[FrenchVenilla]

So i have a 1998 Mariah Talari 216 PC cuddy. When i bought the boat the actuators on the trim tabs on the bottom of the transom were no good so the tabs themselves we not actually installed. I figured I will get around to it when I can but wanted to take the new boat out for the first weekend. Not exactly sure of the prop that is on there but i went NO where. Full throttle, half throttle, 1/4 throttle, you name it the boat stood straight up and never plained out. It never went above 10 MPH and would not come down no matter what I did or how I did it.

So my question is, is this JUST from the trim tabs themselves not being there? Is it really that bad where the boat is almost useless without them?

Or is it a combination of no tabs and possibly having the wrong pitch on the prop?
What are you guys running for props? I really do no skiing or watersports, I am 99% of the time in the ocean cruising some distance so it would be nice to have some top speed, but I also dont want to take forever to plain out as we usually have a few people on the boat.

What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!

[jjt1276]

Ok so I have a 99 202 Shabah with 5.0 mercy I never had tabs till this year. No your boat should certainly plane out without tabs. Something is wrong here. What rpm's are you at under full throttle? What pitch prop are you running? Your motor has a full throttle rpm listed for it on the motor or search online. You can look at most big prop companies web site to find the "recommended" prop for your boat. Does the prop get cavitation when under power?


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[Firestone]

Did you visibly check your engine trim as well? I forgot to lower mine once and hit WOT lmao. I was strait up as a flag pole on the 4th of July

Firestone - 2000 Mariah Z202 5.7L MAG Alpha I Gen II

[Hunter12345]

Im assuming your not a novice boater... Little more info would help the members help you. A 5.0 should plain out within 4 seconds.



1998 shabah 180
5.7l 350 mag
Bravo III

[mikeyt]

You didn't say what motor you have in that 216 or what prop is on the boat now. Those cuddy's at that size running something like a 4.3 or 5.0 can be a little slow out of the hole with 3-4 people in the back so you would likely be best with a 4 blade prop, either 19" or 20" pitch to help her out. There is no question though that a pair of Smart Tabs will help that boat get onto plane much quicker.

[Brian Belcher]

This is an engine trim issue. You have the drive trimmed up and it should be in fully down position on launch. After launch, start to slowly lift the trim till you hit that sweet spot.

[FrenchVenilla]

No I have owned boats my whole life, this is my first Mariah. The motor is the 5.0 litre.
It is a 19" ss prop on there now.
The drive was trimmed down as it should be.
Installed nauticus trim tabs today and took it out and got like 36mph out of it, but the tabs were too small.
Going back now to swap out for the bigger tabs,,

[jjt1276]

The tabs should only be needed to help to plane out faster. They are not needed to keep the boat on plane after reaching cruising speed. They should not increase top speed. If you are looking for them to do that then you are band-aiding a bigger problem. You listed a 19" prop is that diameter or pitch? Maybe the prop is slipping? What were the rpm's at wot? That will tell you a lot as to where to look for the problem. I could get 48 out of a 202 with the same motor and no tabs.

[Brian Belcher]

You stated in stood straight and wouldn't come down no matter what you did. The trim tabs do not control this. That is the job of the engine trim tabs. The trim tabs are more for leveling the boat once on plane. I've played with my tabs enough to know they will only lessen speed if you try to use them as a motor trim. I'm going to venture at the risk of being lambasted, your problem is not the tabs.

Is there water in the bilge ? A lot water during acceleration would cause the bow to go vertical and keep your speed down. As would an out drive trimmed too high. A faulty trim gauge, which is more common than one that does work, will fool you that it's all the way. A faulty limiting sensor could prevent the drive from fully dropping all the way down.