The Mariah Owners Club - Fitting Smart Tabs to a new SX18

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Fitting Smart Tabs to a new SX18

I am about to fit some smart tabs to my new SX18 with swim platform.

If anyone has done this before, can they offer me any tips?

For people reference these are the tabs.....

They are very light weight. In the UK they cost £150 :eek_animated: which is more than they are in dollars - and the exchange rate is meant to be in our favour:shakehead:

Paying $300 for very light weight plastic seems extreme.. so I hope they work.

I may have some issues with the positioning of them due to the swim platform leg and or the depth sounder, but I will truly only know when I get to the boat this weekend.

I contacted nauticus about fitting them and this was their response

Quote:

Dave;

We recommend the SX9510-60 for your boat, however you will need to check the mounting space available before you make this decision.
The trim plate is 9.5” wide and the actuator needs to mount to the transom 10.5” above the bottom edge of the boat. First pick a spot on the bottom of the transom to mount the plate, then determine if you have the vertical height (10.5”) to mount the transom bracket. If not you will need to use the ST1290-60. You can mount the tabs on the outer part of the transom (the extended area) which may be preferable in this case.
The recommended sealant is 3M4200 for the SX9510-60 and the ST1290-60. With regard to warranty - it has never been an issue, but since we do not build the boat it is not up to us. Check with your boat builder.

Regards

John

I have not bought their recomended sealant - instead I have used Sikaflex 971 which is equivalent.

The 3M4200 is the one you will find more often on this side of the pond but yes, they are equivalent.

I'm pretty sure there's been a couple of others do this job with swim platforms so hopefully they will chime in. As for the 'light weight plastic' they will work fine with your 18' boat and John @ Nauticus stands behind his product. The guys here with the heavier 22 footers and above need the S.S. versions or even hydraulic/electric trim tabs to handle the extra stress.

I added a swim platform after the tabs were already on. I ended up having to "lean" the support bars in order to clear the tabs. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures (my wife was out of town that weekend with the camera) of the install.

The tabs are quite flexible as far as mounting locations, I don't think you'll have an issue finding a place suitable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeyt (Post 9141)

My comments related more to the cost of the moulded plastic as oposed to the strength.

I quite believe the are strong enough, it was just the $300 for some moulded plastic.... but I guess I am paying for an import, and they are in business for a profit... still if they work I will be happy

Re: Fitting Smart Tabs to a new SX18

I just bought a 1998 Mariah 204 Jubilee Deck Boat, 20’ – 4.3 liter, V-6 motor

I would like it to plane out better

(See picture attached) Where should I mount these? 1, 2 or 3?

Re: Fitting Smart Tabs to a new SX18

You should try installing them as close to the outer edge as possible. However, position "1" will probably have interference between the actuators and the design of the transom. Position "2" should work fine.

Re: Fitting Smart Tabs to a new SX18

Position # 2 will likely work best. Here's a link to Nauticus' installation instructions/video/photos.