Good even all,

I am a newb to owning a performance boat and to this forum. I have found a lot of cool stuff on here, but not a thread that addresses my particular questions. My boat is a 1994 Scarab 22, max speed of 62-65 depending on water conditions. The boat plains really well and it performs great, but when I have 3-5 people in the boat, I need to get the bow down in certain water conditions - hence me looking into trim tabs. 1) should I go hydraulic or electric (I feel hydraulic would make more sense) and 2) what size trim tabs/brand should I go with. I have seen many different answers, but I just want a good trim tab for my situation. Thanks in advance and happy boating!

Justen

My 2 cents based on v bottoms only (haven't owned or had a lot to do with cats thus far).
There is no such thing as too big when it comes to length. The bigger they are the harder you can drive the nose in, you don't have to run them all the way down all the time but its nice to know you got more in reserve than not. (I run dana hp1100's on my 21' v bottom and they are as big as they get). The longer ones do wash more speed off due to drag but generally if its that rough you need them buried then you wont want to go too fast anyway. It comes down to price at the end, go as big as you can for your money.
The hydraulic are great and so are some of the electric (Lenco make good electric rams). Just remember if you go hydraulic you need space inside boat to mount 2 trim pumps/reservoirs/solenoids. So if your tight on space the electric may suit you better. The hydraulic are more powerfull and a little faster from what I've seen. (Lenco go dual electric actuators on there longer tabs but there pricey)
Top 2 choices in my book are dana for hydraulic and Lenco for electric.
Once you have them you then have the other well argued question of whether to mount them parallel with the v or horizontal to water line. I prefer parallel, others will argue for horizontal. I have driven boats with them both ways and find when parallel they have more leverage (because the whole tab bottom is working on the water coming off bottom of boat) but take a little getting used to cause they are quite abrupt in changing boat attitude. When Horizontal they don't seem to have near as much impact on hull attitude however have a softer feel (you can push them in or out quicker and feel less abrupt changes in boat attitude). I've heard heaps of other pro's and con's for both ways but never personally experienced any of them. Every hull is different but and may be influenced differently.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for the wise words Kurt. This helps me in starting my research...I have PLENTY of time as it's still cold as tit$ in VA right now. Thanks again!

I'll agree with everything Kurt has posted, and add a little more.

One thing you want to take into account is the kind of water you normally run in. If you're running rivers, you probably don't need a full gonzo (heavy duty) tab. If you run lakes, the stakes go up and oceans are about the worst. (Although I will add that a large lake will have fairly closely spaced wave crests and they can hammer tabs more than the widely spaced crests one finds on the ocean.)

I'd recommend at least a 12" x 12" tab since your boat is the same size as mine. You can go larger, but do not go shorter because you'll regret it.

You can go with Lenco tabs and they make a hell of a product, but you will find that they are fairly fast acting, so it will take some getting used to. (And that's not a bad thing BTW.)

How and where you mount the tabs can make a huge difference in how effective they are. If you mount most tabs correctly (except for really long tabs), you won't have to worry about scrubbing off speed when fully retracted. Oh, and each manufacturer's tabs have a different amount of travel, so take that into account.

Speaking of installation, you can do it yourself - if you're careful. I've seen some simply horrible installations by rookies though, so watch out. Lay everything out carefully and measure twice before cutting / drilling anything. And make sure you seal any holes in the transom with high grade sealer (3M or Life Caulk) so that you don't get water into your transom over time.

Hope that helps.

Tom

I have a Chris Craft Scorpion 230, it came with Bennett trim tabs on it. I believe they're 18x12, and it's a hydraulic set up.
All I can say is they work great, I've had the boat 8 years and no issues. FWIW

call electric tabs they have many styles to look at , they dont take up a lot of room , no oils to check and the weight of the bigger ones , that is what i have on my scarab 22 dont use them a lot but when i do they work great
scott

Fellas, thanks again for all the help. Seems as if I will be going with the Bennett's or Lencos (the Dana's are unfortunately out of my price range). I just have to decide if I want electric or hydraulic. I boat in the Potomac river or on fresh water lakes - never in the ocean or bay. Only other question is b/c of the speed the boat can go, do I need to get sport models with dual pistons or will the single pistons work? I.e. Bennett m120 or Lenco 12x12 standard?

If you do go with Bennett tabs, go for the Sport / dual ram model. They're a bit harder to install, but the second ram is well worth it at the somewhat higher speeds you're running.

I have a Bennett dual ram 12" X 12" set up in great condition that came off a 22' Velocity for $450 plus shipping. Also have a set of 280 K Planes that would be overkill on your boat unless you repower to big horsepower. John 610-299-3598.

John,

Could you send me a pic of the Bennett's you have for sale? Since I'm new to this forum, I don't know if you can send them via PM or if you could email me [email protected] - I am very interested. I am in Northern VA...any idea on shipping costs?

How much would you let the 280 K Planes go for?

Justen
703.843.4176