Are trims tabs worth it?
 

Looking to sink more $ in my '91 Steplift w/ 150 Honda. I think the only thing left to do are trim tabs. Bennett or Lenco? Boat is kept on trailer. For you guys that have them, was it a good investment? Thanks, Barry

I did not have them on my V20. but always thought I needed them?? But I have installed them on the new to me Sea Ox and they seem to work great!!

Yes, the Bennett's were a great addition.

For you guys that have them, electric or hydraulic?

I always thought the electric would be the way to go, no leaks, easy install ect... ect..

But I hear of a lot of burned out motors as people try to use both at the same time, and its to much for them.

I went with Bennett as I got a great price on them, and so far they have been fine, but they don't have a season on thewm yet. But they are more powerful then the electric.

I Have Them On My 91 Cuddy I/o And Love Them. I Didn't Realize How Much They Help Until I Got This Boat With Them Already On It. I Have Bennett Hyd.

we always install 10:1 lenco to bennet. the lenco's have 3 year warranty too. they hold up well.

I think a the Lenco's automatically retract when the engine is turned off too. That is a very nice feature. I don't have them on my boat, but I sure have seen a lot of Bennett tabs broken by our forklifts, due to the owners leaving them down.

Just like with everything, there is good and bad with both. I was really wanting Lenco, but price is what got me Bennett's.

Trim tabs are my next *planned* major purchase. Doesn't look like I'll get them anytime soon, though.

you can get the auto retract for Bennets also, right know, Bennetts customer service is hard to beat, have a pump faillure? Call them and send the old pump to them, they will send you a new one, no questons asked( wonder how long they will keep that up)

The current BENNETT pump warranty is 5 years, and beyond that they will sell you a NEW pump for $185. Wish I would have known that last year when I put an INSTA-TRIM pump in for $200 because a BENNETT was over $300. I have LENCOS on the HYDRA I just got, and my PRO-LINE has TRIM MASTERS. The TRIM MASTERS are BENNETT knock-offs, but work pretty good.

you know something i would like to put them on too but i just cant get myself to drill into the hull below the water line
i just yell at my kids
hey move to the other side
they dont do anything while im drifting,
and i will be doing alot of that this year or at anchor of coures

I've had the Bennett M120 sport tabs for over a year and they are fantastic. They are a must have is you're thinking of ever going with a bracket. Check www.rivermarinesupply.com for good pricing on trim tabs. :sun:

QL trim system....
 

Anyone used or heard anything?

they haven't been out long, I've seen them on larger boats. Personally I don't think the will work as well as afterplane type(bennett, Lenco, etc) on smaller boats for planing off. While on plane, they seem to work very nice, and seem to better suited for attitude and leveling controll rather than planing performance. Knowng they are made by Volvo, they can't be cheap.

That doesn't seem too bad a price. I'll have a pro install them for me, though.

Nice to "see" ya, Reel!

$385 is what I paid also!! I installed myself, not hard at all!!!! And they will tell you what ever you need to know over the phone!!

Be cautious of who you have install them if you have somebody else do it. There is a thread over at THT regarding a dealership that boched the install of the tabs on a brand new boat. They installed one tab crooked, and put the actuators to low on the transom and his tabs are always 1 1/2"s down:cen:.This isn't just poor workmanship, it can be downright DANGEROUS! It can create a situation where the boat will not turn, or will try to go through the waves and submarine.

Is that $385 for the set of 2?

if a dealership charged you more than 160-180 in labor. which should be approximately 2 hours. that should be the max time spent on that install especially if they are lenco's.

I just purchased the Lencos from rivermarinesupply.com $349.00 for the set of 9x12 Edge Tabs and I think $85.00 for the controll. 18bucks for shipping (UPS Ground), not to bad.....

cool thing about lenco they are real easy to deal with about warranty. i havent had any problems with they yet.

Hey Sean
 

Let me know how you like your trim tabs. I am considering Lenco but don't know whether to get the 9x12 or the 12x12. Thanks, Barry

I would think 9X12 would work fine on a V-20, that is what is on my HYDRA-SPORT.

Will do Hammer, they came in Friday and I am going to install them Tuesday, I hope. (to much fishing todo for the weekends)
I have the 9x12, but I am putting them on a 18ft skiff...

