Smart Tab Installation Updated with Pics

[kobe]

Figured I would share the results of this install. Before the install my boat had a serious bow wander at low speed especially coming to the dock. So bad in fact that I must have looked pretty incompetent when docking. I installed the tabs Friday evening in less than an hour and splashed the boat yesterday afternoon.

There were several immediate noticeable changes such as...

1. Bow wander was completely eliminated, boat tracks straight and true.
2. Decreased bow lift because the hole shot is faster
3. Much better stability in turns, wake walking (passing another boat) stays nice and level
4. Low speed handling, no wake zone is awesome

I must also say that before this, my boat did have a significant bow rise on take off but still had one hell of a hole shot and jumped on plane and handled like a corvette in the turns but it did tend to side hop a bit when wake walking.

Overall I am extremely satisfied with the tabs... Especially since for the first time I have full and complete control of the boat at low speeds. Will try to post a couple of pics later, on my iPad here now

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Appreciate you posting the results. I have to go along a narrow channel at idle speed to get to my dock and keeping the boat in a straight line is next to impossible! I've been thinking of installing Smart tabs this fall when I pull the boat out of the water so your update gives me hope!!

 

[jayhanig]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

I have been *very* pleased with the results of my stainless Smart Tabs, which echo yours. No more bow wander and I slingshot out of the hole.

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Did you go with the stainless (ST) or composite (SX) ?

 

[kobe]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Did you go with the stainless (ST) or composite (SX) ?

Stainless

 

[generator12]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

I have been *very* pleased with the results of my Smart Tabs, which echo yours. No more bow wander and I slingshot out of the hole.

Same here. Installed the composites on my 17 foot Winns bowrider and saw improvement in handling at all speeds.

 

[kobe]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Same here. Installed the composites on my 17 foot Winns bowrider and saw improvement in handling at all speeds.

I still have to adjust them for the next time out - boat seemed a little bow heavy at speed, gonna drop them back one hole (lighter) and see if that brings her up a bit

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

What is that busted up looking thing on the transom?

 

[kobe]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

What is that busted up looking thing on the transom?

That would be the busted fish finder transducer mount - the transducer is zip tied to the cable above. Don't have a clue how it broke - pulled the boat out a couple of weekends ago and there it was all busted up. waiting for a new mount to come in.

 

[nlain]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Good looking install, you really had to pack them in. They are worth every penny you paid for them and then some. When I got mine there were a couple things I was a little skeptical of, fuel savings being one of them. My normal run from my dock to the beach area is of course the same every time, I use about 1 1/2 gallons less gas on that run now than before I put Smart Tabs on, so they have repaid my expense several times now.

 

[TJDave]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Nice Job!

I can say I love my Smart Tabs. I have owned and installed both types and they both performed great. SX on my previous 18', and Stainless on my current 20' V8 open-bow. No low speed wander, bow rise all but eliminated.
I also noticed fuel savings right away with the 20' boat with the quick planing time.

 

[kobe]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

one thing I did notice though was change in the wake, more so in the initial spray from the transom - appears to be more turbulent, granted it is a flat spray but appears to be messy. the clean wake line from before the install in the picture below has a lot of turbulence in it now. is this normal or is there too much drag which I think may be?? I will take another pic next time out to compare old and new wakes.

 

[kobe]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

anyone have an opinion or experience on known changes in the spray patter after tab install?... thx...

 

[WD40.1]

Re: Smart Tab Installation

Re: Smart Tab Installation

anyone have an opinion or experience on known changes in the spray patter after tab install?...
I can help with that.
I've had the Smart Tabs on our boat for a few weeks now.
(Still need to get some pics up)
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=566870

As far as the spray coming off the transom, I too noticed it's not as smooth as it used to be.
I've moved the tabs up one setting to decrease the pressure which helped a bit,
but will most likely move them to hole #1 the next outing.
I think the spray would be less affected if the tabs were mounted flush with the hull versus 1/2" up.
Due to that, they still angle down slightly when on plane which causes that spray.
However, I'm not about to move them and drill more holes to find out if that's true or not.

Back to the wake...
It's tons better than it used to be before the tabs for slalom skiing.
Flatter, and not nearly the ramp it used to have.
I can cut much faster across the wake than I used to and I don't launch into the sky and land on the opposite side anymore.

 

[MidwestBoater]

Very old post, but I have the same boat. What tabs were those?

 

[jbcurt00]

Very old post, but I have the same boat. What tabs were those?

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