Greetings my Brothers and Sisters,

It's been a awhile since I have been active, hopefully that will change once I get my PQ back on the water!

I recently purchased a set of 280 K Planes online and unfortunately they did not come with the installation instructions or the templates for drilling the ass end

Doe's anyone have their old templates or instructions that I could get a copy of ? Merc was less than helpful since I did not purchase them from a dealer.

My other question is has anyone tried mounting K-planes horizontally on a 26' V hull with positive results?

I appreciate your help,

Sorry i can't help you on the templates, but we intsalled k-planes on our 28' boat horizontally, and they work great. Ww put the tab right on the edge of the main lifting strake.
Hope this helps

You make your own template with light card board, once you have made your template tape it on the hull 1/2 - 3/4" above the running surface. Now the trick is to drill all the holes at 90 to the transom and at 90 to each other so all the studs will slide through the 3" thick transom. To do it make a jig with a 5"x 5" square of 3/4" plywood, screw a 3/8" floor flange to it (shim for 90) and thread in about a 5" 3/8" pipe nipple to use as your drill guide. You will need a 24" long drill, hold the jig flat against the transom and you are at 90 in all directions for each stud hole. I think I once posted a pic of the jig somewhere on the site.

you could call mercury and buy a template. and use an aluminium "angle " with a friend and take a little extra time.
DO NOT mount them even with the bottom. as mentioned 1/2 up. if u get the templat, use a spring loaded center punch, pilot drill with an 1/8 th bit. then let her rip.

good luck.

I appreciate the advice folks, unfortunatly this sounds a little more difficult than I expected.

I just got off the phone with Merc Dealer Support and they are useless as tits on a bull. The tech stated that merc will not provide a template due to liability on the variables of hulls.
Another example of too many lawyers and not enough anchors!

If anyone has a better idea I am all for it, otherwise it's cardboard, an exacto-knife and lots of weed.

How about a reputable [if there are any in your area?] shop or marina?, I would imagine any High Performance rigging shop or marina that was worth there salt would be able to mount K planes without too much trouble, besides if they screw it up, they have to fix it, if YOU mess it up, well....all the weed in the world aint gonna help!!, Ha Ha

just a thought?

Not meaning to "hijack" a thread or tick anyone off?, but, has anyone got an idea of how to diagnose a problem with stock [heavy duty] Boat leveler trim tabs?, I have a set on my Baja, and the tabs work fine, but, the indicators show a light and have power, but, dont move when I adjust the tabs, there is 2 small ribbon cables that run to the back of the boat "somewhere", but, I am not sure where and before I start tearing apart wiring harnesses [and screwing up something else in the process!] I wondered if anyone knew of a quick fix or easy way to diagnose this problem, I would imagine screaming across the lake with adjustable trim tabs when you have NO idea where they are set, or how to get them back to neutral wouldn't be a whole lot of fun!

Thanks for the advice guys, and Apoligies to "DaBeezer" for horning in on his thread!

No worries N2O, the only horning or I should say HOSING is being done by Merc Racing in Fondle my Locks WI!

I appreciate all the advise, but the labor for the dealer to half ass this is going to kill me Get this folks, the shop that is doing the work (Merc Authorized Dealer) was told today by the Merc Rep (after three calls);

"the only way you can get the template is if you order another set of tabs, that there is no part number for it"

Is there someone here in the OSO World that could open a new box and copy the template and I will have FED Ex pick it up? After being in drydock for 4 years..I am desperate folks

i ll check to see if i can dig one up. i may,,,,MAY. have one.

please send me a picture of the jig for installing k plane drill holes.
Thanks