trim tabs, do I need them? Brand or model choice..

B

breausaw

New member
Ok, I changed the subject sense it seems the general consensus is trim tabs on a 22 do make a difference.
If I install trim tabs what model or brand is a good choice? I refuse to give good money to a boat shop for something I’m able to do on my own so ease of installation needs to be considered also. It’s going to be a long winter up here.

Jay

As I continue on my quest to buy a late model 22ft CD cruiser there is one option I’d like some feedback on, trim tabs.
Some of you seem to have gotten by without them and I’m wondering how much added advantage they truly have. My thoughts are with the narrow beam of the SD trim tabs would be a truly desirable option.
Are there disadvantages to having trim tabs or is it the expense?
I’ve looked for posts but unable to find one discussing trim tab pros and cons.

BTW, I’ve missed out on a couple of wonderfully outfitted boats; so now consider myself a seasoned buyer and won’t hesitate to pounce on the next suitable boat that comes along.. if the price it right.

Any feedback welcome,
Jay Reausaw
Anchorage Alaska
 
I never had trim tabs before and wasn't quite sure what to expect from them on my new boat. I love them and wouldn't consider not having them. With a full load of fuel and 50 lbs of ice in the cooler I use them to get on plane quicker. For leveling the boat from side to side they are great and in a heavy sea you can keep the bow down and cut through the sea for a much smoother ride.
 
I realize that trim tabs are probably a requirement on a 19, but we still have some trouble using them. Not the issue with port/starboard with the switch, but at speeds greater than 12 knots with the tabs down we seem to continuously "loose control" of the boat, with it skidding sideways. At 7 knots it nice to move them down and see your speed pick up to 10 knots without touching the trottle, but its still unnerving to us to be moving along on a particular course and then all of sudden doing a 20 to 30 degree change in course.

Cheers,
Tom
 
tom&shan":25y2e58z said:
I realize that trim tabs are probably a requirement on a 19, but we still have some trouble using them. Not the issue with port/starboard with the switch, but at speeds greater than 12 knots with the tabs down we seem to continuously "loose control" of the boat, with it skidding sideways. At 7 knots it nice to move them down and see your speed pick up to 10 knots without touching the trottle, but its still unnerving to us to be moving along on a particular course and then all of sudden doing a 20 to 30 degree change in course.

Cheers,
Tom
Click to expand...

This shouldn't happen on flat water but if your in following seas you shouldn't use the trim tabs. My understanding is you can and will be pushed around. I"ve had the same experience as you and am not sure if it's related to the trim tabs or just that the bottom is flat and if the nose is burried in a swell that the back can be pushed a different direction. Agan, I'm still trying to figure that one out.
 
tom&shan":38h1vs63 said:
I realize that trim tabs are probably a requirement on a 19, but we still have some trouble using them. Not the issue with port/starboard with the switch, but at speeds greater than 12 knots with the tabs down we seem to continuously "loose control" of the boat, with it skidding sideways. At 7 knots it nice to move them down and see your speed pick up to 10 knots without touching the trottle, but its still unnerving to us to be moving along on a particular course and then all of sudden doing a 20 to 30 degree change in course.

Cheers,
Tom
Click to expand...

Tom-

Trim tabs are an absolute necessity on the 19 because some built in stability that was lost when 3 feet were removed from the basic CD-22 Cruiser/Angler. Bill / Da Nag was the first to experience this and make the trim tab addition/correction.

If you're getting steered around by the boat, I'm guessing that you might be using too much down tabs, pushing the bow down hard in something other than upwind seas into the waves. Too much bow down trim (down pressure on the bow) with the waves coming in obliquely from the sides causes the "V" section up front to react strrongly to deeper water and higher wave pressure from one side or the other. It steers away from the higher side of the wave.

I can get the same effect in my 22 Cruiser, and it would be magnified in a shorter boat.

Your motor trim also has much the same effect if the motor is trimmed down too much to hold the bow down.

If your boat is heavily loaded in the front, this could amplify the problem.

Experiment a little the next time out with these trim ideas and let us know how it works out!

Joe.
 
We installed Bennett M120 Trim Tabs on our boat. As Tyboo Mike (site co-administrator) has stated in other posts, it seems that the M120's were made for CD22's.

However, in addition to what others have stated above, I feel that the installation of a Permatrim fit our needs better than the trim tabs. I feel the Permatrim trims the bow up/down better and more responsively than the trim tabs, helps to get the boat on plane quicker and tracks better. Now, I only use the tt's mainly for lateral trim and use the Permatrim to raise and lower the bow.

