2010 Q7 Smart tab install

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

I did the install as directed in the smart tabs instructions. I did not consider that the transom on the boat is angled inward. It probably does increase the angle. Q7idrvr, how did you chance the angle during the install? Was it via the hole you put the actuator in? Or did you change the angle you installed the bracket? If the latter is the answer, how did you do that? Same question to Whitey224.
I have been extremely impressed with Greg at Nauticus. THis is how customers should be treated!! BTW, he is sending me both the 60's and the 40's! I will send back the ones that don't work. Unfortunately, I probably won't get to thy them before our boating vacation, so I will do it at the lake we are going to, Houghton Lake, MI.

I mounted the bottom bracket then used an angle measuring tool to set the 25 degrees. I held the actuator with the top bracket against the masking tape while measuring. Once I had 25 degrees, I used a sharpie to make dots in the actuator screw holes. It did take me about awhile side marked. I was a little anal about it. I wish I counted how many times I measured. I didn't want to screw it up!!!

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

I taped two carpenter pencils to the bottom of boat to measure equal distance up from bottom 1/4"

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Good pic showing the location of bottom bracket position mounted.



I am letting the tab hang naturally in this pic. About 43 degrees. This view of transom shows just how steep the transom angle is...



I am holding the tab at 25 degrees after measure angle from bottom of boat.



Installation complete.

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

On a side note... When I drilled the top bracket holes for port tab, after removing drill bit from freshly drilled hole, I had a stream of water draining from the hole for a bout 45 sec. Nice little surprise. Need to find how the water's getting in there!!!! I've done some pretty extensive troubleshooting on that... Anyone have any suggestions???

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

I guess I owe my high school geometry teacher an apology. After reading the post above, I did not consider the angle of the transom.
View attachment 151896
As you can see, it has an inward slope in relation to the bottom of the boat. This caused my install to increase the angle from the recommended 25 degrees to over 50 degrees. No wonder I couldn't get the boat to go any faster. It was like having a drift sock behind the boat. I made a jig as stated by Whitey224 as such:
View attachment 151897

When held in place all I would have needed to do is mount the actuator bracket higher in order for it to hold the tab at the correct 25 degree angle. What I am goint to do at this point is wait on the lighter actuators and install them and see if it works. It not, I will have to move the top actuator bracket higher. I really hate doing that since there will be another set of holes to contend with!

The piece of wood is exactly what you needed to strt with. Mine actually came with a template like that on a peice of paper. I transferred it over to a piece of cardboard. Mounted the tabs across the bottom edge a 1/4 inch up and then used the template to get the angle right to mount the actuators in the right place.

Unfortunately you will definately need to change the angle of these tabs, they are not going to work properly if not installed properly. You can fill the holes with 5200 until you can do a proper fiberglass repair where you have already mounted the actuator mounts to the transom.

 

[PrinceValium]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Ok I see what you guys are saying now. I think Nauticus should revise their procedure to inform people about the possibility of a inward angle transom like we have.

So after setting the correct 25 deg. angle how are the tabs working?

 

[dhildebrand]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Well I called Greg at Nauticus and he told me the same as all of you: I will need to move the top bracket up while holding the actuator in place to achieve the desired 25 degree angle. Any of the actuators will bottom out and not allow the tab to come up and out of the water. After a while of gnashing my teeth about having extra holes on my boat. I when out and moved them! I am curious still about the 80 lb actuators. I will be taking the 60's with me. Greg felt that the 60's would probably work best. I filled the holes with 5200 and extra screws on a temporary basis until I get back from vacation.

On a side note, I too had a small amount of water leak from one hole on the port side when I removed the screws. PLEASE let us know if you find a cause for there this water is getting in.

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Was that all fiberglass only back there? No wood right?

You guys had dry bilges? Yet water came out of 'somewhere'?

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Was that all fiberglass only back there? No wood right?

Yes. Bilge was dry. I believe the Q7 transom and area forward of transom was redesigned in 2009 or 2010. I have a 2010 and my transom is definitly difererent than the 2008. I'm pretty sure the area where water came out is filled with styrofoam or something similar. Thanks to smart phones I have a video of the stream of water. Tried to upload but I could not get it to. I need to create a YouTube account and then I'll lost a link.

Anyway, I believe I read somewhere that the Tahoe Q7i is all fiberglass. No wood. Even the stringers are suppose to all fiberglass....

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Also... The swim deck compartments were redesigned at some point. There's a drain tube from the small ice chest-like compartment on my swim deck that is routed into the bilge area to a thru transom port. I never put anything in that compartment so I don't believe that is the source, unless I have a back flow from the transom port with a leak in the tube somewhere...

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Yeah min has the same deck compartment and drain tube connection (can see pretty well if you get your head in the engine compartment. hmmm odd...

I saw for my boat on their website "Fiberglass Stringers" in the specs...

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Yeah min has the same deck compartment and drain tube connection (can see pretty well if you get your head in the engine compartment. hmmm odd...

I saw for my boat on their website "Fiberglass Stringers" in the specs...

I'm hoping I can get tracker to send me some sort of description the boat. May some sort of cut-away drawing. There are several mods I'd like to make. One being the bang of fiberglass agains fiberglass going across waves. I'd like to shoot some sort of foam filler or sound dampening to make the boat more solid. Just a thought. Not sure if that would be recommended though...

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Let us know if you have any success.... would be great info for any boat owner.

Seems to me that 'fiberglass clanking' - is coming more directly from the dash area.

 

[PrinceValium]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

BoatDrinksQ5...have you begin the LED light project??

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Yeah - i'll try to post a little summary of it tonight

Edit: Got it done - checkout link in my signature

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Let us know if you have any success.... would be great info for any boat owner.

Seems to me that 'fiberglass clanking' - is coming more directly from the dash area.

I do know that the most common cause is the deck pad under the drivers feet is one source. The fiberglass the my feet rest on while driving bangs on a piece under the layer. There's another sub-layer below. Then below that is the stringer and hull. Like I said... Don't know if that would be advisable because that would make any future repairs (if anything ever got damaged under there) pretty difficult with foam "filler" prayed in all the voids. Tracker has a reason for not doing it. If it was just a cost thing, then I'll probably do it it would definitely give the boat a more solid ride. Would have to be careful though, due to the under deck draining of water from forward area of boat. I believe this hull is consider self bailing, except it doesn't actually drain overboard. Just to the bilge area.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

My noise comes from the plastic dash moving against the fiberglass right behind the drivers
cupholder. I am going to file it down someday but for now a small piece of plastic jammed in there stopped the noise.

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

My noise comes from the plastic dash moving against the fiberglass right behind the drivers
cupholder. I am going to file it down someday but for now a small piece of plastic jammed in there stopped the noise.

Racr,
Can you post a pic of where you "jammed" in the piece of plastic.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Yes I will when I get home but it is only one inch to the right of the cup holder. If you take the cupholder out you can flex the plastic and get a small gap to insert something in there. I have a really small file I might can squeeze in there but anything to keep it from rubbing will help.

 

[Q7idrvr]

Re: 2010 Q7 Smart tab install

Yes I will when I get home but it is only one inch to the right of the cup holder. If you take the cupholder out you can flex the plastic and get a small gap to insert something in there. I have a really small file I might can squeeze in there but anything to keep it from rubbing will help.

I'll take a look at it when I get my boat back. It's getting 20 break in service done. There was a three week wait. Long line ahead of me. Sounds like a job for the dremel...