Actually, I know I DON'T need them, but would they be really worth
installing on my boat.

23' Marquis Cuddy w/ 350 Chevy V8 and "MR" mercruiser outdrive.

The boat has never had them on it, and I was wondering if it would be
beneficial for me to install a set. Do the advantages outweigh the
cost? This boating season, it's going to get a lot of lake time, and
maybe a weekender river cruise on the Ohio/Mississippi and/or the
Illinois river.

not going to be out (if possible) in choppy water, or having an
unbalanced boat with excess weight on either side.

What do you think?

THANKS!

Tim wrote:
Actually, I know I DON'T need them, but would they be really worth
installing on my boat.

23' Marquis Cuddy w/ 350 Chevy V8 and "MR" mercruiser outdrive.

The boat has never had them on it, and I was wondering if it would be
beneficial for me to install a set. Do the advantages outweigh the
cost? This boating season, it's going to get a lot of lake time, and
maybe a weekender river cruise on the Ohio/Mississippi and/or the
Illinois river.

not going to be out (if possible) in choppy water, or having an
unbalanced boat with excess weight on either side.

What do you think?

THANKS!


I had trim tabs on a 21 ft 3900 lbs cuddy (Crownline 210ccr) and liked
them a lot. It was the first boat I had with tabs. It took a little
while to get use to them. And you can always just leave them up.

The things I like were being able to maintain a slow planing speed if
desired. Assisted in getting on plane when the boat was loaded heavey
with guest and stuff. Being able to level the boat out if the load was
not ballanced or in a hard cross wind.

The one thing you would need to try not to do is allow to much downward
pressure as you can create a "bow steer" condition that is not much fun.

I got so use to them that I would put down the drive leg all the way and
then just back it up a little. Then do all trim adjustment with the tabs.

The little bowrider that I now have I would not add then to. But if I
ever get another cuddy I would most like have them put on if they were
not already installed.

Capt Jack R..

Unless your boat has a list when on step I wouldn’t worry about it. A
boat that size with an outdrive shouldn’t need the help in the planing
angle. If you were fully loaded up with lots of gear for a weekend
trip it would definately help your boat level out and plane even.
Save your money for gas........

"Tim" wrote:
Actually, I know I DON'T need them, but would they be really
worth
installing on my boat.

23' Marquis Cuddy w/ 350 Chevy V8 and "MR" mercruiser
outdrive.

The boat has never had them on it, and I was wondering if it
would be
beneficial for me to install a set. Do the advantages
outweigh the
cost? This boating season, it's going to get a lot of lake
time, and
maybe a weekender river cruise on the Ohio/Mississippi and/or
the
Illinois river.

not going to be out (if possible) in choppy water, or having
an
unbalanced boat with excess weight on either side.

What do you think?

THANKS!

--
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On 4 Jan 2007 19:53:30 -0800, "Tim" wrote:

Actually, I know I DON'T need them, but would they be really worth
installing on my boat.

23' Marquis Cuddy w/ 350 Chevy V8 and "MR" mercruiser outdrive.

The boat has never had them on it, and I was wondering if it would be
beneficial for me to install a set. Do the advantages outweigh the
cost? This boating season, it's going to get a lot of lake time, and
maybe a weekender river cruise on the Ohio/Mississippi and/or the
Illinois river.

not going to be out (if possible) in choppy water, or having an
unbalanced boat with excess weight on either side.

What do you think?

THANKS!

Given the conditions you've stated, smooth water and balanced loads, I'd
probably not spend the money. You didn't say how much money. I have them on
a 21' cuddy, and seldom use them. If the boat is heavily loaded, I usually
have a person or two go up to the bow until I get on plane. I *think* a
little trimming with the tabs may get me a couple mph at cruise RPM (around
3200, for me), but I'm never sure if it's the tabs or the wind/waves.

If I didn't have them, and they were *really* cheap, I might go for them.
But if they were more than a couple hundred bucks, I'd probably pass. I
bought my boat used, and the tabs were already there.

Let us know what you do!
--

John

I have them on our stingray bowrider. I use them full down to run at a
slower speed for wakeboarding and I put them down a little in the chop. I
don't bother with the load balance, I just tell someone to move:-) They are
pricey even though I did the installation myself.

"Tim" wrote in message
ups.com...
Actually, I know I DON'T need them, but would they be really worth
installing on my boat.

23' Marquis Cuddy w/ 350 Chevy V8 and "MR" mercruiser outdrive.

The boat has never had them on it, and I was wondering if it would be
beneficial for me to install a set. Do the advantages outweigh the
cost? This boating season, it's going to get a lot of lake time, and
maybe a weekender river cruise on the Ohio/Mississippi and/or the
Illinois river.

not going to be out (if possible) in choppy water, or having an
unbalanced boat with excess weight on either side.

What do you think?

THANKS!

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On 4 Jan 2007 19:53:30 -0800, "Tim" wrote:

Actually, I know I DON'T need them, but would they be really worth
installing on my boat.

This is an interesting question and you are likely to get a variety of
answers.

To my way to thinking, probably not given how you are planning on
boating.

However (ain't there always)...

Trim tabs to help keep the boat level on those days when you are
running with a beam wind (and you do have a lot of windage) or even if
the wind is coming off a quarter (bow or stern), it will help a lot to
keep the boat straight and level.

The problem is this. If you have a moderate V (deadrise) - say 18
degrees or higher, the boat will be prone to leaning to one side or
the other no matter now much you try to put a balanced load on the
boat. The simple act of moving from one part of the boat to another
while underway will make the boat lean a little. To give you and
example, when I had the Contender Fisharound, and being 6'3" and 250,
I could make the boat lean to one side or the other when running just
by moving around. That boat had a 9'5" beam as I remember, but 24.5
degree deadrise - it made the boat very fast and it was stable on the
run, but not so much at low speeds where just moving from one side of
the cockpit to the other while trolling could offset the balance. I
could tell you a really interesting story about trim tabs sometime.
:)

Anyway, to make the point, I can stand on the gunwale of my Ranger
which has a 8'8" beam, jump up and down holding onto the T-Top and the
boat won't move at all - flat as a pancake on a griddle. I actually
experimented with it - I took a piece of aluminum square stock and
attached it to the T-top of the Ranger - it extended six feet out from
the side of the boat. It took 125 pounds at four feet away seven feet
in the air from the side of the boat to make the Ranger tilt at all.

Of course, there is no deadrise being essentially a flat hull.

With respect to putting the boat on plane, I frankly don't believe it.
I can't prove it and would be willing to be proved wrong, but on boats
that I've run and tested with trim tabs, they essentially can have an
effect on plane angle, but I maintain their worth as a adjunct to
getting a boat on plane quicker is suspect - their true worth is in
keeping the boat level which is just as complimentary to getting the
boat on plane. Just my opinion - flame suit on.



It looks to me tht in it's past life, my little ChrisCraft 169 had trim
tabs installed on it at one time, but were removed before I owned it.

My old 27' Chris Craft Cavalier had trim tabs on it, but they were
permanent mounted plates with some sort of shock absorber mounted on
them, with no manual control. but it was direct inboard.

maybe I should take it out and see how it handles first.

I do like the comment on getting better economy, even though it's hard
for me to imagine that a couple plates dragging in the water can
improve your gph.

"Tim" wrote in message
oups.com...

I do like the comment on getting better economy, even though it's hard
for me to imagine that a couple plates dragging in the water can
improve your gph.

It's all about the "lift" the tabs provide. Properly sized tabs work like
the tabs on a plane, they divert the water down to raise the stern reducing
the amount of water the boat has to displace.

Small, improper sized tabs will do just as you say- drag through the water
and reduce gph.

On Fri, 05 Jan 2007 13:26:10 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:



And now - I'm off to go fishing.

WHOO HOO!! Look out redfish.

Where *are* you now? Tell us how the fishing was, please!
--

John

John Blum wrote:
"Tim" wrote in message
oups.com...

I do like the comment on getting better economy, even though it's hard
for me to imagine that a couple plates dragging in the water can
improve your gph.

It's all about the "lift" the tabs provide. Properly sized tabs work like
the tabs on a plane, they divert the water down to raise the stern reducing
the amount of water the boat has to displace.

Small, improper sized tabs will do just as you say- drag through the water
and reduce gph.


Ah! the lift and drag factor[s].

forgot about that John, your right, like a hydoplane, the object is to
get the boat out of the water

Thanks, John

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Fri, 05 Jan 2007 09:58:15 -0500, JohnH wrote:

On Fri, 05 Jan 2007 13:26:10 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:



And now - I'm off to go fishing.

WHOO HOO!! Look out redfish.

Where *are* you now? Tell us how the fishing was, please!

Charleston and it was great.

I'm glad you had an excellent time.

how was the catch?