Trim Tab Position in Head Seas

R

REBEMUP

New member
I have been discovering that Sea-Cruz runs best into a head sea with trim tabs all the way down. It feels a little strange with the bow down far more than the deep vees out there with me. Almost makes be feel like I will do the "dive-dive-dive" sub thing.

The ride seems to just keep getting better until the trim tabs hit their stop. Is this normal for a C-Dory? It does not even seem to decrease speed much if at all.

Ron
 
In my experience what you describe is the norm. Be extremely careful however that you always, always, always lift your tabs in a following sea. Lowered tabs can be caught by a following wave or swell and will instantly turn the boat to one side or the other - and do so violently.
 
In our Marinaut 215, I set the trim tabs down, to keep the boat's sharp bow cutting through these waves. This allows a comfortable speed of approximately 15 mph in this type of chop. However, I don't necessarily keep the tabs all the way down. If the boat seems to submarine, its probably that you are going too fast. I don't think you want to go so fast with the tabs in an extreme down position so as to create instability.

Rich
 
Back
Top