Trim tabs...?

[ohmagoo]

My boat does not have them. There was a comment made by an onlooker that suggested this is the first boat of this style that he's seen that does not have trim tabs.... the style he commented was a "go fast" boat. (though I'm not sure it qualifies as such in my noob perspective).

I've done a bit of reading on the web, watched a few youtube videos on trim tabs, but being a consummate cynic, anything on the web must be taken with a grain of salt.

The boat itself, is an '05 ZT230 BR with the 6.2 MPI/320HP mer hooked of coarse to a Bravo 1 outputting to a Mirage Plus 23 prop. (I'd put up pics but haven't found a way without using a pic hosting site and time, well I haven't made the time for that yet).

So the questions are...
1. will trim tabs improve performance?
2. if so, what aspects of performance...handling, speed, comfort, safety?
3. will they make the boat more predictable and controllable?
4. will they solve or at least reduce the checkmate bounce and chine walk?
5. Lastly, is the expense of this addition justified in the gains or more than justified?

Thanks in advance for the shared wisdom.

Magoo

 

[diesel30]

They will decrease top speed but will give the boat more stability in certain conditions if used correctly. ( heavy chop where you need to keep bow down). Will help to level boat out as well if it has a tendency to lean to one side or another. They can help with the bounce but they pretty much all do that if you're trimmed up too high or not running fast enough. most of the bounce is due to the fact that the boat is trying to get back on the pad. More sped will usually cure that. As far as the chine walk the only true way to "cure" it is to add a full hydraulic steering system. It will add a ton of stability and make the boat a lot more predictable. Also a necessity if you plan on running above 70 mph just for the safety aspect. Hope this helps. I'm sure someone else will chime in and give some more helpful advice as well since I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

My boat does not have them. There was a comment made by an onlooker that suggested this is the first boat of this style that he's seen that does not have trim tabs.... the style he commented was a "go fast" boat. (though I'm not sure it qualifies as such in my noob perspective).

I've done a bit of reading on the web, watched a few youtube videos on trim tabs, but being a consummate cynic, anything on the web must be taken with a grain of salt.

The boat itself, is an '05 ZT230 BR with the 6.2 MPI/320HP mer hooked of coarse to a Bravo 1 outputting to a Mirage Plus 23 prop. (I'd put up pics but haven't found a way without using a pic hosting site and time, well I haven't made the time for that yet).

So the questions are...
1. will trim tabs improve performance?
2. if so, what aspects of performance...handling, speed, comfort, safety?
3. will they make the boat more predictable and controllable?
4. will they solve or at least reduce the checkmate bounce and chine walk?
5. Lastly, is the expense of this addition justified in the gains or more than justified?

Thanks in advance for the shared wisdom.

Magoo

 

[keith4216]

Not to argue but tabs don't slow your top speed. There not in the water.
The only advantage you'll see is being able to level the boat if your loaded uneven.
I wouldn't spend the money on your model.

 

[diesel30]

wasn't talking about if they were up and not in use. Was referring to if they were down past the edge of the hull creating drag. At least they did on my old boat. A 220 convincor.

Not to argue but tabs don't slow your top speed. There not in the water.
The only advantage you'll see is being able to level the boat if your loaded uneven.
I wouldn't spend the money on your model.

 

[Problem Child]

Can you explain the main reason you think you want tabs. I only use mine to push the nose down in a no wake zone and always for getting on plane. Every once in a while ill tap them to settle down any porpoise the drive cant get rid of at cruising speeds. You do not want to drop them at high speeds as it is like locking the brakes up. I could see getting more use at high speeds on a big ocean racer but not on something under 30'running a smaller lake. Very handy if your boat came with them but I doubt I would be interested in buying a set for close to 5k installed.Iim sure there are cheaper sets out there but many look to short to make a big difference. My boat does not have bolster seats so if I dont use my tabs in no wake zone it is hard to see over the bow sitting and with them all down the nose pushes down at least a ft. or so. they are also nice if you are running a big top end prop and still can get up on plane quicker using your tabs. Hope this helps you out as our hulls are very similar.

 

[ohmagoo]

Can you explain the main reason you think you want tabs. I only use mine to push the nose down in a no wake zone and always for getting on plane. Every once in a while ill tap them to settle down any porpoise the drive cant get rid of at cruising speeds. You do not want to drop them at high speeds as it is like locking the brakes up. I could see getting more use at high speeds on a big ocean racer but not on something under 30'running a smaller lake. Very handy if your boat came with them but I doubt I would be interested in buying a set for close to 5k installed.Iim sure there are cheaper sets out there but many look to short to make a big difference. My boat does not have bolster seats so if I dont use my tabs in no wake zone it is hard to see over the bow sitting and with them all down the nose pushes down at least a ft. or so. they are also nice if you are running a big top end prop and still can get up on plane quicker using your tabs. Hope this helps you out as our hulls are very similar.

I'm not sure I want them. I've looked over this forum pretty thoroughly and it seems there is a wealth of sound sensible knowledge here. At between, lets say, $3 and $5k installed, the improvements would have to be pretty substantial in my mind to warrant that expense. $3K buys a lot of fuel and gets a lot of boating time. With that said...the knowledge here and the fact we all share similar boats...seems to be one of the best places to ask the question.

Thanks for your reply...it did help. The consensus is leaning toward putting the money through the hull in exhaust gases.

 

[yellowfiero88]

I've never had to use mine other than to level the boat when cruising, that might have been 3x in 2+ years. Some boats need them just to get up on plane. I think most of the checkmates hulls were designed well enough that they can run without them in stock form.