Some time back I purchased a set of trim tabs from a fw member on this site. Happy as with the purchase, fuel economy improved a lot boat (6 m quinine sea sport) got up on plane very quick all around better boat performance great improvement.

Then one day I had to come home from 20k out with a following sw wind and swell, trimmed motor up slightly as per usual to give lift to the bow put all heavy gear mid ship and as far back against the transom as possible. Have I done all the right moves for a following sea of 2 - 3 metres, I thought so.

After about travelling 5 k or so home bound a reasonable size swell came up astern, throttled back slightly the boat travelled just over the peak of the swell and surfed down the front face. Nothing to get alarmed about have done this many times before on reaching the trough of the swell the bow of the boat rises and you surf on for a short way.

Not this time.

The bow buried deep into the trough, green water sheeted of the combing then the windscreen and I really thought all was going to come to a very sticky end.

Why had this happened, the fixed trim tabs had done their job to well, on coming down the wave face the tabs had raised the stern of the boat and despite the motor being slightly trimmed up and the weight at the stern the tabs had raised the stern and the bows had come down and the boat had gone into diving stations of such a degree that any submarine would be happy with.

I have now fixed this problem by making the securing pin of the trim tabs removable whilst on the water and the tabs free plane with a following sea.

If I was buying trim tabs again I would not get any other than adjustable tabs like the Bennets or similar.

That's just my opinion based on a bad experience (and a bloody scary one)

cheers
yes that wouldn't of been a good feeling
it aunt fun when you have the following seas on the way home , especially if you haven't caught anything for the day

IMO Trim tabs are only used to correct a issue with the way a boat handles, mainly due to stern sitting low, weight not stored correctly.

If you think you need them, ask yourself why. To me its the last thing I would do to correct a problem.

Trims tabs are the best!

They are not really intended to push your nose down or anything like that, that become dangerous in a following sea.

But iterms of Port/Star Lean they are the best. Sure you could move all your dive tanks or your esky everytime someone moves around or you can use your tabs. I have been on boats without them that then got them and i wouldnt buy a boat without them.

Do yourself a favor and dont get QL's. Get Bennet or Lenco's.

Thats my opinion anyway!

Vinnie

I have a 6.8 hard top and the side wind tends to make my boat lean strangely towards the direction of the wind and I adjust the trim tabs to level out, if I turn into or with the wind, the boat levels out and I don't really need the trim tabs depending on gear placement on deck, if I'm by myself tabs are great not to have stop and move gear around. When heading into poor sea's, I trim the motor down, but this doesn't seam enough to bring the bow down enough, so I adjust trim tabs so bow of boat stays lower and is breaking the chop and swell instead of banging further back under hull, this is a much better ride but at the cost of poorer fuel economy. As for following seas, everyone needs to know there boat and operate and adjust to suit conditions.
My mate has a Surtees 6.9 hard top and has the same lean problem with side wind and has installed trim tabs, he loves them, but does not need them for bringing bow down as it sits great and rides very well in rough seas. Can't remember the brand of tabs, but we both have the electric blade type, that drop down in stages vertical and completely retracted when not in use.
I have not owned or operated a twin ouyboard boat, but is it possible to trim port or strb with motors.

I try trimming my twins but they are close together and you don't really notice the difference
Question also evolves around
yer your traveling along with 2 guys on 1 side and 1 guy on the other , it would be handy to be able to level the boat out with out moving gear and getting people to sit on at certain spot.
but in saying this I have never been on a boat with trim tabs ?

 I have a bar crusher and I had trim tabs fitted to it and I wouldnt get another boat without them, makes a big difference.

 not on a trailcraft- move some gear around b4 you start drilling holes

Always thought they were a last resort designed for bass boats with big motors

Some boats need em tho- different strokes

If you have a problem with your boat leaning - I.E. leaning into the wind, leaning because of uneven loading, then get some tabs.  They are the best thing for levelling your boat so the hull works as it should. 

I think they are worth it purely for this function.  You can use them to hold the nose down as well though I generally just use the motor for that.

 we get a bit of starboard lean due to prop torque, couple of notches on the trim tabs has it riding flat. This is all I use them for. Prefer to have load and passengers spread evenly where possible . Using more extreme trim tab settings to balance a heavy load for example would probably make the handling a bit unstable wouldn't it?  Also agree with scuttlebutt, I find trimming the motor to adjust nose attitude is the way to go. 

If you buy trim tabs you need to learn how to use them ,They do a lot more than just  levelling your boat.

thanks for the advise
think ill just wait until I've been out on a boat with them
to actually see the difference

 Interesting thread, I'm looking at trim tabs myself, I've got a 21 ft carrabean reef runner hard top, with half a tank of fuel it handles most conditions with ease but with a full tank (220ltrs ) and the tank being positioned towards the rear it sometimes is a little hard to get the nose down enough in certain conditions.

Trim tabs will make your boat feel like a new one! I would also steer clear of the volvo QL's. Seen to many fail and not work after a couple of years work. Bennett Hydraulic are the go for long term. Had lenco electric on the last boat and also had electrical problems with them. The indicators were a handy feature though. 

A mate had the QL's on a Yellowfin 6200 and was a pig to get working properly. could have been the operator or the boat not sure. It had twin 70hp Yamaha 4 strokes on the back. I run the Bennet style on both my last 2 boats and they work great. Just make sure you get the LED indicator swich which will show you where they are sitting. Also had mine powered through a circut braker and when switched off they would auto retract which is good at the end of each trip.

I've got them on my boat and I reckon they're the best thing since sliced bread. Can be useful in so many situations, especially heading into chop or side on.

 i had a 6.10 trailcraft isl cab and fitted the QLs mainly to correct the leaning into the wind, which allows to hull to sit upright which in turn makes the landing and cutting through swell and waves a lot smoother,  i chose the QLs due to theres no plates hanging of the back of the boat which your line can get caught on, also helps with the trim aswell ,  you will notice a big difference in your boat handling when fitted and used correctly   pm me if you need further info 

 I had a set of hydraulic tabs on my Haines 5.8 cc.They messed me about so much i took them off.Now when she leans into the wind i get a decky to move cheaper and easier if your decky is on the boil. Still got them in the shed if anyone is interested. 

 Yep