JUST CAME IN...

[TheTinMan]

I'm thinking (hoping) tabs will make a noticeable difference. I'm also not overly impressed with the ride without tabs. BUT, you have to remember this is a 20'6" boat.

I need a few things to get "right" on my boat before I can really make an accurate judgement call on the ride. First, as BS stated above, I need to get my boat level. Both batteries are on starboard side so I have starboard list. Second, I feel as if I don't have quite enough of "down trim", although it's real close. Tabs would fix both these except I'd still have a list at rest. Guess I should move a battery to port.

Charlie, check out Bennett's M120 Sport Tabs. You can find complete kit for $389, sometimes less

Who here can give us a before/after tabs impression?

How does everyone feel about how there boat rides at drift? My boat (CC w/ t-top) rolls more than I thought it would. I do a lot of drift fishing in some pretty strong currents/rips around the East End of LI. My boat seems to like to drift beam to the seas (better than drifting stern to) and she rolls pretty damn good. I'm sure the bulky t-top has some effect on that with the higher CG (center of gravity). Even with the 20* deadrise I thought she would roll a bit less. Guess I could've gone with a 14* deadrise boat and been more stable drfting....but then the ride underway would be worse..........you see? As CB said, there's ALWAYS trade offs.

:)

[willy]

I agree with you Tin, I am in a similar situation, most of my fishing is done on a drift. That seems to be the most popular method with most of my friends in the salt. I have been on a bunch of different boats of different sizes and all seem to rock to much to me. Last summer I was invited with some friends for a day of fishing on a 48' Ocean that was a tournament set up boat and beautiful, it rocked and rolled too.
Mine is set up differently to yours and I have no trim tabs, other than making sure my load is as balanced as I can get it I have not found any need for tabs, my Robalo CC rolled more and definetly needed tabs.
I believe the main difference as far as need for tabs was how the boats are balanced. I have seen the same thing on several other boats I have been on, for example my Robalo had close to max power and a heavy Merc V6, it sat stern heavy at rest, not as badly as some I've seen but obviously visible. It would be effected by quartering seas especially and never felt very secure in a handling way, especially considering the excellent hull and very heavy weight and solid construction.
Even though it was almost as heavy as my V20 cuddy it had no where near as nice a ride in various seas and conditions.
I believe it has a lot to do with the fact that my V is what most would consider under-powered with a 115 hp V4, and though a 150 is what I would consider perfect power wise the big advantage to the smaller engine is balance. My V sits perfectly level at rest, I mean bubble level. And from what I have seen on a few different boats that I have thought rode extremely nice they all sat perfectly level at the dock.
My friend with the Grady had a 23 foot Robalo, and removed his t top because he also drifted a lot and it was an older style, very heavy built unit and he said it caused him to roll to much, felt a big difference once removed. It sounds like a trade off you make for comfort and storage vs handling.

I have the bennett tabs on my wellcraft 24 coastal and while they work great, its just something else to fool with and you will definately know if one is up and one is down.... I think If I ever have to replace them it will be with nautica smart tabs. They are cheap and work automatically..The bennetts although have an excellent reputation and they last for years so I will probably not have to fool with it .Frank

[charlie_the_tuna]

tin man, i also have noticed a pretty serious roll at drift but i also have a pretty heavy top on mine.
yes it is a 20 footer but i guess i just expected more, listening to all the praise on the site.
i only have one battery so i dont have the list problem but i also cant trim the thing down enough.
as i said, i am generally happy with the boat in terms of fishing room, (could use a bit more storage) and in flat conditions she gets on plane in seconds and i can keep her on plane at 2,200 rpms. gonna get her out there when the water is like glass and see if we cant get her down to 2,000. i will get her 20 to 30 offshore this season and see just what we can get out of her. good value and seems to be well made. tabs will be a project for down the road a piece and i will just have to suffer it out til then.

[reelapeelin]

Hey Charlie...how much farther ya think she oughtta trim down?...how much ya missin"?... :D...

[bigshrimpin]

This post reminds me of CP's post after his first ride. His I/O was mounted crooked and the boat drove sideways. He was PO'd but once he got the boat setup (riding level) he loved it. I don't want to waste your time here with usless chit chat. You've gotta get the boat riding straight ;)

I had the same problem with my boat, when I had one passenger and the kicker mounted on the boat (also) on the port side. The boat drove like crap . . . ask CB (he got soaked). Tabs will fix this problem.

PS - v20 worship will begin at 5am every morning this week . . . please remember your fishing poles.

[charlie_the_tuna]

bigshrimpin, the boat doesnt ride off side to side... its front to back that i cant trim. shes perfect in terms of side to side pitch. what i CAN do is trim her up so high that im practically looking at the sky but when its a little snotty out i cant bring the bow down low enough to slice through the chop.

reel, i just wanna bring that sharp entry down into the chop.

[brianct12]

Charlie,
Maybe try those "transom wedges" or whatever they are called. You might be able to create more angle with the motor trimmed down all the way - to bring the bow down a bit. I have heard of these but dont have any experience with them

[charlie_the_tuna]

sorry brian, i dont have a clue what you are talking about... what exactly is a transon wedge?

Charlie: I dont know if you have an I/O or an outboard but I have had both in the v-20 and in the I/O version my 82 was very *** heavy with three or more people and rolled a lot. I had trim tabs installed and it made a big difference but it was expensive and took some getting used to. If it were now I would look hard at the nautica automatic Sport Tabs which comes in at around $100 or so and easy to install. My 83 only has a 150 outboard on it and I installed a SE 300 fin for under $50 which jumps it right up on plane and is excellent at keeping the bow down in a nasty head sea at low rpm. Trailer Boat magazine did a comparison on fins and it came out on top .The v-20 is certanly not a perfect boat but has a loyal following for lots of other good reasons but I agree its not the greatest riding and some simple design flaws like scupper's right at water level and floor drains that are almost impossible to get to etc. On the other hand ,If you can level it out it will cut through the slop and keep you dry..I think if wellcraft came out with a v-26 or so with the same v-20 flair with large tanks and twin's it would be a big seller...Frank