Are trims tabs worth it?

[whatknot]

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....

[RidgeRunner]

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..

[Genie Aye]

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.

[whatknot]

Originally Posted by RidgeRunner

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..

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!

[joe7670]

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.

[whatknot]

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.

[spareparts]

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

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by whatknot

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!

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...

[Genie Aye]

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.

[whatknot]

Well, on our first outing with the trim tabs installed and the livewell re-plumb, Jodi and I were heading to the Betsy Ross (25 Miles out) to pick up some cobia. After waiting weeks for the cobia run! Filled the livewell with 45 large menhaden and pushed the throttle down to head offshore.

About 3 miles off the beach, I started bogging. She would only turn 3700 rpms. Seems I got the dreaded ethanol issue. Shucks was not the word I used. When I came off plane and shut her down, I looked over the side only to see a 27 inch cobia checking us out. I put some baits in, but was more concerned with getting the engine to start again. Did that and we strolled in the shipping channel back to Tybee. Great news was the in deck wellcraft livewell kept 45 menhadden very much alive for 6 hours. And, the trim tabs worked great. As for the Betsy Ross cobia,..... shucks.

I have since then replaced all the fuel filters (even the hidden ones) and removed and inspected the VST. The filters on the Yami F150 are expensive. Then I pulled the Fuel injectors and they are being cleaned right now. Will pick them up in a bit, re-install and hope that fixes everything. it's a 3 week wait for mechanics right now. Fingers Crossed.