If you're asking is the CD22 better with or without tt's, the answer is absolutely that the boat rides and handles better with Trim Tabs than without them, especially when going through chop.

Just my $.02

Peter
 
Tom;
Not sure what size of tabs you have, I know mine are oversized and that really adds to the sensitivity of them. As noted above I would suggest trying to get out on a calm day and play with them a bit. Try dumpimg them full on while you are planning and get to know how the boat reacts under various tab positions. I don't believe you can do any permanent damage to the boat,(other than throwing a body or 2 around when you go into a hard port or starboard turn!!) I think this will help to get you more comfortable with them. Sometimes on a good calm day all you need them for is to get up on a plane a bit faster, then pull them back and only use them for weight control.
just my thoughts, Jimbo
 
breausaw":37vgigl6 said:
Ok, I changed the subject sense it seems the general consensus is trim tabs on a 22 do make a difference.
If I install trim tabs what model or brand is a good choice? I refuse to give good money to a boat shop for something I’m able to do on my own so ease of installation needs to be considered also. It’s going to be a long winter up here.

Jay

As I continue on my quest to buy a late model 22ft CD cruiser there is one option I’d like some feedback on, trim tabs.
Some of you seem to have gotten by without them and I’m wondering how much added advantage they truly have. My thoughts are with the narrow beam of the SD trim tabs would be a truly desirable option.
Are there disadvantages to having trim tabs or is it the expense?
I’ve looked for posts but unable to find one discussing trim tab pros and cons.

BTW, I’ve missed out on a couple of wonderfully outfitted boats; so now consider myself a seasoned buyer and won’t hesitate to pounce on the next suitable boat that comes along.. if the price it right.

Any feedback welcome,
Jay Reausaw
Anchorage Alaska
Click to expand...



Bennett 9 X 12 is what I went with. I would have gone with
12X12's but that would have required moving my kicker. Be sure to get the 1" shorter upper mount for the actuators! That will make life Way easy when hooking up hyd. lines! With trim tabs it's a Whole New Boat :mrgreen: :beer

SW150001.jpg
 
Rob & Karen":km3dn5ki said:
Where can you buy a Permatrim? Can you buy direct from the manufacturer? Thanks. Rob
Click to expand...
Didn't mean to hijack the thread. There's lots of info on Permatrims in the forums. Do a search. Here is the link to the American distributor of Permatrims. Andy Jr. is the man you need to speak to.

Permatrim USA

Peter
 
Here's the Permatrim POC:

Lisa M. Munao
Administrative Asst
Shipyard Island Marina, Inc.
PO Box 249
1475 South Shore Drive
Washington Island, WI 54246
Toll Free: 800-213-3323
Fax: 920-847-2066
lisa@shipyardIsland.com
http://www.shipyardisland.com

She, or Andy has been very helpful. I've ordered a pair for my Suzi 115's on the TC255. Hopefully, they will act as trimtabs too, since the engines are quite far apart (there's no way to mount tabs on the 255) and I can trim them individually.

The Permatrims are made in NZ and I think Shipyard Island is the only US distributor. Cost me about $115 each with postage paid and including the recommended stuff to stick them down (in addition to the bolting).

Once I get them, and get them installed, I'll report on the seatrial results.

Charlie
 
Thanks Charlie for the links, been on the fence whether to go the permatrim route or not. I would like to supplement my trim tabs in order to reduce drag they create when in heavy seas going 11-14 knots or so. I wrote Shipyard Island for a quote and posed my question.
 
Andrew at Shipyard Island already wrote back with answers! Here is some of his information:
With Permatrims installed, it is common (depending on engine height on transom) to gain speed at WOT, where you will never gain anything at WOT with trim tabs. I have had many customers say that they use the Permatrims for bow control and leave the tabs alone (full up) unless they have a hull lean that needs to be addressed.
Click to expand...
This pretty well convinces me to go for them, with twins I'd like a bit more lift back there, especially when I have extra people on board. More efficiency, that's what I'm after...

Quote forthcoming.
 
Someone -- probably Bob Astin -- ran some tests that showed the permatrims took a couple of miles per hour off the top end (search for permatrim posts by thataway and you can probably find it quickly). I think the general consensus is that the tradeoff is worth it.

Warren
 
I remember that from Bob's experimentation. Still, I believe Permatrims will have a greater effect with less induced drag than the smaller trim tabs which are closer to the fulcrum of the boat (or whatever the center of effort is called). At least for twin installations.

It will also put more stress on the outboard trim/tilt mechanism, and for that matter, the transom. I'm willing to give them a try in any case.
 
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