Self Leveling Trim Tabs

[quackquackboom]

I have a 17' skiff. It's underpowered with only 50 horses. Struggles mightily with a 35 gallon tank and 2-3 fisherman.

I am considering a self-leveling trim tab like the Bennett SLT.

I think some of you guys have these. Any thoughts? Pros/Cons?

[Gator]

I used the Nauticus smart tabs on my 17' Keywest and they work great. It would take me forever to get on plane with a tank full of bait. With the smart tabs it jumps right up.

[quackquackboom]

Aug 17, 2016 9:46:54 GMT -5 Gator said:

I used the Nauticus smart tabs on my 17' Keywest and they work great. It would take me forever to get on plane with a tank full of bait. With the smart tabs it jumps right up.

Do you remember if you got the 40 or the 60 lb? What size motor do you have on your boat?

[Gator]

Aug 17, 2016 10:11:33 GMT -5 quackquackboom said:

Aug 17, 2016 9:46:54 GMT -5 Gator said:

I used the Nauticus smart tabs on my 17' Keywest and they work great. It would take me forever to get on plane with a tank full of bait. With the smart tabs it jumps right up.

Do you remember if you got the 40 or the 60 lb? What size motor do you have on your boat?

I used the 60 and I have a 90hp

[quackquackboom]

Thanks Gator

[bushwacker]

I am interested in this subject as well. Has anyone had the SLt's or Smart tabs on a 20-22' boat. My boat does well when it is just a couple people for a cruise. Loaded down with 3 guys, bait tank full and fuel it is a little slow to plane.

[Yam]

I have a 20 foot boat, deep V, Carolina flare. It's built for bigger water and can handle 5 foot waves rather nicely for a small boat. The manufacturer won't sell this boat without trim tabs.

I love them. They are Lennco tabs that don't self level. In really big water, you have to be careful not to overdue them as they can tend to submarine my boat especially if I have my bait tank up front full of water. During busy days at Halesford Bridge with crazy cross wave action, they are the difference between a very bouncy ride and a smooth ride. They are also cool when folks on your boat move around and settle down unbalanced.

Bottom line, they give you more control over your ride and definitely are worth every penny.

[Pete D.]

I have the SX smart tabs on my rig. 20' dual console. I typically have 2-3 guys, 4 BIG dc batteries, 30-60 gallons of fuel, trolling motor, gear, gear and more gear, and to top it off, a G&M 40 gallon bait tank (actually 45 gallons) that I keep BEHIND me on the boat. I have both the 40 and 60lb actuators and have tried both. Bottom line, this boat rides BEAUTIFULLY with those tabs. I just set them for the load that I will have before I leave the driveway. Boat has a 130hp (but calls for 150 max) and she has plenty of power and can plane nicely with all the weight. Without the tabs, and that big bait tank she is an ass heavy mule, and is stubborn to get out of the hole. She will ride so bow high that you can stand on the casting deck and pull a leonardo dicaprio.

All that said, if you are planning on hitting the big water, and fighting swells, as Yam has said, the tabs will force the nose down as you come down the backside of the wave. With adjustable tabs you can counter this with adjustments. Me, I just take mine off when I go to bigger water. No need for that big bait tank on the bay or potomac river.............

[Pete D.]

Quack lets see some pics of your rig. Gimme a shot of the motor trimmed level and run a level back across the keel to the cavitation plate. Lets see if we can pick up this motor a bolt hole or two to get rid of some drag. I also hope you have power trim.

Next move would be some smart tabs.

If that dont do her you can contemplate a hydraulic jack plate that will really help you optimize this combo.

Next would be a bait tank downsize. (You can cut the supply pipe on the filter side down to run less water.)

And last but not least, more ponies!!!!

[johnr]

Aug 31, 2016 10:09:57 GMT -5 Pete D. said:

Quack lets see some pics of your rig. Gimme a shot of the motor trimmed level and run a level back across the keel to the cavitation plate. Lets see if we can pick up this motor a bolt hole or two to get rid of some drag. I also hope you have power trim.

Next move would be some smart tabs.

If that dont do her you can contemplate a hydraulic jack plate that will really help you optimize this combo.

Next would be a bait tank downsize. (You can cut the supply pipe on the filter side down to run less water.)

And last but not least, more ponies!!!!

Pete has a good point, which I've made bold. On every boat I've owned, I've raised the engine at least 1 bolt hole. On my Etec, I've moved it as high as it will go without drilling more holes. The cav plate is almost 2" above the bottom of the hull (when trimmed) without a setback plate. My Yamaha is about 1" above the hull. I could go much higher yet with it, but it runs fine where it is. 

If you've got a strong water pump and a clean hull bottom, you can get that engine pretty high. Additionally, if you add a 4" setback plate you can go a couple inches higher, get into cleaner water and have less lower unit dragging in the water. All of this equates into more RPM, more prop bite and less drag, which ultimately equals higher speed and usually better control. 

[Pete D.]

Yea, my next boat will come equipped with hydraulic trim tabs and a hydraulic jack plate. Gotta milk every bit that you can IMO!!

[ncsportfisher]

Is there a chance to change props? Lower pitch or more blades? 

[bushwacker]

I installed a set of the nauticus smart tabs SX this weekend on my boat. They have 70lb actuators and are the 10.5"x12" plates. I ended up getting them 20% off at overtons for $123.99. It was a great addition to the boat. I can plane out at a slower speed. Bow raise at take off is very short. I gained 2mph at the top end and I can now trim my motor out all the way. Before I couldn't trim any past half trim or the bow started to bounce pretty bad. It was a great upgrade for the money and a really easy install.