posted 09-17-2003 10:51 PM ET (US)        

Now for my question. My boat does not have trim tabs. Do I need them? I don't think I have enough experience to tell. I can’t tell if I pop up on plane fast enough or can stay on plane at slow speeds. I am inclined to get them installed during my 20 hr scheduled maintenance. I guess I would like to know if this is a reasonable thing to do or am I wasting my money. The reason I am thinking of the trim tabs is because every picture I have seen of a 220 Dauntless it has trim tabs on it.

I would appreciate any and all feed back.

Thanks

Florida Flyer

posted 09-18-2003 07:44 PM ET (US)            

You can trim the bow down so that the fine entry on the bow cuts the waves instead of hitting smack on the flatter aft portion of the hull.

You can many times reduce your planing speed by forcing the bow down so the boat runs flatter at lower speed.

You can correct for side to side list.

You can eliminate porpoising.

You can independently adjust motor trim and hull attitude.

You can improve your hole shot by forcing the bow down and come out of the hole very fast.

The tabs will make your boat seem to ride like a much larger boat.

I think tabs are a benefit on almost any boat but over 18' they are really pretty much a great idea.

The two major brands are Lenco (electric) and Bennett (Hydraulic). I personally prefer the Lenco's because they are easier to install, there is less hardware and no oil. Bennett is renowned for their customer service (but I have to tell you Lenco is terrific too).

Make sure you get the largest tab you can accomodate. A larger tab requires much less deflection to get the same result (less drag).

posted 09-18-2003 07:50 PM ET (US)            

As you use the boat, ask yourself in different situations how you would use the trim tabs if they were installed. If you are like most, you will continue to learn more about your boat and how to operate it every time you go out. I tell people that I learn something new about boats every time I go out in one.

posted 09-18-2003 11:09 PM ET (US)            

I think the advice to wait a bit, learn the boat and then decice is great advice.

posted 10-05-2003 10:40 PM ET (US)            

I put Lenco's on my Dauntless 15 late this summer. The problem I have is that the waters I boat on are pretty rough from boat traffic and I have had a hard time getting the boat attitude adjusted properly to the waves. I can do it by trimming the motor all the way in but then she steers hard and the motor sounds like it is laboring a bit. My wife has a hard time with a hard ride and a softer ride is better for both our aging backs. Hence the trim tab experiment.

So, I installed the tabs after talking with both the Lenco and Bennet guys. I went with the Lenco's just because my console is full enough with two batteries and other stuff, and Lenco's have the simpler installation.

Well, today, I got the chance to finally really evaluate them. Flat calm with moderate boat traffic leaving totally flat water interspersed with wakes. Qualitatively they really improved the ride but I didn't have just the right conditions to test them out. Today I did.

When up they don't take away anything from the top end.

When I trim the motor up to the point where the steering is very neutral (about 25% or so up), The bow may or may not be in the right attitude to take the waves/wakes. With the tabs, I can adjust this until I can comfortably take almost anything without varying the speed much at all.

From full up to full down, the boat never handles unpredictably. Even if I make a fast change in the tabs. It isn't that dramatic.

I had a tendency to porpoise at about 35-30mph. With tabs, this can be completely eliminated. I can also trim the motor way up for low drag and traverse this speed range with no porpoising. When I go out of this range at the top end, I can put the tabs all the way up for lowest drag configuration. If I go to high, a quick zap on the tabs stops any bouncing at all.

The tabs have allowed me to keep a planing attitude at much slower speeds - I can adjust it so that I basically don't get the high nose up plowing attitude. I can pretty much keep the boat on a plane at down to about 14-15mph. Without the tabs, down to 19-18mph. THis is great for handling big chop and keeping the boat riding at fuel saving plane instead of plowing along.

Overall, the ride improved dramatically, the boat has now a ride that more closely resembles a larger boat - maybe 18 -20' instead of a 15'. Not in all respects, but in the softness with which I can take larger chop. It helps hugely to get the nose of the boat down so the fine entry takes the waves. However, I can do this without having to put the lower unit in such a position that the motor is really trying to push the stern up (inefficient), I can keep the prop aimed in the direction of travel (least torque in stering). The engine seems to run with less load ~ 100rpm higher - it just plan sounds better.

Also nice that now the boat attitude and the motor attitude are somewhat decoupled - i.e. the trim tabs have a larger effect on the hull attitude than does the motor trim. This means that I can adjust the hull attitude to the seaway and then adjust the motor trim for easiest sterring or least drag or whatever.

So, I don't know if I totally agree with putting them on a canoe, ;-) but they are a pretty nifty accessory, They have really extended my control over the boat, my planing range, passenger comfort in a range of wave/wake conditions.

Thinking about this in retrospect, I wouldn't have truly been able to understand the difference if I hadn't had the boat for a while first. Understanding how she handles is pretty important for understanding how to make the tabs manage the boat.

So, count me a trim tab fan.

J

posted 01-08-2004 09:10 PM ET (US)            

Another reason to keep it is that the Turbo Lift really quiets down the exhaust noise of the motor. It sort of 'caps' the exhaust and keeps it in more solid water (my qualitative explanation).

The last thing is that I don't think a Turbo Lift has any significant drag if you properly adjust the engine height after installation. The TL runs at the surface of the water, the interface between the air and the water. So, once on a plane, there should be not much drag. That would prevent having to trim the tabs down to get going faster each time I came off a plane.

What I know is that the way my boat is set up now, I can comfortably run it in water that it really might be too small for otherwise due to wake conditions.