WOW, on my skiff these things are like night and day........ :sun:

Lenco 9 x 12
 

Bit the bullet finally on trim Tabs. The custom T-Top from Boykin Marin is awesome, but set me back a few bucks last year. This week I'm adding Lenco Electrics with the LED switch (that really hurt), but in the long run, worth it I hope. I thought I would like to know the position at a glance.
I've seen guys monkey around in a bad chop retracting all the way and then adjusting from there to know where the tabs actually are set.

UPS is great. Waiting is not. Whatknot.

How bout some pics of the install?...then a report on how well they work...then a COLD beer!!...:beer:

I wish I had a tab indicator!! I really have a hard time trying to get them rigbht at times. But they want as much for the switch as the tabs themself!

Good luck!

Lenco LED Switch
 

I know. I hated to spend that much on a switch.

I talk myself into a lot of situations by dividing the cost by years I might use it.
These are rough figures.

$229/7 years =32.5 per year.
That works out to about $2.75 a month.

I waste more money letting beers get hot while I work on the boat!

It's the up front money that hurts right now....

I had a Lenco go bad due to water intrusion. I have a Bennett that sticks down on the Whaler, still haven't figured that one out as they are spring loaded to help on retraction. I love them both but I did forgo the fancy switches. The self retracting module on the Bennett is a plug and play that gets hidden under the dash. Don't know about the Lenco.
Whatknot, your V is nice with that four stroke..

I have run both Bennett and Lenco.
I had Bennetts on my 33' Penn Yan sportfisher and burned down 2 pumps in 7 years--and I rarely used them on the boat.
Last year I put Lenco's (9x12) on the V-20 and they are awesome--faster reaction than the bennetts and no problems so far. Easy enough to figure out where they are at--the boat responds very well with little bumps on the control to fine tune the attitude.
Install is easy and the wiring is simple--the auto retract is included and is mounted by the control. Takes about 2 hours to do the install.
They were highly recommended by the guys out here fishing.

Thanks! I figure any trim tab is gonna fail sooner or later. I do love that 4 stroke. The tabs will help the ride so much more because I have a bracket and she's *** heavy for sure!

Same here. With the bracket and motor it is definitely asking for the tabs. Especially when full of fuel and I fill the bait tank.

Livewells and trim tabs
 

Speaking of Livewells, I have done the unthinkable. I have a 20 gallon stock (modified for sure)
in deck tank on my 85 CC Closed transom that works like a real livewell. Basically an in and out pump each with it's own on-off switch that runs through a 30 sec to 5 min timer. I can also control the water intake via modified rule thingamajig. Will be posting pics later. Only tested in driveway. Looks like output is Gallon every 30 seconds. With that rate, i should turn over completely fresh tank every 10 minutes. Should be great for the pogies!!!!

First time I did the plumbing, I was sure everything would work great. So i laid down enough 4200 to stop a rhino when I put the tank in place. Well Phuc. I should have tested first. The rule 500gph pumps have NO pick-up whatsoever. In order to prime, The pump MUST be at or below the water level in the tank. Stupid move on my part. However, after haveing to create a tool from a oyster knife that would break the 4200 seal. I found that the 4200 had actually created a large and very nice gasket like seal around the tank. When I laid the tank back in, i just screwed her down where she lay.
Get outta the gutter boys.

Very excited about using the in deck tank instead of it being just beer storage.

Dang. Just saw ups shipping and my trim tabs won't be here till monday. Oh well, the Cobia run is on this weekend and will be for another month. Will post victory pics.

RR, back the tube that goes into the top of the cylinder out two turns, you may have to remove it and put some teflon tape on the threads. What happens is the tube gets threaded too far into the cylinder and bottoms out. Fluid will bypass when the pump applies pressure, but it won't let fluid exit the cylinder, causing it to stick. Don't ask how I know this one

Looks like the 21 is @$$-heavy too...the extra 6" off the transom are like a fat-boy on a see-saw...can't wait to apply the tabs to her...

No stern-heavy issues on the old 74, but tabs made all the difference there...IMO, these boats should have come standard w/em...

And I feel that they make all the difference in the world--especially in bad seas--I am totally happy with the install of a set of trim tabs.:clap: