Montauk Trim Tabs - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Whaler Performance
  Montauk Trim Tabs

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Montauk Trim Tabs

fisher801 posted 03-23-2012 02:59 AM ET (US)
[Solicits] suggestions or [observations] of trim tabs on a Montauk 17.
Teak Oil posted 03-23-2012 07:01 AM ET (US)
In 7 years of owning a Montauk I never felt that I needed tabs. In rough water you need to work the throttles a bit to keep the boat from becoming airborn, but I don't think tabs would benefit that hull any
pcrussell50 posted 03-24-2012 12:14 AM ET (US)
My 1998 model has them. In my use I don't need them, but the previous owner, CWW member FISHNFF/Brian, used to cover long distances, as much as 60-miles off shore (!) He installed them. I forgot his exact reasoning, but it had something to do with getting a better ride in a quartering sea.--Peter
pcrussell50 posted 03-24-2012 12:17 AM ET (US)
I see you're from San Fran--so is Brian. He's a SUPER hardcore fisherman.
-Peter
jimh posted 03-24-2012 07:26 PM ET (US)
Trim tab installation on a MONTAUK is rare in my observations.
Tohsgib posted 03-26-2012 01:38 PM ET (US)
Not necessary on a 6' beam boat. If she is listing move over 6".
pcrussell50 posted 03-26-2012 04:09 PM ET (US)
Just guessing here as to why Brian/FISHNFF put trim tabs on his, (now mine): Maybe he had a heavy bait tank set up off centerline. I'm pretty sure he mostly used it solo--at least when he went far offshore with it.
-Peter
Teak Oil posted 03-26-2012 09:21 PM ET (US)
Trim tabs will definitely help keep the boat from launching off large swells and wave peaks, even on a Montauk.
On the way back from Beaver Island in 2005 it got a little dicey and I had to really work the throttle to keep from becoming airborne in the solid 4-5 footers we came back in. However if you plan to go out in those conditions very often, you dont want a Montauk in the first place.
fisher801 posted 03-27-2012 02:37 AM ET (US)
Interesting comments...I think I'll hold off the trim tabs for my Montauk then
whale posted 03-28-2012 01:44 PM ET (US)
with the heavier 4 strokes on the back, you might want to consider tabs on montauks.
elaelap posted 03-28-2012 04:55 PM ET (US)
What a different world! You guys are (rightfully!) challenged by four/five foot waves, steep and nasty. Out here literally scores of smaller Whalers -- and truth be told, all kinds of other watercraft less than twenty feet or so in length -- head out without great difficulty or danger every day into our common northern California Pacific 6-12 foot swells, depending upon the steepness of the waves. Our NOAA reports often show swell sizes in those heights with wind waves/"white caps" of four or five feet on top of the swells...then we have to take care, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's unfishable.
Some day I'll get a chance to experience cruising the beautiful Great Lakes in a Whaler. In the meantime, any of you midwest CW members who might want to check out the Pacific north of San Francisco, just give a call or email a couple of days before you arrive, and we'll try to get you out on the water.
Tony
elaelap posted 03-28-2012 05:09 PM ET (US)
Here's a thread with a bunch of photos from a couple of years ago. No trim tabs on my then new-to-me 1982 Montauk powered by a 70 hp Suzuki four stroke outboard. No problem whatsoever in 15-17 foot swells (though as I said above, it's a different world!).
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/019136.html
Tony
Teak Oil posted 03-28-2012 07:47 PM ET (US)
Tony Lake Superior usually has a light swell to it, up to a couple of feet, and occasionally Lake Michigan will have a swell also. Over here you really need to watch the wind changes, once you get a change you can have 4 foot whitecaps in no time at all, and six footers may not be that far behind.
