My 255 Formula Liberator is days from dropping in a pair of stout SBC Roller Cam motors and Bravo I drives. I'm doing last minute bilge things that will be more difficult to do once the motors are in.

One thing that keeps popping up in my mind is 280 K planes vs the Bennett 12" tabs I have now. I have no complaints about the Bennetts and wonder if it's worth the expense of moving to the larger trim tabs. Trust me...I'm not looking for a place to spend money but am looking for honest experienced opinions on the differences. This boat has never had an issue getting on plane with the drives down and the biggest advantage I have realized with the tabs I have is the ability to trim the ride in a majority of sea conditions. I'm thinking the 280's might even "over tab" this boat in certain conditions.

Thoughts and comments solicited and welcomed.

i think the real diff is k-planes react much faster than bennets. banging around in the ocean you may want that.

I've had both on identical boats.

24' Sonic #1 had standard, single ram Bennets. They worked great and did everything right until I pushed the envelope. I exploded the ram on one tab and came back many miles w/none as they operate from a shared pump so you lose one you lose both.
I upgraded them to their dual ram (per tab) "Sport Tabs" and really liked them as well. Same pump and lines though. They're only rated for 60 MPH's and that boat is HUGE fun w/some down tab and up trim (on the motors) in the chop. Doing that, I blew off the lines and pumped the bilge full of fluid numerous times which means another nasty return trip w/no tabs.
That boat is no fun in the rough w/o tabs. W/full down tab it will plane bellow 20 MPH's. W/no tabs it takes 30 and in the chop that boat would be toast in min's. So basically, if you lose tabs in the rough, your coming home off plane.
Finally got the lines to stay on and then exploded a second ram on one of the Sport Tabs. I've never heard of anyone else doing that and again, purely abuse on my part.

24' Sonic #2 has K planes. They are rated for boats no smaller than 26' and mine at 24', is a hand full.
The pumps are 300% stronger and faster than the Bennets which were very easy to tune. On these if you just tap the button, the motor/pump free wheels past the sweet spot so you go down the river rolling the boat side to side while looking like a newb.. They work great but have given me several white knuckle rides based on above.
Based on what I've seen/experienced, I'd guess you'd be fine w/the Bennets. I know when I tell my story to all the Baja/Checkmate guys they all report zero issues w/theirs.

I think it depends on the boat. I have 280 s and hardly ever use them. My boat jumps right up on plane with no tab. Tabs will scrub a lot of speed but are nice to have in rough water to smooth out the ride a little. To answer your question, I don't think you need them or are worth the money on a boat your size. You mentioned getting on plane easily with out any tab which is a good thing,some boats won't plane without them. And like twinob said the biggest difference is pump speed

Thanks for all the responses. My inclination is to keep what i have and run it. This boat responds very well to slight differences in drive angle and has in fact scared the crap out of me a few times with the drives too far in. Trust me...you get the nose on this 255 too far down it starts darting around like a top water bass lure!! The Bennetts have worked well and I'll stick with them unless I tear them up. This heavy 'bird does a real good job in all but the worse stuff outside at about 30 MPH with no tab...beyond that I need them.

I guess the worst part or down side of not doing it would be the labor intensive task of installing them after the fact. That's a job I would stroke the check for on this boat. Once those twins are in that bilge there's not a whole lot of anything going to happen on the bilge side of that transom!! One of the major items I was insistent on with this swap was remote oil filters...you can't even see the oil filters on the engines once they are installed in this boat with out the remote kits!!

all the above. My boat "launchs" to plane w/zero tab as well.
It also bow steers big time w/the tabs down at lower speeds.

What did you have on the old 272?

I have thought about the 280's on mine also, but I want to actually run the thing before I elect to do any more optional 4 figure projects. How much wave pounding you planning on doing in this thing? Your not getting any younger you know. LOL

Brian

That's a great question Brian. It had the same 12" square Bennetts that I have on the 255. I never had an issue with them on the 272 but do recall that they were useless above 60~65 on that boat. The other thoughts that come to mind center around the reality that this 255 is more "capable" than the 272 was. With more power and stronger drives it will be easier to push the 255 harder and further. Understanding that...is why I considered the 280 K Planes.

I am still of the mind to run the Bennetts unless they begin to have issues. If I experience any significant failures my decision will become a simple one.

I agree with you....I'm not lusting for ways to spend money. I would much rather put that $$$$ towards a networked GPS/Chart Plotter.

John I have the Bennett's. mine have individual pumps same as my drive trim pumps. Boat responds to them well. I've considered kplanes and will prolly do it at some point. Right now I'm still working on interior. Good luck. Can't wait for you to finally splash it.

On another note I have the lowrance hds5 and I love it. Great piece. Yes it's a fish finder also but I have kids who like to get a rod wet. Nmea capable and you can view a ton of stuff on screen. Internal gps antennae I've never had a problem with and even had it pick up under my lanai roof when testing.

Thanks for the wishes...you and I both brother!!

I never thought about using 2: pumps...that would definitely speed the reaction time. The hydraulics is not something I thought would be an issue but moreover the size and strength of the hardware and tabs.