smaller Trim Tabs

[huntinnut]

I have an mid- ninties hewes craft 19ft with i believe a 10 degree deadrise hull. I want to put trim tabs on to allow me to soften the rough ride a bit in the chop as it rides quite rough. I don't think there's enough room for the older style tabs that are about 12 inches wide. What trim tabs would you all recommend that are narrower, say 8 inches wide? Will narrower tabs pull the bow down enough on a boat like mine? Eventually i'll get a different boat with more deadrise, but until the budget allows, i'll running this boat for a long time.

Karl.

 

[bigbruce]

Don't think trim tabs are going to "soften the ride" in a chop. Trim tabs are used primarily to stabilize the side to side tilt of your boat. Your motor trim would probably be more helpful in chop in that it allows you to drop the bow into the waves. However, Bennett makes a tab (sport tab, I think it is called) that is about 8" wide. I put them on my previous boat (Campion 542 Explorer) and was very please with the result as they allowed me to adjust the side to side tilt of the boat. I still had to use the engine trim, though, to get the bow up and down to take the choppy water.

 

[Tiki35]

You want the Bennett M80 sport tabs which are 8 inches wide. They are for boats 17-20 feet.
I have the M120's (10 inches wide) on my 20 foot Trophy and love them. They are for boats 20-23 feet. They are very DIY to install (even includes an installation video).

 

[Hookin'up]

Bennett M80's will do the job your after, and yes the will not only level side to side but in a chop you can drop them down a little more forcing the bow down into the chop and making it a whole lot smoother,
what I do is trim my motors for best performance then use my tabs for best comfort and attitude

 

[fishwish]

I have the m120's on my Trophy as well...one of the better investments I have made in my boat. I definitely can't "burry" the bow and take all the chop out of the ride, but does get rid of most of the pounding.

Also, not being able to balance the boat side to side while running is a thing of the past...that used to drive me crazy!

FishWish

 

[rockdog]

I have a 19ft bayliner cuddy, and I just added the Bennet m80's. Big difference, like others said above. The thing thar drove me crazy the most was an unbalanced load....

 

[huntinnut]

Thanks for the replies! My boat is definately prone to being unbalanced, as it is already unbalanced with a 15hp kicker it came, and if there are 3 of us in the boat it seems that the third guy will sit behind the driver...and then it's really unbalanced. I've already got the motor in the first hole, and if it's at all choppy i drop it all the way down. I'm going to move the batteries up between the seats at some point too as there is too much weight in the back. Having a full load makes a huge difference too. 4 guys and gear and fuel makes it alot smoother already. It will be nice to pull the bow down and smooth out the smaller chop a bit more.

Karl.

 

[rockdog]

FYI, I looked all over town (victoria), and the best price I could find on the Bennnet hydraulic M80 was 650. I then decided to give Sherwood a call, as I was about to pay 650 +tax. They had a set, in stock 509 +tax, regular price.

 

[rockdog]

By the way, this was about 2 1/2 weeks ago.

 

[coholips]

I just installed the M-120's on my 19.5 Glasply and am blown away by the dramatic difference in ride and control. It really runs like a completely different boat now. Best investment I've ever made in any boat I've owned. Great product with excellent support I should add as well.

 

[huntinnut]

I'm in the Kootenays, so i'm going to see who will have the best shipped price on the M80 kit. I'll give sherwood a call and see if they will ship. I know our local marine dealer here will be hundreds of dollars more. Thanks for the replys.

 

[Tiki35]

Harbour Chandler in Nanaimo has the M80's on for $499 starting tomorrow (online and in-store).
The M120's will be $549. The sale runs from June 22-July 6th.