Shim for Trim Tabs

[reference123]

I am trying to install some 22 inch Bennett trim tabs and my transom curves inward at about the 14 inch mark to the point that there is roughly 3/4 of an inch gap by the time I hit the end of the tabs. Bennett strongly recommended I dont downsize to the 12 inch but rather make a shim.
The didnt give much more help on what to use for the shim.

My local boat shop wont install them because they will not make a shim.

Can anyone recommend a good material to make the shim out of. I have access to a professional wood shop and so if it is something that can be cut using wood related saws that would be great.

I need the starting block to be 3 inches wide and around 12 inches long with a depth of probably 1 inch to start with.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

 

[pjrogers]

Re: Shim for Trim Tabs

Wood, on the outside of the hull? Maybe a great big hunk of teak (big b/c you don't want it splitting at the bolt holes) would do. A better solution would be to have a machine shop fabricate a pair of fittings out of heavy gauge stainless steel. Those would be less likely to rot, crack, or compress.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Shim for Trim Tabs

you could have someone machine something, but if you have on hand or can get easily, perhaps make / mold something out of epoxy resin blended with chopped and ground glass, milled fiber, or whatever of this nature you have on hand. You could go ahead and mix pigment in with it (usually can get at boat store) to get to a color similar to your hull and then if it's not a perfect fit right off the bat, touch it up on the belt sander or by hand... That's just what I would do considering what's easy, can be done with easily obtainable materials and will be strong enough that I only have to do it once.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Shim for Trim Tabs

I would suggest that you contact your builder and aks them how they deal with the problem.

Otherwise I have to agree with the previous poster and say build one from glass

 

[reference123]

Re: Shim for Trim Tabs

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I am hoping for a recommendation of some type of resin or plastic block that can be cut or shaped using wood cutting tools.

I dont want to go with any type of wood. I just wondered if someone knew of some resin or plastic that comes in blocks that would work well for this type of application.

It is going on a Rinker and they dont use the trim tabs so they are not any help.

Thanks

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Shim for Trim Tabs

may something out of starboard.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Shim for Trim Tabs

if you buy marine epoxy and ground or chopped glass, mix them up, shape them like you want, they'll harden into a very tough, high strength plastic composit that you can further shape with woodworking tools (belt sander would be great. If you make them a little bigger than the area of contact for the trim tab you'll be able to distribute the force better. They won't split, rot or crack under the kind of force you're going to encounter. As the poster above mentioned, the boat builder would have been the best soutrce of info, but absent that, resin and glass seems like the best combination.