i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

phatmanmike · May 16, 2005

yep, thats right. ive been harking on em for so long now, bad mouthing em in all the forums, and whining and complaining about all the "free advertising" nautijohn is getting..... well i laid down 192.00 and had them shipped. got them tonight, everything is there (but they are missing one 1/4 x 20 nut) i will be installing them on a 2o foot center console fishing machine. boat: 1984 sport craft 20'2 center console motor: 1991 omc 225hp "sea drive" most of the people i see on here that have these trim tabs usually have them on bass boats or have them on smaller freshwater boats. i havent seen anybody yet use them on larger saltwater boats, as saltwater is where my boat is going to be used 99.9.9.9.9.9% of the time. right now i cant plane the boat at anything less than 3500-3800rpms without plowing, so we will see what it does now. i will post back by wednesday to report my findings. have an ice day

Realgun · May 16, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Hurry up we want to know if you can palne that thing slower than 3200 rpm.

stevens · May 16, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Congratulations! I think you'll be happy with them. You may have to adjust the lower bracket to get exactly the right pressure for your boat. At the recommended midway start point, mine were a bit too strong, resulting in a bit of high speed drag and porpoising if I trimmed the engine too far out. The adjustment took care of this, and things are now just fine. I have them on my 21' daycruiser, where they do just what promised. For pictures of my type of boat, see: http://www.ibizaboats.no/baater.php?type=touring&gruppeid=491&navn=21touring&galleri=181 and: http://home.broadpark.no/~ssjoborg/ I'm in saltwater too; be sure to fit zinc anodes on the tabs as directed. Also, the strips of sealant foam that come with the tabs are probably just fine, but I felt a lot better about sealing the screw holes properly with Sikaflex. I was a bit uneasy with the thought of 14 new holes below the water line, but feel safer now. I look forward to hearing if the Smart Tabs live up to your expectations.

LubeDude · May 17, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Oh boy, this could be as good as an oil thread.

stevens · May 17, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

I guess nobody is as eager as the recent convert, huh? When I quit smoking a few years ago, it was the same thing; must have been unbearable for the others.

vipzach · May 17, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

I am curious to hear your results. Most people seem to like them. My local Bass Pro had some on the shelf Sat, I walked around with them for quite awhile, until I talked myself out of them.

ufm82 · May 17, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

myoutboards- I am running them on a 19' center console with a 150 on the back- they will help you. I'll assume you bought the 1290 package? I no longer see much bowrise at all- I simply increase the throttle and I am on plane. I don't have to wait for the bow to "break over"- it just stays down in the first place. I can run on plane, at 2200 RPM now- My speedo barely registers I'm running so slow. The low speed ride is 100% improved- it used to plow. Also, the #1 best thing about the tabs? I no longer have any no-wake-zone wandering. That used to drive me nuts- but no longer. I track straight and true and that is a real pleasure. You'll like them. If you don't admit any improvement, you'll be lying. UFM82

phatmanmike · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

ok here is the deal. they are placed on my boat, just about a foot or maybe ten inches in from each side. when im cruising along, i get a LOT of spray on my motor, from the tabs, and a constant rooster tail about 3 feet high and ten feet long, right in the middle of my two wakes( one on each side of boat) and now when i slow down from on plane, it swamps the motor MUCH worse than it did before. this is why i bought them, cause my azz end sat so low in the water that my motor, cowl and all, would just get swamped. now its worse. it comes ALL THE WAY OVER THE TOP of my v6 cowl hood. BUT.... they did improve the low speed planing and cruising speed. now i can easilly cruise at 2800-3200 rpms on full pane and save some gas,just puttering along. i cant tell if they made the boat any faster on the top end, but my rpms can go up to 6200 now, where they only went to about 5800 before with no other changes. they make the boat much nicer to drive and cruise in. maybe if i move them to the VERY outer edges of the hull, they will make a difference? i guess ill have to find out.

LubeDude · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Originally posted by myoutboards: [QB]they are placed on my boat, just about a foot or maybe ten inches in from each side.

Why did you do this? Also, if you didnt place them 1/2" from the bottom, they will spray all over. Me thinks maybe youre funnin us on the Backwash.

phatmanmike · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

i did this because that is what it showed in the instructions. and serisoulsy. im not funning anybody on any backwash, im afraid my motor will ingest water and die. im gonna move them tommorow and try it again. thank goodness for 3M 5200 products! woo hoo

snohomishbaddawg · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Not to sure they will help with the swamping of the motor well coming off of plane, that is not really the purpose of trim tabs (smart tabs or adjustables). I would be looking for ways to shift weight forward by relocating batteries, equipment, washdown pumps or if possible fuel tanks. My boat is a little stern heavy with a kicker motor, fuel tank, etc... but I was able to relocate one of the batteries to the cuddy and that helps, I also have a water storage tank in the cuddy that I fill that helps keep the stern alittle higher.

phatmanmike · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

those things wont work with my boat. i have a 600 pound motor that hangs 2 feet off the back of my boat. fuel tank is a built in 40 gallon in the middle of boat, under the console. as is the battery. its mostly cause of the 600 pounder sea drive unit i have. i figured if i could get the back end of the boat any higher outa the water, at anytime, i would be better off than i was.

LubeDude · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Could you show us a picture??

phatmanmike · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Mahoney · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

From the pic, your tabs should be almost a full length of the trim plate further out from the keel, right where the horizontal part of the hull enters to the V portion.

Mahoney · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Here is a pic of where I place mine http://client.webshots.com/photo/167793117/348955447mudOPU

phatmanmike · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

yes, thats what i am thinking. friday i will remove them and try again. thanks for all the input, fellas

Mahoney · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

Also I recommend rigging up the string trim indicator mentioned in the instructions(I plan on doing that this weekend.) You may have to adjust the pressure lower. Your tabs may still be at a down angle after you get on plane. They should retract even with the water surface once the boat drops on plane. I could see how it would leave more of a rooster tail if they were still digging in the water a bit more than they should.

Jdeagro · May 19, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

myoutboards; I am in VA at hte little creek naval base this week, but wanted to get back to you before you waisted too much time making changes. You should get no back wash when you stop, as the tabs should deploy as the speed is reduced, therby keeping the stern up. The tabs would be better moved out away from the motor for better stability port to starboard. Which tab system did you order and what is the specs on the boat and motor. 600 lbs sounds heavey. The tabs look like the ST980-40, and if so they would be undersize for a motor that wheighs 600 lbs. Call our 800-233-0194 # and ask Kim for my mobile number tomorrow. I do not like the to here that the stern drops when you slow down I need more info from you with regard to other performance issues. Don't worry we will get it correct. No spray and no back wash!

phatmanmike · May 20, 2005

Re: i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

i have these: 17'-22', 150-240HP, 12"X9" Compare at $219.99 Part # ST1290-80 boat: 1984 sport craft 20'2 center console motor: 1991 omc 225hp "sea drive" and the motor is more like 550# the boat is naturally very stern heavy. i believe it came with a v4 but some prior owner has replaced with v6

i broke down and did it... i bought SMART TABS

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