You are just going to have make time for a trip out here. I am sure you would have more offers for rides than you could possibly manage. I personally have never been boating on the ocean, and thus have the same dilemma as you.
weekendwarrior posted 03-29-2012 10:28 AM ET (US)
Tabs would be great for keeping the bow down for a smoother ride in choppy water when you have a full bait tank towards the rear. I often wish I had them in this situation.
FISHNFF posted 03-29-2012 10:33 AM ET (US)
I put Lenco trim tabs on my (previous) 1998 Alert/Montauk with a 2000 Merc 90 4-stroke for the following reasons.
Adjusting the motor trim going into steep swells and heavy wind would keep the bow up to keep from taking heavy spray over the bow, but the boat would tend to launch off the wave tops and get air, with a rough landing following.
Using the trim tabs would allow me to get the entire boat higher out of the water, keeping the bow up, yet level to the water so it would not leap off the tops.
Another reason is frequently we would run around the Bay where a strong cross wind would cause spray to come over the windward side. By tilting the boat away from that side, the bottom of the hull, the V, would cut the windchop better, and the reverse chine would k ock the spray down better.
You really need to be in the boat under these conditions to really appreciate the tabs. This commercial hull, set up with fuel/batteries forward and the big Merc on the back sits lower in the water, and does give a better ride. Every person who I've taken out who have ridden in other Montauks have commented how solid it rode.
Hope you're having fun with it Peter!

FISHNFF
FISHNFF posted 03-29-2012 11:23 AM ET (US)
I put Lenco trim tabs on my (previous) 1998 Alert/Montauk with a 2000 Merc 90 4-stroke for the following reasons.
Adjusting the motor trim going into steep swells and heavy wind would keep the bow up to keep from taking heavy spray over the bow, but the boat would tend to launch off the wave tops and get air, with a rough landing following.
Using the trim tabs would allow me to get the entire boat higher out of the water, keeping the bow up, yet level to the water so it would not leap off the tops.
Another reason is frequently we would run around the Bay where a strong cross wind would cause spray to come over the windward side. By tilting the boat away from that side, the bottom of the hull, the V, would cut the windchop better, and the reverse chine would k ock the spray down better.
You really need to be in the boat under these conditions to really appreciate the tabs. This commercial hull, set up with fuel/batteries forward and the big Merc on the back sits lower in the water, and does give a better ride. Every person who I've taken out who have ridden in other Montauks have commented how solid it rode.
Hope you're having fun with it Peter!

FISHNFF
Tohsgib posted 03-29-2012 01:08 PM ET (US)
"Using the trim tabs would allow me to get the entire boat higher out of the water, keeping the bow up, yet level to the water so it would not leap off the tops"
Trim tabs can NOT move the bow up. They are designed to bring the bow down only. You would use your engine trim to raise the bow. With my boat I will raise the drive to get the bow up and start to porpoise, then tap the tabs down a bit to stop the porpoising. This allows for light steering and a good bow high ride but no porpoising.
I had a "heavy" 4 stroke on my 2 17's and I felt no need whatsoever to put tabs on the boat. Tabs again are for leveling the load(usually side to side) which is easily done on a 16.5' boat that weighs 950lbs with a 13 degree deadrise or so. This however is not easily done on my 22.5' Donzi that weighs 3400, has a long bow with no access, a 454 in the stern and a 24 degree deadrise.
elaelap posted 03-29-2012 02:25 PM ET (US)
Trust me, Nick, Brian/FISHNFF knows what he's doing, at least for conditions out here. As I think you remember, I also run a Montauk with a relatively heavy (Suzuki DF70) four stroke motor on my Montauk, and I've never had the slightest inclination to add trim tabs, but I trust Brian's assertion that they might well be an improvement for our particular conditions.
BTW, I sure wish Brian or Peter (the boat's new owner) would post some detailed photos. That Alert, spec'd out by Brian and ordered new by him from the Brunswick commercial division, is the sweetest 16'7" Boston Whaler I've ever seen in person. I'm so pissed at myself for not buying it for full asking price right from under Peter, since he asked me to check it out for him (he lives in Santa Barbara and the boat was for sale in San Francisco), and he didn't get up to the Bay Area to close the deal for a week or so after I -- grudgingly -- gave him my report about the beautiful craft. As nice as it gets, trust me, with all kinds of cool commercial options, and Brian's asking price was more than fair. Damn!!
