Trim Tabs...Advice....??

[finsfan4life]

Got some trim tabs with my Placecraft..so far they're awsome..still need some getting use to..advise on usage please...???

[HPBoats83]

Which trim tab manufacture are they? Bennet, Dana, Merc, not that it really matters. Probably just use them mostly for getting on plane with a lot of people on board.

[mbroome]

smart tabs are the shit! I have some on my 22 ft wellcraft beater. HUGE diff!
http://www.nauticusinc.com/smart_tabs.htm

[scarabrick2]

I always keep them at a neutral setting, Not much drag and will help(ride) with the light chop.
Use them to get on plane and LEVEL out the boat. Make the boat run level for best overall ride comfort.
When you go fast, raise them a bit. I always dragged a little tab. only scrubbed off a few mph however, when rollers/ swell's came along ,or for you lake guys wind chop ,it helped with stability.
Rick

[dirty old man]

My friend from Vegas knows how to trim for Lake Mead

[Dana Marine Products]

Your new 23 Placecraft has our LT500 series tabs. I had a 22 foot place deck, (bottoms are pretty similar), with the same tabs. Water conditions can change the way you use the tabs, but generally, run the tabs all the way up when 50 MPH or higher, the tabs are really useful on take-off (run tabs down), and in the mid range (around 30 mph, run tabs up about mid-range). You'll have to feel them out unless you have indicators. Tabs are great if you're doing any wakeboarding or water skiing.
The best thing to do is to run the tabs all the way up and run the boat at differrent speed ranges and move the tabs down slightly to feel the difference in attitude. Don't run the tabs down at full throttle. Depending on how fast the boat is, you can get yourself into trouble.
Tabs on cat application are alot different than tabs on a V-bottom. Cats generally do not need movable trim tabs at high speeds. That is specifically referring to cat applications with two trim tabs (sponson tabs or tunnel tabs). Big twin engine cats with big center tunnel tabs are a different story. Every boat is different, and this boat being fairly new model, there's probably not alot of people who can give you straight answers on that specific boat.

[finsfan4life]

Your new 23 Placecraft has our LT500 series tabs. I had a 22 foot place deck, (bottoms are pretty similar), with the same tabs. Water conditions can change the way you use the tabs, but generally, run the tabs all the way up when 50 MPH or higher, the tabs are really useful on take-off (run tabs down), and in the mid range (around 30 mph, run tabs up about mid-range). You'll have to feel them out unless you have indicators. Tabs are great if you're doing any wakeboarding or water skiing.
The best thing to do is to run the tabs all the way up and run the boat at differrent speed ranges and move the tabs down slightly to feel the difference in attitude. Don't run the tabs down at full throttle. Depending on how fast the boat is, you can get yourself into trouble.
Tabs on cat application are alot different than tabs on a V-bottom. Cats generally do not need movable trim tabs at high speeds. That is specifically referring to cat applications with two trim tabs (sponson tabs or tunnel tabs). Big twin engine cats with big center tunnel tabs are a different story. Every boat is different, and this boat being fairly new model, there's probably not alot of people who can give you straight answers on that specific boat.
Yup they are Dana's, what do u mean by get urself into trouble..???

[shippingguy]

Yup they are Dana's, what do u mean by get urself into trouble..???
With a cat if you run them all the way down it will push the nose down in turn you could STUFF a sponson in certain condtions!

[drejustice]

I have Dana tabs on our 26 shadow which is a tunnel/cat. I used them to get on plane faster and I never lose sight of the horizen:) Once up to speed I ride with them all the way up unless i'm trying to balance out a uneven load like I have a bunch of people all on one side or full coolers, etc. Then I can use one side to just level out the ride a bit.
Like shippingguy said, NEVER run at speed with your tabs all the way down as it can be dangerous and scary, especially while turning!

[finsfan4life]

I have Dana tabs on our 26 shadow which is a tunnel/cat. I used them to get on plane faster and I never lose sight of the horizen:) Once up to speed I ride with them all the way up unless i'm trying to balance out a uneven load like I have a bunch of people all on one side or full coolers, etc. Then I can use one side to just level out the ride a bit.
Like shippingguy said, NEVER run at speed with your tabs all the way down as it can be dangerous and scary, especially while turning!
Wow, Thanks for the advice...

[HPBoats83]

The other problem with running the tabs all the way down at higher speeds is...the tabs will lift the rear end of the boat out of the water and you will start bow steering. Crappy ride, you can stuff the placecraft (like mentioned before), and less control making it more unsafe. Just use them like mentioned above. Usee them to help you get on plane and then put them all the way up.

[HEDJUG]

Here is some offshore advice, for all kinds of boats (V-bottoms):
-slowly adjust the tabs, hit the switches in short bursts, stop & wait a few seconds for the boat to react. Many people will try & level the boat & end up burying one side or the other. This causes handling problems.
-keep the tabs up in a following sea, you don't want to stuff the bow & get turned sideways to the sea...even more true in inlets.
-as said above, planting the bow hard at 30mph+ causes all kinds of handling trouble. the arse end is lifted a bit out of the water & the bow is planted, causing slippage & the boat to lean hard in turns. I can only imagine that these problems would be 10x worse at 60mph.
-in a head sea, keep the tabs slightly down, if needed, to level the boat & keep more of the "V" into the chop. Some boats have enough trim from the OD for this, some don't. My offshore fishing boat (50mph deep V) runs the best in head seas with the tabs down a bit & the drive tilted up some. All boats are different.