Trim Tabs?

[dmillerss]

Had a bad boating day yesterday; rough seas and more weight than usual; like riding a wheely trying to get up on plane, and it was too rough to maintain speed and stay on plane. My 2003 23' Glastron V8 Mercruiser does not have a power trim; all I can do is tilt the outdrive. A little research indicated that perhaps this boat should have been equipped with power trim but is there a non-powered alternative that could be bolted to the stern that would help with this?

Thanks in advance for any tips ....

 

[savetexomabeaches]

smart tabs --- woot woot

 

[Maclin]

Do you mean it really does not have power trim? Or it has it but does not work? Pretty sure it came with....

 

[Alumarine]

I think when you say it didn't come with power trim you mean trim tabs?
If the outdrive tilts it also trims.

As STB mentioned, smart tabs will help improve slow speed planing as well as get it up on plane quicker.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Smart Tabs.

 

[Bondo]

Had a bad boating day yesterday; rough seas and more weight than usual; like riding a wheely trying to get up on plane, and it was too rough to maintain speed and stay on plane.

Ayuh,.... The cure for that condition is to Slow Down,....

With my ole tinbarge with to flat a bottom, when the wind blows, trollin' speeds are the top speeds,....

If it's to rough to run on plane, nothin' is gonna change that,...
Powered trim tabs will make the hull plow deeper, 'n hold the nose down, but ya still just gotta go Slow,...

'n Btw, yer drive most certainly Does have a trim, 'n tilt system,...
It's just that trimmed down is trimmed down, 'n you were tryin' to go too fast,...

 

[JoLin]

Ayuh,.... The cure for that condition is to Slow Down,....

With my ole tinbarge with to flat a bottom, when the wind blows, trollin' speeds are the top speeds,....

If it's to rough to run on plane, nothin' is gonna change that,...
Powered trim tabs will make the hull plow deeper, 'n hold the nose down, but ya still just gotta go Slow,...

'n Btw, yer drive most certainly Does have a trim, 'n tilt system,...
It's just that trimmed down is trimmed down, 'n you were tryin' to go too fast,...

What Bondo said. When the water gets too rough to stay on plane, the cure is to slow down and be prepared for a longer trip home. If you decide to add tabs, I'd be looking at powered tabs for that boat. It's relatively big and heavy. Smart tabs have their place (I've used them successfully on 2 different boats) but I don't see them as your best option.

My .02

 

[Stumpalump]

That hull is designed to run fast. That's the problem the boating industry invented when more powerful power plants became readily available. Unfortunately you have to run them fast to plane that V or the bow is sky high. Gas hogs. Plastic smart tabs will help until you give it too much throttle in reverse or you buddy steps on one. Bennet makes real adjustable ones out of metal. A cheap hydro fin mounted on the drive will do about same thing. I make mine out of 3/16 aluminum plate. Flat plate works the best and is a cheap fun project if you have a drill and a jig saw. That fin or trim tabs will help it plane at lower speeds and help keep the bow down until it does.

 

[Mischief Managed]

I gotta disagree that the only solution is to slow down, my boat will ride much better in chop, for a given speed, with the tabs down. It requires a bit more throttle due to the added drag, but tabs can definitely improve the ride without slowing down. Obviously, there are conditions where there's no other option but to slow way down. I also use them for short periods when going over wakes. When I am approaching a wake on an otherwise calm day, I put the tabs down ahead of time and the boat just glides gently through the wake. If I don't do that, it can slam pretty hard, even if I back of the throttle. Again, some wakes are so large that I still need to drop off plane to cross them safely, but most are easily dispatched in comfort with nothing more than tab adjustment.

 

[dmillerss]

Thanks for all the helpful information! I did some more research after reading the commments and believe that (1.) my outdrive works on "tilt" when the engine is off to raise the unit for trailering; (2.) it's in "trim" mode when I lower the unit to get on plane and then raise it at cruising speed; and (3.) those "smart tabs" might help; I'll ask my service provider for his recommendations. If there are separate controls for tilt/trim I've never seen them; I just have the one thumb-operated switch on the throttle. Finally, I'll just have to settle for trolling speeds in rough waters and get the big lazy guy that likes the long seat in the stern to move toward the front of the boat.

 

[GMTK]

Installed smart tabs on my 19' hurricane and they made a huge difference. Easy install you can do yourself.

 

[wahlejim]

If you send the big guy up front, make sure your bilge pump is in working order. Also, get him a rain suit as he is bound to get soaked and a couple of beers so he doesn't know the difference.

If you have too much weight up front, the bow will not stay up in the chop and you are bound to take some water over the top. Keep him in the back and get powered tabs for your size of boat and that engine and stay away from the whale tail previously mentioned. They have their place and your boat in this condition is not that place.

 

[bruceb58]

Smart Tabs are the worst thing you can have in rough seas. You do NOT want the bow down.

In rough seas, you will not be on plane typically. Of course rough to one person is a lot different to another. When I am coming back from the Channel Islands in southern California, having tabs that forced my bow down as I am going down the face of a swell would be a VERY BAD thing. As it is, I have nearly poked my bow into the swell in front of me.