Tony
pcrussell50 posted 03-29-2012 04:07 PM ET (US)
I assure you, I'm tickled pink to own this boat, even though I am far from experienced enough to exercise her the way Brian has, and the way Tony does his. Sometimes I feel a little embarrassed to own such a boat that has had such adventure and brought Brian home from places I would only see in nightmares--to be the follow-on owner after Brian/FISHNFF--like I'm using the starship Enterprise as a water taxi.
Tony, your series of "big swell" pics is a staple for me that I often refer back to.
-Peter
FISHNFF posted 03-29-2012 06:42 PM ET (US)
That quote was taken out of context.
Yes. The tabs allowed me to get the entire boat out of the water. The motor trim pushed the bow up, and the tabs got the stern up.
No measurements, but that's totally how it felt.
The tabs would have worked more efficiently mounted further from the centerline, but I wanted to have the tabs upper mount secured on the reinforced transom area.
Tony, those pics are great. Photos never do rough water justice, so those pics were from a "big lump" day!
Peter. Hope you're putting some hours on the boat and some fish over the gunnels! I know how you said your 13 is so much easier to use. Just pick up the tongue, walk it over and hook it up! That 17 was set up to easily launch and retrieve The 18 Outrage (also with Lenco's), is a totally different boat than the 17.
FISHNFF
barnacle posted 04-07-2012 12:08 AM ET (US)
Powering my sport with a Honda 90 caused a big change to a 850 pound boat. I hardly ever use the trim button in the gulf. I moved the 12 gallon gas tank to the center. Maybe tabs would help a light boat like that
fishinchips posted 04-08-2012 05:42 PM ET (US)
brian (fishnff) and allan (fisher801),
You guys are only a few blocks away from each other.
ken

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Montauk Trim Tabs
fisher801	posted 03-23-2012 02:59 AM ET (US) [Solicits] suggestions or [observations] of trim tabs on a Montauk 17.
Teak Oil	posted 03-23-2012 07:01 AM ET (US) In 7 years of owning a Montauk I never felt that I needed tabs. In rough water you need to work the throttles a bit to keep the boat from becoming airborn, but I don't think tabs would benefit that hull any
pcrussell50	posted 03-24-2012 12:14 AM ET (US) My 1998 model has them. In my use I don't need them, but the previous owner, CWW member FISHNFF/Brian, used to cover long distances, as much as 60-miles off shore (!) He installed them. I forgot his exact reasoning, but it had something to do with getting a better ride in a quartering sea.--Peter
pcrussell50	posted 03-24-2012 12:17 AM ET (US) I see you're from San Fran--so is Brian. He's a SUPER hardcore fisherman. -Peter
jimh	posted 03-24-2012 07:26 PM ET (US) Trim tab installation on a MONTAUK is rare in my observations.
Tohsgib	posted 03-26-2012 01:38 PM ET (US) Not necessary on a 6' beam boat. If she is listing move over 6".
pcrussell50	posted 03-26-2012 04:09 PM ET (US) Just guessing here as to why Brian/FISHNFF put trim tabs on his, (now mine): Maybe he had a heavy bait tank set up off centerline. I'm pretty sure he mostly used it solo--at least when he went far offshore with it. -Peter
Teak Oil	posted 03-26-2012 09:21 PM ET (US) Trim tabs will definitely help keep the boat from launching off large swells and wave peaks, even on a Montauk. On the way back from Beaver Island in 2005 it got a little dicey and I had to really work the throttle to keep from becoming airborne in the solid 4-5 footers we came back in. However if you plan to go out in those conditions very often, you dont want a Montauk in the first place.
