Trim tabs

S

starcrafttom

Active member
I will be getting trim taps for the boat very soon. I have had tabs before on the 22 and enjoyed them but was not completely happy with them. The where a longer thin design and no the shorter wider design I see on most boats. they work well but not as well as other I have driven.

So my question to the 25 ft owners is what size and type do you have?? . has anyone installed a auto leveler and was it work the money??
 
My 25 (used) came with Lenco's that are about 9x11 but taper toward the rear. I generally use a lot of trim tab all the time. To me the 25 is stern heavy and needs to be trimmed down to get good fuel economy. I watch the fuel flow and adjust the trim tabs accordingly. The Permatrim helps make the trim tabs more effective and I don't have to use all the tabs. This last weekend we covered 218 miles on 82 gallons. Of the 218 miles I estimate 40-45 was at hull speed or slightly less. We started out really heavy and came back a little lighter. The boat didn't seem to notice. The Yamaha 150 acted the same on both ends of the trip. I used 70-80% of the tabs during the first part of the trip and about 40-60% during the last part of the trip.
 
I also tried an auto leveler on my former 22. Between Bennett and I we couldn't get it to work correctly. On the 25 I really don't see a need for auto leveling since the boat is pretty well trimmed correctly and most of the consumables are on the center line.
 
Hi Tom,

We have Bennett trim tabs on our 25. They are the square shape that the factory used at the time. I did speak with Hank (former owner of Sea Skipper) after I ordered our boat and he recommended installing larger trim tabs. Depending on our load (as you know, we don't travel light), I can see where larger would be more beneficial.

We don't have a Permatrim or similar on Wild Blue, but I do intend to install one when we get home. Especially when we have a lot of cruise gear in the cockpit (extra fuel and water), I have to use full trim to keep the bow down.

No experience with auto leveling on these boats.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
I use Bennett tabs and don't see much need for auto leveling but I would recommend the auto retract feature. I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten to get the tabs all the way up before putting the boat on the trailer.
 
We have the Square Bennett tabs from the factory but I don't know the size. The little lighted indicator next to the control switches is flakey and never really tells you more than if they are down or up. With some practice, you can feel what you need to and I use a simple small mounted level at the helm for reference. I think an auto level feature might be helpful but you would still be fiddling with engine trim for the best handling. We have permatrims on twin 90s but I still use the tabs a bit for now. We are using them less with the permatrims and boy do we love those. I can over trim the boat easily so that is what I keep experimenting with. The boat planes much better without having to overuse the trim tabs like I used to. I think larger than standard tabs would be a good move whether or not you plan to add a permatrim. You do have the 27 so you may have less of a trimming challenge than most 25 models?
 
Hi Tom,
We have the Bennett square tabs on our 06 25 cruiser. They measure approx. 12" square. I believe the tabs, position indicator and tab controls next to the helm are pretty much the standard installation for the 25 in 2006. We spend most of our time on the Eirie Canal with its 10 MPH speed limit but I can still see some benefit to the tabs at lower speeds. With the throttle untouched I can increase or decrease boat speed by playing with tab position.
Rich, Central NY
 
Tom - Sea Skipper has tabs which are 18 inches wide, I think. They're huge and work very well. There's a picture of them in my album page two. Don't have the auto level feature but do have auto retract which is handy.
 
After having cruised and fished in our new-to-us 25, I need some input from long time 25 owners on our trim tabs. We have the Bennett 12"x12" and with them fully down and engine trimmed all the way down, bow is pretty much where it needs to be. We carry with water tank full, 20 gals?, and about 1/3 full of fuel, 50 gal?. Engine is Honda 150 VTec with 15 x 15 aluminum prop. Also have a Honda 9.9 kicker on starboard side.

I think the engine is trimmed in too far and the engine is less efficient as the thrust of the prop is pushing at an upward angle against the stern. On our 22 I never trimmed the motors down all the way and used tabs sparingly (9x12 Bennetts).

I have noticed in the thread owners say a wider tab is better, more surface area. I am thinking of upgrading to the 18" wide tab with same 12" depth of tab. Hoping to that would push bow down and thus less trim on motor and then thrust would be more in-line with bottom of boat.

Any thoughts on this? I have considered a Perma Trim, but want to get some feedback first.
 
Patrick, we have the Bennett trim tabs on Daydream. Similar setup, water is in the bow, fuel is under the cockpit, no Permatrims or other foils. Honda BF150, don't know prop exactly but certainly both smaller diameter and pitch than you have! We are very happy with everything, bow is good with tabs (when needed). Our only issue has been propping for Lake Powell. You need to plan on going there one of these days!
 
colobear":3url5yia said:
I use Bennett tabs and don't see much need for auto leveling but I would recommend the auto retract feature. I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten to get the tabs all the way up before putting the boat on the trailer.
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I found the auto retract feature of the Bennett tabs very annoying and disconnected it. The tabs stow every time the engine is shut off. I would run and get trimmed and then when I stopped the engine the tabs would reset and I'd have to trim again. I found with the auto stow disabled I can usually set the trim and leave it alone for most of a weekend outing. My trailer is set up so that the tabs are clear of the bunks when the boat is loaded so I'm not concerned if I happen to forget to manually retract the tabs when recovering the boat.
 
Our new to us 2004 CD 25 has Lenco's but port side doesn't work so we haven't had a chance to try them yet. We do have a Permatrim on the single 135 Honda usually have it full down. I'll be fixing port tab as soon as I get that low on the to do list. Any ideas on first place to look when 1 side doesn't work? Stbd side works fine and panel indicator light is working for both sides in the up position. I haven't bothered to even look to see where the actuator motors are located yet.
 
Curiosity got the best of me. Looks like Lenco's are made right here in Stuart, Fl. It appears that the actuators are sealed units and if it isn't an electrical connection or switch problem then the actuator itself would be the main suspect. Can't wait to see what they cost.
 
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