New Fountain Trim Tab location?
 

Anyone know why Fountain is now mounting the K-Planes straight across the transom and not parallel to the running surface?
Dan

It almost looks like they screwed up. It certainly looks less effective. The tab has to be less effective. It might help accellerate faster from a dead stop since the faster you go the less tab in the water, Is Fountain that smart. I dont think so.

What do you think about the new exhaust?

in power boat mag last year they had an interview with the zenetix fountain crew that won the worlds. the boat was kick ass and dominated. their tabs are mounted like this. they stated that the tabs mounted this way gives better input and control. i know it looks funny, but if they did it on wyatt fountain's super vee, then there is a good reason for doing it.

Check out OSO post "new fountain with the ITS" the tabs are also mounted parallel to the ground.

DaveHam

Less drag and more effective transom lift?
Just guessing here...

I spoke with David Woods (owner of Pier 57) about that a few weeks ago. He said they and Fountain had been testing different locations and positions of the tabs for quite a while and found this to be 2-4 MPH fast than the old position. They are also much longer tabs than before.

Gig

So would there be any benefit in changing the tabs on my 35 classic to this new style and location?

Marginmn
Your wife will kick your butt if you go drilling holes in that new boat:eek:

Heck I'd drill holes in her dinning room table and mount it on the back of the boat if it would pick up 4 mph. But I just don't see how tabs could make the boat go faster, since the boat generally sees its fastest speeds when they are completly out of the water, no?:D

:D :D :D

I have heard that race boats actually sharpen the edge of the transom to help shed water off the boat. Maybe the tabs pull water up the transom, which would slow the boat down??? I wonder how the tabs perform being mounted like that?
Dan

My understanding is that if the boat launches off a wave the back hits the water first. If the tabs are mounted with the bottom and they are down, it will push the boat to the other side. So if the boat launches and comes down with the right side first it will kind of roll the left, and at high speed you don't want that. That's what a friend told me, his tabs are mounted like that and he used to race his boat.
Mike

My tabs are the usual way on my cat and they ack very on-off with very litlle inbetween. Maybe with them mounted this way there is more ?'tapered' input into the water-- less effect at first and then more progressive increase in effect as they go down and more of the tab hits the water. Less on-off effect.

Marginmn

If you look close you will see that to mount the tabs the way they are now the swim platform is different. The sides of the platform are cut out at the bottom to allow for the tab potioning. This is true on both 35 models.(single and double step). I already thought of that. Drats!

Bummer, thanks.

I have seen a pic of a Velocity where the tabs are mounted like that also??, I seriously doubt it increases speed that much, since running WOT tabs are usualyy all the way up anyway?????:rolleyes:

WILL

It is truely 2-4 MPH faster than the old position. I have driven both on the same day with the same power. Also, I don't think Fountain would have gone thru the trouble of changing the molds for the heck of it.

I agree with the fellow earlyer , how can the boat be faster if the tabs are all the way up. no mater where they are mounted. if you put your brake peddal on the left side of your car instead of the right , you mean to tell me your car will run faster if the brakes are not on. half the people I have run boats against dont even know what full throttle is . they think were nuts but we have the real need for speed.

Be careful if you mount your tabs like this. My buddy boat a new 35' classic and his tabs are mounted this way, one day coming in to a beach with the drives up and in gear his prop hit one of the tabs. The dealer had to cut the tabs at an angle to keep that from happening again.

Just something to think about.:eek:

LMAO.. i'll stop bye and bring the wood dowel.. for the table that is... she'll never know..