fisher801	posted 03-27-2012 02:37 AM ET (US) Interesting comments...I think I'll hold off the trim tabs for my Montauk then
whale	posted 03-28-2012 01:44 PM ET (US) with the heavier 4 strokes on the back, you might want to consider tabs on montauks.
elaelap	posted 03-28-2012 04:55 PM ET (US) What a different world! You guys are (rightfully!) challenged by four/five foot waves, steep and nasty. Out here literally scores of smaller Whalers -- and truth be told, all kinds of other watercraft less than twenty feet or so in length -- head out without great difficulty or danger every day into our common northern California Pacific 6-12 foot swells, depending upon the steepness of the waves. Our NOAA reports often show swell sizes in those heights with wind waves/"white caps" of four or five feet on top of the swells...then we have to take care, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's unfishable. Some day I'll get a chance to experience cruising the beautiful Great Lakes in a Whaler. In the meantime, any of you midwest CW members who might want to check out the Pacific north of San Francisco, just give a call or email a couple of days before you arrive, and we'll try to get you out on the water. Tony
elaelap	posted 03-28-2012 05:09 PM ET (US) Here's a thread with a bunch of photos from a couple of years ago. No trim tabs on my then new-to-me 1982 Montauk powered by a 70 hp Suzuki four stroke outboard. No problem whatsoever in 15-17 foot swells (though as I said above, it's a different world!). http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/019136.html Tony
Teak Oil	posted 03-28-2012 07:47 PM ET (US) Tony Lake Superior usually has a light swell to it, up to a couple of feet, and occasionally Lake Michigan will have a swell also. Over here you really need to watch the wind changes, once you get a change you can have 4 foot whitecaps in no time at all, and six footers may not be that far behind. You are just going to have make time for a trip out here. I am sure you would have more offers for rides than you could possibly manage. I personally have never been boating on the ocean, and thus have the same dilemma as you.
weekendwarrior	posted 03-29-2012 10:28 AM ET (US) Tabs would be great for keeping the bow down for a smoother ride in choppy water when you have a full bait tank towards the rear. I often wish I had them in this situation.
FISHNFF	posted 03-29-2012 10:33 AM ET (US) I put Lenco trim tabs on my (previous) 1998 Alert/Montauk with a 2000 Merc 90 4-stroke for the following reasons. Adjusting the motor trim going into steep swells and heavy wind would keep the bow up to keep from taking heavy spray over the bow, but the boat would tend to launch off the wave tops and get air, with a rough landing following. Using the trim tabs would allow me to get the entire boat higher out of the water, keeping the bow up, yet level to the water so it would not leap off the tops. Another reason is frequently we would run around the Bay where a strong cross wind would cause spray to come over the windward side. By tilting the boat away from that side, the bottom of the hull, the V, would cut the windchop better, and the reverse chine would k ock the spray down better. You really need to be in the boat under these conditions to really appreciate the tabs. This commercial hull, set up with fuel/batteries forward and the big Merc on the back sits lower in the water, and does give a better ride. Every person who I've taken out who have ridden in other Montauks have commented how solid it rode. Hope you're having fun with it Peter! FISHNFF
FISHNFF	posted 03-29-2012 11:23 AM ET (US) I put Lenco trim tabs on my (previous) 1998 Alert/Montauk with a 2000 Merc 90 4-stroke for the following reasons. Adjusting the motor trim going into steep swells and heavy wind would keep the bow up to keep from taking heavy spray over the bow, but the boat would tend to launch off the wave tops and get air, with a rough landing following. Using the trim tabs would allow me to get the entire boat higher out of the water, keeping the bow up, yet level to the water so it would not leap off the tops. Another reason is frequently we would run around the Bay where a strong cross wind would cause spray to come over the windward side. By tilting the boat away from that side, the bottom of the hull, the V, would cut the windchop better, and the reverse chine would k ock the spray down better. You really need to be in the boat under these conditions to really appreciate the tabs. This commercial hull, set up with fuel/batteries forward and the big Merc on the back sits lower in the water, and does give a better ride. Every person who I've taken out who have ridden in other Montauks have commented how solid it rode. Hope you're having fun with it Peter! FISHNFF
Tohsgib	posted 03-29-2012 01:08 PM ET (US) "Using the trim tabs would allow me to get the entire boat higher out of the water, keeping the bow up, yet level to the water so it would not leap off the tops" Trim tabs can NOT move the bow up. They are designed to bring the bow down only. You would use your engine trim to raise the bow. With my boat I will raise the drive to get the bow up and start to porpoise, then tap the tabs down a bit to stop the porpoising. This allows for light steering and a good bow high ride but no porpoising. I had a "heavy" 4 stroke on my 2 17's and I felt no need whatsoever to put tabs on the boat. Tabs again are for leveling the load(usually side to side) which is easily done on a 16.5' boat that weighs 950lbs with a 13 degree deadrise or so. This however is not easily done on my 22.5' Donzi that weighs 3400, has a long bow with no access, a 454 in the stern and a 24 degree deadrise.
