Trim Tabs on a 16 Cruiser

S

seabeagle

New member
I,ve searched through the site for this and have found lots of info on trim tabs but, can they help a heavy boat ride higher in the water? Recently we had our first passenger, an additional 175 lbs. The result was low riding and impossible to plane. It tells me that our normal cruising capacity is close to the max. Would tabs give any extra lift? Here's a picture of our current configuration. As equipped we can cruise 22 mph upriver and 26 mph downriver with good conditions. 2 passengers, 2 dogs, 3 gas tanks, 2 batteries, tools, coolers, and other supplies. Are there any other 16 Cruisers with them. Also, I already have a permatrim.

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Being from the "Keep It Simple" school, I can't comment on the addition of trim tabs to the 16 footer. We did have them on our 22 and they did help, mostly with lateral trim. However, looking at all the mods on Sea Beagle II, and considering your obvious skill, perhaps you should consider going straight to the two foot extension mod as did Oldgrowth Dave on his C-Voyager.
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I can confirm that the 16' Cruiser is VERY weight sensitive. It's simply a two person boat, PERIOD, that is, if you expect to get up on a plane without lugging the engine. Add another couple to the equation, and it's a very different ride.

I have a 4 HP kicker on the stern, so I've moved the batteries up under the seats, and extended the fuel line so that my 6 Gal tank can be just under the forward berth. That seemed to help greatly, and yes, i do have Permatrim.

Every boat is a compromise and the 16' Cruiser is no different. I kinda wish that I had gone foe the 19', but then, I would not get the openness of the cutaway berth which I like very much. It would have been nice to have another couple join us and still be able up get up on plane easily. I guess I have to find some very thin friends!!
 
Yep, concur about weight & balance issues and keeping it simple. In my opinion, permatrim is a must have option for the 16' Cruiser.

Personally, I don't think trim tabs on a 16' Cruiser would be cost effective or have much impact on a heavily loaded boat. There's a substantial difference in handling and performance just between my wife & I aboard or when I'm going solo. Moving a few bags from starboard to port in or under the front berth trims the boat adequately under normal cruising conditions.

We love our 16' Cruiser, but we're ready to move up to the 22' or 25' Cruiser soon. A 16' Cruiser is definitely a C-Dory for two.
 
I have movable ballast on the 16', the retriever mandy. She normally rides up on the berth and moving her from side to side to trim laterally works really well. I would never put trim tabs on that size a boat. And I was much surprised recently to plane the boat with four people, the dog, and the camping gear for the other couple, just by moving some stuff around and getting slightly bow heavy. Made the run from Blake Island over to Eddy Vine going about 18 knots. But the honda 50 was working hard, instead of a top of 6000 rpm I was down to about 5200. I also started using a 12 gallon tank a couple years ago. This weekend I consolidated all my older fuel into the six gallon tank and took it up to the lake for some running around and fishing. I can't comfortably live with the six gallon tank anymore. 12 gallons gives you a lot more confidence to handle changing loads and changing conditions and plans.
 
SeaBeagle-

A larger Permatrim like hydrofoil would be a lot cheaper and easier project than trim tabs and add the extra planing area you're after.

Just design your own, larger in area by about 50-75% than the one intended for your boat. You may be able to just use one intended for a larger motor, if the area around the anti-ventilation plate fits.

Be sure to add a strut from the motor shank at about a 45 degree or so angle down to near the top rear of the hydrofoil. Otherwise you may overload and bend or break the anti-ventilation plate to which the foil is bolted.

Be cautious with it at first, as you also will be loading up the tilt mechanism and the motor mounting bracket.

Also be cautious about lugging the engine, even if it planes well. You may need a lower pitched prop in the process.

The extra area at the tail end of the boat may well be the key to kicking the back of the boat up onto a plane.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
bjidzik":1flzj39x said:
We love our 16' Cruiser, but we're ready to move up to the 22' or 25' Cruiser soon. A 16' Cruiser is definitely a C-Dory for two.
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I think that a bigger boat would suit my needs better. Then I'll need a bigger truck. And, by the time I can afford those, they won't make big boats or big trucks anymore.

But kidding aside, I seen on this site a while ago a 22 or 25 that had a stern extension added on. I might be up for that instead of the 18 C-Voyager method. I'd have to hire that one out. I need someone to yell at when it don't work right.
 
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