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School me on trim tabs!!!!

M

Mr. Buss

Well-known member
I spent the last few days on the convincor.. :D Drivin around little boats (21' and under) since i was a kid, this boat rides awesome in the chop!!

anyway, the mid 30mph "checkmate bouce" is easily to smooth out with trim and or speed in the senator and predictor, but this convincor's a little different. i trim it in it helps a little.. then i run the tabs down a little and its seems like its just plowin the bow into the water.. so i just ran 'em back up and drove faster :p

Im sure with time ill figure it out, kinda like drivin the predictor on the pad, seat time!!

So you guys run them up or level in heavy chop?? down at low speed?? dont use em?? any input would be appreciated!! :thumb:

Buss
 
I have tabs but I don't use them. I try but I just can't stand the thought of the tabs pushing the bow down so I pull them back up. I have always had smaller boats that could carry the bow without being under full throttle and the Convincor ain't gonna do it. Still, the thought of cruising with no trim up at all goes against my grain and I always try to pick it up a little...never works but I try. Old habits don't die easy.:)
 
Hopin to find me a Convincor one of these days. On my small Checkmate the guys at the place I call the Skunkworks are workin on a trim plate that is adjustable. So far, it gets rid of the bounce that is present from around 30 to 35mph by droping the plate down about 3/4 of an inch. Pulls real flat for skiing and stuff. Up above 35 mph she gets her nose inta the wind and flies real good. About 3/4 of an inch up from the bottom of the pad is good for high speed. Trying to keep the minimum amount of the hull in contact with the water, so I'm still gettin used to this plate hanging out the back.
 
On my 251 it was super sensitive to trim on the drive...certain speeds wanted to bound at time..could play with the drive and tabs and cure most all of the time...but a 251 is a very narrow beam boat and any adjustment is touchy...just takes time to get used to what it like and when...good luck Rob
 
I don't have a Convincor, but on my Enforcer if I level out the tabs (even with the bottom) the bounce goes away. That's cruising 30-45 mph, and run the tabs up on high speed runs.
 
On my 259 convincor I run with them when it is really wavey and rough out and it plows threw the waves instead of beating the crap out of everyone in the boat. But if its not to bad out I wont put them down I will run without them. Some people dont even hardly us them but I just dont like taking a beating.
 
Much of the time on my 300 I want to cruise at 35-40mph. To do that I have to run less trim than full throttle and I have to run the k-planes part way down. It does make the hull wetter but doesn't really feel like it's plowing. That is the only way to stop porpoise on mine. I will not tolerate running down the lake with the boat bouncing up and down. Makes it look like I don't know how to drive. If I want to run over 50 I don't have to use the tabs to control porpoise. If I'm in unfamiliar water or if it isn't quite flat and I intend to run hard I do have the tabs set level with the bottom of the boat. Might scrub a little speed but keeps the nose from "flying."
 
Yup, i try to leave the tabs level and drive the boat with the trim. That nets me the best and smoothest ride.

That is also what Kip told to do a few years ago during a conversation I had with him. He said that is absolutely the best way to stop the boat from porpoising.
 
I only use tabs to level the boat when its tilting over due more weight on one side or the other. Doesn't take but a bump or two to bring her back level with one side or the other. A touch of trim will take care of any bouncing or unwanted ride in my boat.
 
I mostly just use mine to help me go faster through the long no-wake zones....quite effective at that. Other than that, they are all the way up. I can usually get rid of that "checkmate bounce" by just trimming the drive all the way in (Which also drives me nuts) but that seems to cure the problem just fine. I know that some offshore boats pick up some speed with a lil negative tab action, but I have played with mine a few times and the resulti it just leave them up. They also help you get on plane faster, but I find them too slow and I never had an issue with getting out of the hole anyways. They are good from leveling out the motor torque or uneven loads while cruising.
 
this is a really good thread, as i'm sorta new to tabs myself. I had some 18" lenco race tabs installed on my persuader, overkill to a degree, but better to have too much than not enough. I found myself playing around far too much with them in conjunction with the trim. The last time out, i moved the course adjustment at the tab, up, so that it was angled out of the water when retracted. Now it takes a lot of tab to even begin to work. Basically, i now use the tabs to counter lean from ill placed passengers, and to help getting on plane. When the ride is rough or the bounce is bad, i bring the tabs down just enough so that they have next to no effect and level out with the trim. If for some reason the trim 'loses' it momentarily, the tabs are right there to catch it. It'll take some futzing with, but eventually you'll find the sweet spot where the tabs aren't dragging down much, if any speed, yet they are fractions of an inch away from coming into play.
 
This will sound crazy, but I have big Lenco's on my 74 MX-15. I use them more than I thought, mainly for side to side leveling, and staying on plane at low speed in a big chop, (this boat will stay on plane at 14mph with the tabs and trim down) running wide open with the trim up I raise them all the way as you would expect. I will say, however, I have been running some down tab ( one light on the Lenco's) and then some up trim and it gives it a nice stable feel running 40-45 or so, and I don't have to constantly work the throttle.
 
ive got tabs on my sunsation. since its a narrow beam (7'6") i use the right tab just a touch to counter the torque twist of the motor and make it ride level. and keep it level depending where the ppl sit on the boat. besides that they are all the way up. never used the left tab besides to freak ppl out and roll the boat side to side a bit.
 
wet willy said:
This will sound crazy, but I have big Lenco's on my 74 MX-15. I use them more than I thought, mainly for side to side leveling, and staying on plane at low speed in a big chop, (this boat will stay on plane at 14mph with the tabs and trim down) running wide open with the trim up I raise them all the way as you would expect. I will say, however, I have been running some down tab ( one light on the Lenco's) and then some up trim and it gives it a nice stable feel running 40-45 or so, and I don't have to constantly work the throttle.
Click to expand...


i think your boat is light enough that adding more tab may help lift the boat out of the water better, at higher speeds. My MX16 was a handful at 80+, chine walked like mad, i coulda used big tabs too!
 
by the way off subject but nice collection you got going, time to get that new check down here and come play on st. clair with my sunsation!!
 
I missed this one Buss, but followed the link from the other thread.


I know what you mean, it takes a while to get used to the feeling coming from smaller outboards. I usually run the tabs level in the 24 and they take the midrange porpise outta the Mirage prop- trade off is using a fuzz more throttle at midrange. I also run tabs level in the rough with the Mirage because she'll try and fly nose high without em.

Most the guys run Bravos on the 251s and it seems to work for em. I just hated that prop on my boat though. The Rev 4 was the best all arounder for me but they don't make em any taller than 25p.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the new boat.:bigthumb:
 
Yea Chris, I will be having a learning curve also! I have drove a cabin cruiser with tabs and Horseplay1's 253. Other than that, never have had much seat time with the tabs.
 
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