My Vr1 is the same lower hull as your boat...I run tab neutral or up just a touch depending on water conditions, and run the drive up about halfway...5.5 to 6 on my indicator...tabs are three to 4...four being level. When it kicks up I run the tab down a notch or two to keep the bow down and the boat flying more level. If I run the drive any higher it just ups the prop slip and it acutally slows the boat down.

Oftentimes, in chop, you get a smoother ride by running faster.

also agreed..mine is much happier at 60 than 45...

Congratulations on your purchase. The tab/trim question always depends on the kind of chop you have that day. By all means try putting yout tabs down and give it some trim to go over the chop. This generally yields a nicer ride in nasty chop but at the expense of some speed. Half the fun is experimenting with the different combinations to figure out what ride you like best. Work on getting a smooth ride first and then work on the speed part. Good luck and enjoy the process!

I want to say thanks to all you guys that gave welcomes and advice. I am very pleased with the new toy. Today had small to no chop. I got it to 60 ish. I was in the 46-4800rpm range tabs at level and trim at level. Previous owner put level stickers on the indicators. Its all she had. Prop has damage so Im good until I get a new labed prop. When it was rough I droped the tabs and got a great ride. Wife was way happier. Asked how im driving better. Thanks guys. Made our mini vacation awesome.

In mild water, I don't use my tabs at all when cruising (over 40mph), and drive set to about 4-ish. Add a little more speed to keep nose stable, but you can use tabs. also. In rough stuff, the boat flies pretty level with the tabs set horizontal and drive 4 to 5. As others have said, gotta adjust boat speed according to wave height and spacing. For top speed runs, the boat climbs up on the pad nicely above 60 and I can trim drive out past vertical with no tabs (about 7 or more) to lift the nose up for more speed. This is with a hydro P5X prop and the propshaft sits 3+ inches above the pad.

Glad you are having fun!!

Welcome to the family, Something I found that helps also is 800-900 HP and a fat prop