Hmmm, well next time im floating up the river I will have remember to force myself not to compensate for the back and forth motion. When I first took the boat out for the season I figured it would be like driving a car down a road.. lol. I was all over the place, kind of funny / annoying. But I made it back to the cottage.

I installed the new Smart Tabs yesterday. I went with the standard stainless ones ST1290-80 (felt the composit might be pushing it for this size boat/horsepower). Install was a bit nervous, drilling holes into your wet slipped boat isn't fun... at all!!!

I ended up putting them closer to the middle than I wanted, only because the strut would need to be mounted in different locations if I went out further (the swim ladder makes the mold different on one side than the other). It went pretty smooth, no real issues (other than sweating profusely from the heat, nervousness, or both).

I made the mistake of changing the prop, changing the gimbal bearing, changing the throttle/shift cables, and adding the smart tabs at the same time. But I wanted to let others know that it IS in fact possible to mount the tabs on this model boat. Thanks for the discussion, I'll give a full report (with pictures) after I try them and fine tune everything.

Sounds great indykoch, glad the install went well. I definitely know how you feel, taking on to many projects at a time. Sounds like it turned out well though.

Look forward to hearing how the boat handles now and seeing the writeup on the install. We'll have to put that in the how-to's section!

Went out on the boat last night to test everything, I'll put most of my findings in the "under the knife" thread (sorry, I have two that are related right now).

As for the smart tabs... LOVE THEM!!! I was sitting down, went 3/4 throttle, jumped on plane and I didn't lose sight of the horizon the entire time!!! I noticed the low speed wander was significantly reduced, planing speed was much lower, little to no bow rise, and it rode better in choppy water. No joke, these things really work this well! I'm thoroughly impressed!

I'm not sure what they did to top end (I had a number of other items addressed at the same time - see the other thread), but I felt like they were definitely doing something. I could trim up all the way without cavitating, and the thing felt like it was riding on just the tabs! Oh yeah, it was hauling a_s!!

If you can look past the disgusting green slime all over my boat right now, here are a few pics of the install:

Looks good, I was wondering how they'd perform in that configuration since I've heard varying opinions on mounting options. Did you talk with Nauticus before mounting them there? If I was mounting them, that's totally where I'd put 'em, out of the way, and where the factory tabs are located. Glad it worked out for ya, and look forward to see how they hold up!

No, I didn't talk to Nauticus. It was a Sunday, and I wasn't leaving the boat out of the water any longer than absolutely necessary! Problem I had, if I moved them towards the chines, the port side actuator would need to be mounted about 3/4 of the way out on the underside of the swim platform. The starboard side would need to mount closer to the transom due to the hull shape (the picture shows how the swim ladder is in a recessed area). The ladder wouldn't have been in the way, but I didn't want to lose my adjustment on the tabs (the slots for the actuators would then be close to horizontal, not vertical). This would have also caused the actuators to be at different angles between the two, and I didn't like that idea because I didn't know if it would affect the pressure on one more than the other. It basically made me move them inwards, which may not be a bad thing - I don't think much of the outer sides of the hull are touching the water when at higher speeds. That would make there be less pressure on the tabs, causing them to be lower, causing more drag. Overall, they were very easy to install and make a world of difference. I'd highly suggest them to anyone who wants the benefits of lower planing speed, faster planing time, reduced low speed wander, and possibly higher top end - so, basically everyone, right???

I've got the low speed wander with a bravo 3. It may be less than it would be if my boat had a single prop, but it's still noticeable. I think it's just the properties of pushing a boat through water....kind of like pushing a rope!

I always thought the duo-prop's were supposed to eliminate low speed wander? :confused:

I have no reference for what this boat would be like with a single prop, but my last boat was a 19' Chaparral with an alpha one and I would say it's about the same.

Maybe I'm just a crappy driver!:D

Smart Tabs vs. "Dumb" Tabs
 

Owners,

I am new to the group and getting caught up on all the general and Mariah specific discussions. I wanted to resurrect this discussion to ask a specific question regarding trim tabs. Mine is a '96 Shabah 200.

Listening to manufacturers, their trim tabs seem to solve every problem short of world hunger. I am happy with my hole shot, WOT, MPH, and I understand low-speed prop steer just part of the single prop experience. The specific thing I would like to improve on my boat is low-speed planing.

Depending upon weight distribution my craft can start to fall off plane at speeds of 25-30 MPH and just cause I can do 50MPH doesn't mean that it is safe or comfortable for passengers. Aside from comfort, my favorite ramp (5 minutes from home) has me navigating a wide flat that is 3' deep at low tide to get to the Intracoastal Waterway. This is easy to manage when on plane and a fiasco if I happen to "fall off plane" or am forced to do so for traffic or speed concerns. And nothing pains a captain more than to ask a heavy-set guest to move up front ;o)

So this seems to be an area where tabs may help... I have looked at classic trim tabs, however, after having totally rebuilt the electrical/hydraulic/mechanical systems of my trim/tilt, I really don't want to invite a new system of that same complexity on board. I see the sealed electric motor systems and have heard that they are much less complex. On this forum I hear about the Smart Tabs, however I would like to retain helm-level control of the tab settings for weight shifting, etc.

So...

Are the Smart Tabs really a set-it-and-forget-it feature?

Anyone have any experience with the electric ones such as Lenco?

I see inside placement and outside placement. Any benefits to each? I too am concerned about the swim ladder, both in terms of swimmers dinging themselves on the tab or using the tab as a first step.

If Smart Tabs solve this issue and don't bring 10 more issues on board with it, they seem to be a fraction of the cost of eclectic or hydraulic ones.

I live in FL so "Winterizing" means - pack a light jacket. This means our to-do list is year-round, however I would certainly like to take this on before Summer if it takes the stress out of slow-speed boating. Thanks in advance for your insight and putting up with my long-windedness.

Thanks,

Bill DeWeese