Chuck Jones
Recruit
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2012
- Messages
- 1
This is my first post so please bear with me. I have gone thru the search function and looked at the various posts regarding different manufacturers and pros/cons with products like Smart Tabs and Bennet etc. so I don't want you to think I'm asking a question that's been answered before and that a little search would have answered.
I have a 19' Arima Sea Ranger with a hard top, cuddy cabin and open cockpit in back. I'm running a 150 Yamaha, 4 blade s/s performance prop and a 9.9 Yahmaha kicker mounted on a hydraulic lift on the starboard side. The lift sets the kicker back about 2 feet when fully extended and dropped to the water. When raised, the kicker cowling sits about 2.5' over the top of the transom.
My problem is that when I'm running at about 25 mph, the boat starts listing to starboard. I can't figure if it's the weight of the kicker hanging back over the transom, or wind hitting the raised kicker combined with the torque of the engine which, depending upon rotation, has a tendency to list some boats to starboard. If I give it throttle and go to 40 or 50 mph, I can straighten it out and it planes nicely....but I'm sucking gas like crazy. The boat has a 50 gallon gas tank that sits in an enclosed area next to the transom which can add some weight as well as two big batteries stored in the enclosed port rear storage area.
I want to put on trim tabs, but the Arima hull is configured with a recessed well where the engine sits with about an 11 inch projection on each side. Each of these projections are exactly 10 inches wide and have a slight curvature to them.
I've been back and forth regarding which system to use, but am restricted by needing trim tabs that don't exceed 10 inches in width. Most of them run in the 11 to 12 inch range....however I did find a set of the Smart Tabs that are exactly 9 1/2 inches wide.
Given the length and weight of the boat, what is the collective or individual opinion as to which way I should go? I have no room in the back for a hydraulic pump. The starboard compartment is filled with the remote oil tank (one gallon oil reservoir for the injection system) and the hydraulic pump and "brain" of the TR-1 Autopilot, along with an onboard charger. The port compartment has two large batteries that I can barely squeeze in there. I don't want something mounted out in the open.
One fellow suggested I look at the electrically controlled actuators which don't need a pump, whereas another fellow suggested the Smart Tabs. The downside is what I've read about Smart Tabs being a potential problem when running in reverse. I do a lot of fishing on the Sacramento River, and periodically have to hit reverse to get out of the way of a floating tree, or back into running water from a ramp, or hit reverse when coming into a guest dock in a current that can hit 2-3 or more mph at times. Have those of you who installed the Smart Tabs noticed any problems while backing? I don't imagine there'd be much problem on a lake or static water.
How efficient do you find the Smart Tabs in leveling out a list when running at about 25-30 mph or perhaps a little less? All things considered, I'm very happy with the boat's performance, but the list drives me nuts.
I also have a slight curvature to the 10" area where I would have to mount the trim tabs. I put a straight edge on it and there's about a little more than a 16th inch edge gap on either side of dead center. Do the tabs require an absolutely flat surface to mount to the transom?
Thanking you in advance for any information you might be able to give me so I can get the right set of tabs and resolve a nagging problem. I hope this hasn't been a too long winded explanation. I promise my next one will be shorter.
Chuck
I have a 19' Arima Sea Ranger with a hard top, cuddy cabin and open cockpit in back. I'm running a 150 Yamaha, 4 blade s/s performance prop and a 9.9 Yahmaha kicker mounted on a hydraulic lift on the starboard side. The lift sets the kicker back about 2 feet when fully extended and dropped to the water. When raised, the kicker cowling sits about 2.5' over the top of the transom.
My problem is that when I'm running at about 25 mph, the boat starts listing to starboard. I can't figure if it's the weight of the kicker hanging back over the transom, or wind hitting the raised kicker combined with the torque of the engine which, depending upon rotation, has a tendency to list some boats to starboard. If I give it throttle and go to 40 or 50 mph, I can straighten it out and it planes nicely....but I'm sucking gas like crazy. The boat has a 50 gallon gas tank that sits in an enclosed area next to the transom which can add some weight as well as two big batteries stored in the enclosed port rear storage area.
I want to put on trim tabs, but the Arima hull is configured with a recessed well where the engine sits with about an 11 inch projection on each side. Each of these projections are exactly 10 inches wide and have a slight curvature to them.
I've been back and forth regarding which system to use, but am restricted by needing trim tabs that don't exceed 10 inches in width. Most of them run in the 11 to 12 inch range....however I did find a set of the Smart Tabs that are exactly 9 1/2 inches wide.
Given the length and weight of the boat, what is the collective or individual opinion as to which way I should go? I have no room in the back for a hydraulic pump. The starboard compartment is filled with the remote oil tank (one gallon oil reservoir for the injection system) and the hydraulic pump and "brain" of the TR-1 Autopilot, along with an onboard charger. The port compartment has two large batteries that I can barely squeeze in there. I don't want something mounted out in the open.
One fellow suggested I look at the electrically controlled actuators which don't need a pump, whereas another fellow suggested the Smart Tabs. The downside is what I've read about Smart Tabs being a potential problem when running in reverse. I do a lot of fishing on the Sacramento River, and periodically have to hit reverse to get out of the way of a floating tree, or back into running water from a ramp, or hit reverse when coming into a guest dock in a current that can hit 2-3 or more mph at times. Have those of you who installed the Smart Tabs noticed any problems while backing? I don't imagine there'd be much problem on a lake or static water.
How efficient do you find the Smart Tabs in leveling out a list when running at about 25-30 mph or perhaps a little less? All things considered, I'm very happy with the boat's performance, but the list drives me nuts.
I also have a slight curvature to the 10" area where I would have to mount the trim tabs. I put a straight edge on it and there's about a little more than a 16th inch edge gap on either side of dead center. Do the tabs require an absolutely flat surface to mount to the transom?
Thanking you in advance for any information you might be able to give me so I can get the right set of tabs and resolve a nagging problem. I hope this hasn't been a too long winded explanation. I promise my next one will be shorter.
Chuck
