and with width of the hull under each sponson. We cut those wedges with Jeff's 14" tablesaw. My saw is 10" so we'd need to go the planer with taper sled or maybe use the drum sander. A lot of ways to do it. I'm sure we could come up with something and have fun doing it.
 
Eric,with the boat unloaded, I have a major porpoise problem. I can run about 18 mph on gps, but when I increase the speed the boat gets to where it cannot be controlled. That is even with the motor buried under the boat. With my son in the front of the boat ( 165 pounds, 25 mph ), I still get a little slap. I prefer to stabilize the ride with the boat empty, and adjust the trim with it loaded. I know this can be achieved with trim tabs from experience with large boats. I have never played with wedges, but it sounds a whole lot cheaper than even the cheaper tabs which work off of water pressure.
 
Capt. Jeff gave a great explanation of the three options. Adjustable tabs like lenco's are great for adjusting the ride of a boat and offsetting an uneven load. Static tabs that "self adjust" are a no brainer to use but you don't have the option to adjust how you want the boat to ride. I have no experience with wedges, but on a duck boat where simple and rugged are best they might be a great way to go if you take the time to get them adjusted properly.

Gene
 
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