Trim tabs?
 

Yes or no? Mechanical or hydraulic? Or self adjusting? Are they really worth the money on an outboard or IO setup?

Yes
Hydraulic or Electric.. I prefer the hydraulic. Bennett makes a really good one. Insta-trim are less money, and seem to be good quality also.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trks...at=0&_from=R40
They are worth the money

Made a huge difference on my ride. I went with lencos. Love em to death!!

I should clarify, I've got trim on the motor. Tabs still make a difference?

I have Lencos on my boat. Different hull but I don't want a boat without tabs.

i've been told trim tabs are like 4wd, if you ever have them, you will never go without them.
i have had my boat 20 years and still have not made the leap. i'm too scared to drill that many holes in my transom

Phatdaddy, check your pm's.

I agree with the "willies" and transom holes.

What do I really gain though? I mean over engine trim? Is it yaw, pitch or roll?

You're out with a few friends.. One of them is 350lbs and sits on the same side as you... the other is 145 soaking wet.. and sits on the port side. Your boat has a list to the Starboard side. You can push a button at speed and make the list go away.
You're in some heavy seas, and your bow is porpoising thru waves coming at you from your starboard fore-quarter. You push a button and force your bow a little deeper into the waves, add a little port-side trim and now your ride is smooth and stable as you cut through the waves instead of going up and over them..

They simply give you better control over your boat's port and starboard and fore and aft trim. Much more than your engine trim does.

No, they are not a necessity. Yes, they are well worth the cost.

X2

I agree with Destroyer but I DO believe they are a necessity. Especially after operating the same boat w/o them. Not to mention the increase in range and economy you'll get from having them. I can tab out and get an extra 1mpg or more from them. Its just a combo of engine tilt and tab placement.

Nobody is keen on drilling holes below the waterline but some things you just have to balls-up and do for the greater good. Just dont drill all the holes at one time. Put the bracket up there and trace it and the holes. Drill the first one and mount/screw the plate on. When everything is still alligned, predrill the rest of the holes, install the bracket then back everything out and gob the sh*t out of it with 5200 and re-install......easy as that

I lost my steering-head 30mi offshore one time. Drove the whole way back steering with just my tabs. Even docked the SOB with it:nice:

Absolutely to trim tabs for this boat !

Example - yesterday on the ocean my V21 back north into mostly 2' -3' chop ate it up with tabs down about 1/2 way and engine trimmed a bit to set the " perfect ride."

Blasting along at 4,500 rpm virtually no pounding

Without trim tabs, or tabs up all the way - even with motor down all the way the ride would have been harsh to impossible with pounding.


You've read this from 1/2 dozen experienced V owners now, so hopefully helpful in your decision.

I have Bennett brand tabs, installed myself, not hard, just take your time, use the directions carefully, and measure everything and it will be a done deal for years to come.

Absolutely! All my previous rides have been inboards, my experience with outboard set ups is limited. I know there's a lot more knowledge here than I have, and I will always ask first, even if I think I already know. I appreciate everyone's responses, and I see a set of Bennetts in my future.

On Sunday I had the pleasure of running my 22WA at a max of 3500rpm to break in the lower unit. By putting the engine and tabs down I was able to get on plane. By playing with the engine trim and tabs I was able to go from 9kts to 12kts. I love having trim tabs.