"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
...

On 8/1/13 8:42 AM, True North wrote:
Unlike the majority in here, I'm off to enjoy a beautiful day of
boating.
First I'll drop into a local Mercury dealer to get an estimate on
installing a 'trim gauge' and sender pkg.
Then I'll have to decide whether to boat on the largest freshwater
lake around here... or explore either of two beautiful ocean
bays...St. Margaret's or Mahone Bay.
Winds are supposed to be light.. although from the South, so
hopefully it won't be too rough for the wife.


I think the trim gauge may be a waste of money. If you observer the
outboard when you are running on plane and adjust the trim, you can
usually tell by sight and sound (and speed abd tach and whether the
bow
is up or down or whether the boat is running on its optimum plane.}
Unless the gauge and sender are cheap, maybe you can do without them.

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I agree. When I first got into boating I tried to rely on the
displayed drive trim setting but soon realized it was only a general
reference and after a while I never bothered to even look at it.

The drive trim setting one day isn't necessarily the best setting on
another, depending on sea state, wind direction and strength. This
results in determining the best setting based on visual indicators,
seat of the pants inputs along with your tach and speed indicators
anyway. I remember running a Boston Whaler in one direction (with
the wind) and the ideal trim setting was often very different than
turning around and running against the wind.

Obviously, larger boats with fixed propellers and rudders don't have
"drive" trim indicators. They may have trim tabs, but even on them
the actual reading isn't important. You adjust by feel, visual and
tach/speed indications for the best setting and it can vary, day to
day.