Well, I joined the seemingly growing club of boat owners adding Smart Tabs to their boats. I undertook the very scary task of drilling holes in my hull to install them this very weekend. Here is my report of the procedure. <br /><br /> After laying out all the parts and determining that everything was there, I assembled the tabs as directed. That was simple and straightforward- no surprises. I was pleasantly surprised to see just how heavy the tabs are- the tabs are thick stainless and the hinges and hardware seem to be up to the task. After assembly, I feel that they will handle the abuse of being dragged in the water very well. <br /><br /> I used the templates provided, although I did transfer the paper tab template onto a piece of cardboard for ease of use. I evaluated the transom to find the ideal location and of course, my swim ladder bracket was right in the way. I decided that something had to give and it was the ladder. 1 hour later and with the proper mods made to the swim ladder, I continued on. I marked the depth of the holes to be drilled with tape on the drill bit and gritted my teeth. After the first hole was drilled, my stress level dropped a lot. (I already made one hole- what's 13 more? LOL) I followed the directions on the installation and everything went as described. One thing I did find that wasn't really spelled out well in the directions was the chmaferrring of the screw holes. My first attempt at installing a screw resulted in a 1/2 " crack in the gelcoat. I winced a bit and tried chamferring a bit more and that solved that problem. I wound up cutting a chamfer all the way through the gelcoat. It's hard to explain but the tip of the chamferring bit started to touch fiberglass, if that makes any sense. After doing the holes like this, I had no further crack problems. I continued to install screws until all were in. I found out that my transom is extremely solid- I had to use a 3/8" ratchet with a #3 Phillips bit to turn the screws in; a screwdriver wouldn't do it. I was worried that simply being screwed into the fiberglass wouldn't be enough, especially after feeling the strength of the 80lb cylinders. I once again found that John has done a good job- these things are rock-solid. I believe they will hold up very well. <br /><br /> All in all, a fairly simple install. I do agree with one of the magazine reviews however when they say that the 1 hour install time is a little optimistic. However, if you do these as a profession, I have no doubt that a trained mechanic could do this in an hour. They really were simple. <br /><br /> Now I am just awaiting the opportunity to try them out to see what their effect will be. I'l' check back in when that happens. <br /><br />Thanks John! Seems like a great product!<br /><br />UFM82
