16 Cruiser trim tabs installed.

seabeagle · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 7:55 pm Post subject: 16 Cruiser trim tabs installed.

I put my trim tabs on last week. Works great! Bennet M-80 kit with electronic indicator and auto tab retractors.Got a good deal on them and were easy to install. Seriously, it beats moving the cooler around and shifting in my seat. Money well worth spending. Better than that stinking Permatrim. Click the link for my album pics.
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album1035&id=1_G&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

ramos · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:37 pm Post subject:

Curious to see what you think of them after some use. Please keep us informed. I posted on this a while back. General consensus was that it was not worth the expense on a 16C. I'm still not convinced that the smaller boats don't need trim tabs even more than the mid-sized ones do. My boat is not packing as much gear as yours'. My challenge is the 50 lbs difference in adults and two young boys that like to move around. Moveable ballast is not always available or practical on the fly! By the way, what don't you like about the Permatrim? I love mine.

seabeagle · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:38 pm Post subject:

I've had it on the water once so far and the trim tabs work great. I got an OK deal from my local West Marine $628 out the door with some price matching. And as for the permatrim, excessive cavitation is my biggest complaint. It sucks air down like a bathtub drain even in good conditions. For a quarter of the price I could have got a plastic one and had the same results. I've checked everything , prop hub, motor height, trim, different props, all the same. Do they make a longer shaft for the Honda 50? Another 6 inches down might help. Eventually, I'm going to make another attachment for the boat to fix it.

Captains Cat · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:46 pm Post subject:

I'm pretty sure they make 20 and 25" shaft lengths on those Hondas. Yours looks pretty short in the picture. That will make a BIG difference on how the permatrim affects things. It will NOT do the side to side correction but should keep the bow down or up, given that your engine angle (the pin in the mount) is set correctly. The trim tabs will correct the port/starboard trim.

On edit: Just looked at the picture again, kinda hard to tell from that angle but the permatrim should be at or below the bottom of the boat. Looks like it's well above that...It won't have much of an effect if it's not in the stream of water.

Charlie

ramos · Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:06 am Post subject:

Too late to go out and measure, but I'am confidant to say the top of my Permatrim plate is about 2-3" below the bottom of the hull. I have not had any problems as far as sucking air under it unless I really over trim for running the shallow water.

seabeagle · Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 3:08 am Post subject:

I've measured the plate before. If level with the hull, it is about 1" lower.

seabeagle · Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:05 pm Post subject:

Update. I just got back from a full week of cruising it the Traverse Bay area and was shocked as to how well the trim tabs worked. We rode in a variety of conditions and with the exception of one day with a 4 foot chop, they worked great. I found that by working the trim tabs in conjunction with the Permatrim on the motor, I was able to regain high speed cruising into the wind and light chop. I was able to regain the top speed that I had lost from all of my weight add-ons. Only one bad thing. I have to be careful slowing down or running at a slow speed with the tabs down. One tab can catch more water than the other and turn the boat violently. They are best suited for high speed cruising and side-to-side leveling. No more moving the cooler or twisting in my seat. Definately worth every penny.

ramos · Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:24 pm Post subject:

Good to hear. I'm very tempted to make the red light green. Glad you had fun and returned safely.

Wandering Sagebrush

seabeagle

The reason I bought a Permatrim was the cavitation problem. The motor alone worked fine for controlling bow rise. Even now with the trim tabs and Permatrim and on smooth as glass water it will at random cavitate and suck down a cloumn of air like a draining bathtub. Hovever, I now think the combination of both are crucial for the needs of my boat. I just think that for what it is, a $25.00 plastic fin would have given me the same results as the $110.00 Permatrim. I put plastic fins on my last 2 boats and loved them but, the were different boats altogether. If someone has some specs on short and long shaft motors and where to measure from, I'd like to check that.