elaelap	posted 03-29-2012 02:25 PM ET (US) Trust me, Nick, Brian/FISHNFF knows what he's doing, at least for conditions out here. As I think you remember, I also run a Montauk with a relatively heavy (Suzuki DF70) four stroke motor on my Montauk, and I've never had the slightest inclination to add trim tabs, but I trust Brian's assertion that they might well be an improvement for our particular conditions. BTW, I sure wish Brian or Peter (the boat's new owner) would post some detailed photos. That Alert, spec'd out by Brian and ordered new by him from the Brunswick commercial division, is the sweetest 16'7" Boston Whaler I've ever seen in person. I'm so pissed at myself for not buying it for full asking price right from under Peter, since he asked me to check it out for him (he lives in Santa Barbara and the boat was for sale in San Francisco), and he didn't get up to the Bay Area to close the deal for a week or so after I -- grudgingly -- gave him my report about the beautiful craft. As nice as it gets, trust me, with all kinds of cool commercial options, and Brian's asking price was more than fair. Damn!! Tony
pcrussell50	posted 03-29-2012 04:07 PM ET (US) I assure you, I'm tickled pink to own this boat, even though I am far from experienced enough to exercise her the way Brian has, and the way Tony does his. Sometimes I feel a little embarrassed to own such a boat that has had such adventure and brought Brian home from places I would only see in nightmares--to be the follow-on owner after Brian/FISHNFF--like I'm using the starship Enterprise as a water taxi. Tony, your series of "big swell" pics is a staple for me that I often refer back to. -Peter
FISHNFF	posted 03-29-2012 06:42 PM ET (US) That quote was taken out of context. Yes. The tabs allowed me to get the entire boat out of the water. The motor trim pushed the bow up, and the tabs got the stern up. No measurements, but that's totally how it felt. The tabs would have worked more efficiently mounted further from the centerline, but I wanted to have the tabs upper mount secured on the reinforced transom area. Tony, those pics are great. Photos never do rough water justice, so those pics were from a "big lump" day! Peter. Hope you're putting some hours on the boat and some fish over the gunnels! I know how you said your 13 is so much easier to use. Just pick up the tongue, walk it over and hook it up! That 17 was set up to easily launch and retrieve The 18 Outrage (also with Lenco's), is a totally different boat than the 17. FISHNFF
barnacle	posted 04-07-2012 12:08 AM ET (US) Powering my sport with a Honda 90 caused a big change to a 850 pound boat. I hardly ever use the trim button in the gulf. I moved the 12 gallon gas tank to the center. Maybe tabs would help a light boat like that
fishinchips	posted 04-08-2012 05:42 PM ET (US) brian (fishnff) and allan (fisher801), You guys are only a few blocks away from each other. ken