Tabs on a 280??
 

I just bought a 2002 280 Velocity and am a complete newbie. Would the boat benefit from tabs on the back? I am reading conflicting opinions on a pad boat.

If it would improve the boat, what size would you recommend?

THANKS

i have K planes on my 260 and they do a great job, lots of 260s & 280s came from the factory with tabs.

whats it have for power?

pics?

Tabs
 

I have tabs on my 26 race boat and almost never use them.

That being said if you have extra money to blow put some on you might find a time in some real rough stuff that they were nice to have and dont cheap out buy some good tabs like k-planes or dana marine tabs .:boat:

I would think the 280 would not need them as much as the 260's, but I like running with them.
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Mine came from the factory with Dana 900's. I changed to the longer Dana 1000 plates to help when running in the rough.

I can run so much faster and safer with the tabs. Also really helps when running in quartering seas.

You will also need to add indicators so you can see what position they are in.

See what I mean about reading different opinions? lol

Thanks for the help. I'll continue to do research.

It has a stock 496ho/425hp.

I do have pictures but can't post them here??

Tabs are well worth the $$. I use them all the time when it gets rough.

Well these replys should have cleared things up.....not. I would say for everyday use you don't need them. the 280 is a very forgiving hull. In rough water you can run harder and smoother with the tabs. This isn't really ground breaking info from me either. Some it up....i use my tabs once a year.

I have always been told you don't need them. In my opinion, I have yet to really need them with my 96 260 (which is todays 280 with a molded swim platform). Racers use them for rough water but for your typical 280's use, 95% of the time you would never need them. Even when you would use them, you could still "make do" without them. Also the way "some" velocity's were built, they wouldn't last long in very rough water at high speed before breaking stuff up because they are built so light. I speak from expensive experience.

Some interesting replies.
Do you need tabs? No.
Do they help the boat perform under certain conditions, Yes.
Maybe I use them because I've had tabs on my last 5 boats.
I find that I run with my tabs down at neutral / parallel with the bottom of the boat most of the time. This extends the running surface so the boat plans off quicker and is more stable at all speeds. This also eliminates porposing. The only time I run with them up is when I want to reach top speed.

I couldn't imagine running any offshore boat without them - particularly in the rough at speed. It gives you an extra degree of control and can make for a more comfortable ride - including the big Velocities! I've been fortunate enough to ride with Steve Stepp on 3 or 4 occasions in different size boats and he used the tabs. So do you need them? You can make do without but why compromise if you can afford them?