Shooter, are the Fountain planes a 'rebadged' K-plane casting?

Any pics available?

B

I have the dual ram 12 x 11 on my 260 Baja. They work fine, just kinda slow. Would longer tabs cause less drag?

In a nutshell, yes, a longer tab will create less drag because you don't have to drop it as far in the water to gain the desired results.

Brian

P.S. the Insta-Trim design will be similar to the current Bennett replacement.

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but there is no comparison between the Instatrims and a "real" plane. I actually ripped (at speed) off mine on the Shooter when I had it. I run my boat in the ocean a lot and like to trim the drives and tabs against each other to "fly" level. With the 302, the tabs don't really become effective unless you put them way down or the boat put the nose up in the air. I boat in the NY harbor and bays and it is never smooth.

I think if you guys who like the instas or bennets had a tab like martinis or a plane you would never be able to go back IMHO.

My vote?

Make an adapter for the upper mount and include Bennett actuators in the upgrade. I don't think they are but around $60 each (and I see them on Ebay alot cheaper). Bennett makes two versions - hose thru transom and hose outside transom.

Shooter, that's a very interesting looking tab you have there, I've never seen that one before. Looks like the backing plate may be the same bolt pattern as a K-plane? You're right on the mark with your comparison, there's no substitute for cubic inches or surface area in this case.

mcollinstn- That's something I've contemplated before since the Bennetts are not only worthy but reasonably priced as well.

Thanks guys,

Brian

it's aftermarket, same maker for fountain, cig, and it's in the latest Livorsi catalog.

Thanks for the info Shooter.


Just for my own information. The tab that was ripped from your hull, did it take some of your gelcoat as well?
I know from experience just how tenacious a urethane based sealant/adhesive is. It can sometimes help and/or hinder.

Brian

It was a instatrim and just the flap part was half ripped off. Broke the "hydraulic" cylender.

Well, here's the answer for you Instatrim owners. A dual ram tab that measures 19" overall and includes upper standoff brackets and a unique ram mount that allows the geometry to remain unaltered. This effectively takes care of the IT actuators rather 'short' stature. I've designed this kit to be a simple bolt-on. NO ADDITIONAL HOSE will have to be pulled through the transom. Simply spin your actuator 180 degrees while holding the clamp on your hose (a little heat helps) and all of a sudden the external hose becomes shrouded by the upper standoff bracket.

The pictures here will hopefully illustrate how the hose will 'snake' up inside the bracket and out of the top 'relief' area where it will enter your original long plastic clamshell. This makes a very clean installation.

Features:

- 304 stainless steel construction
- Virtually the same surface area as a 280S Kplane
- Powder coated
- Incredible strength
- Simple installation
- ALL required ss hardware is included
- Eliminates upper and lower 'stock' plastic mounts
- Smooooth bottom tab- no through bolted hardware on lower plate!


Brian