Orca Perfromance fin anyone out there try it before?

shackle101

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Jan 11, 2012
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Anyone got experience with the orca performance fin on I/O mercruiser or a deckboat? They make the bold claim of being better than trim tabs, but my concern is wouldn't it put stress on the trim/gimbel like most hydrofoils? I wonder if there is any true evidence of this added stress claim anyways. Obviously it has to put more pressure on the lower unit, but is it really enough to cause damage?

http://unclenormsmarineproducts.com/...erformance-fin
 

JoLin

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How big and heavy is the boat? IMO, I'd use tabs over a fin on any size boat, but Smart Tabs and the similar Bennetts are only suitable for boats up to a certain size and weight. Bigger/heavier boats need adjustable tabs..
 

shackle101

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I ordered smart tabs.. Some reason I was thinking I needed the hydraulic tabs and wasn't too excited about installing those. I went with the Nauticus SX10512-90 for my 21 1/2 foot Tahoe deckboat with 4.3 mercruiser MPI. The beam is like 102 so hopefully these will work fine.
 
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JASinIL2006

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Nauticus has outstanding customer service, so if you have questions about adjustment or placement, don't be afraid to check with them. They are extremely helpful! My SmartTabs made a world of difference.
 

shackle101

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So can any of you guys tell me about where I need to put the trim tabs with this hull design? If I put it all the way on the ends it won't have enough room for the shocks. I figure it may need to go under the 2nd up as far up as possible. Maybe someone can take these pictures and MSPaint them to give me a better idea?

Thanks!
 

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JASinIL2006

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I was able to put my SmartTabs under the bump-outs on my boat, but my bump-outs are rounded; I don't know if that would make much of a difference. I'd email those pics to Nauticus and let them tell you if their tabs would work on that hull style.
 

shackle101

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Gotcha they are gone for the day was hoping to get them on this afternoon. According to this like as it's not really close the the lower unit you should be good, but I'm not sure.
 

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JASinIL2006

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Yeah, the further from the prop the better, but you may be able to use a slightly heavier cylinder to get a bit more lift from the tabs. With mine (and others here on iboats), I was able to trade my shocks for a different size when I found the originals were too stiff. Like I said, great customer support....
 
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