Trim Tabs?

[pog mo hoin]

Hello world,
I was looking at putting trim tabs on my Signature 530C. I have a 115hp Four stroke Suzuki on it and as has been said in many posts in the past, that the maximum weight at the stern can sometimes lead to a little poor handeling, My question is : Do they make a great difference and are they a painless install, and what sort of life span do they have, and what sort of maintanence is required?
Regards

[two up]

I installed a set of bennets to my bertram a couple of years ago, they are fairly easy to install, every boat should have them, they make a heap of difference. There is no maintenance required if the boat is on a trailer. Life span should be in the decades if installed correctly.

[ozscott]

mate - if you search for trim tabs you will get a heap of good info on this site. I wouldnt be without them now. I have had my Bennets for a few years and they are great.

Cheers

[Skusto]

wouldnt have a big boat with out them these days, we have them on our 560 bar crusher mate and there wonders of things easy to level out the boat as when it gets rough u can put the tabs down and make it really push into the waves instead of bouncing on them. makes it ride alot smoother in the rough. well worth there money IMO.

[Chimo]

Ditto. I like my Lencos, just hose them off as you do with the rest of the boat when you remove it from the pond.

Cheers
Chimo

[krazyfisher]

painless install NO but not too bad

but they make a big differance

[gofishin]

...Do they make a great difference ...

Yes

...are they a painless install

as krazyf. has mentioned, and in your particular case, probably a little more pain than normal.

I assume your 530 has the typical HS transom with water level boarding platforms either side of the motor pod. For the plate & ram type this means you will probably need to cut holes in the boarding platforms to allow mounting/fixing of the rams to the transom (as there is probably not sufficient space/depth underneath).

For the blade type QL tabs, you won't have the problems with the boarding platforms, but will have to cut decent access holes in your floor to allow installation. These penetrations will need to be properly sealed, but also allow future maintenance access. (maybe glass in a 50-100mm PVC socket & cap, raised off the floor, & the cable can come out the cap etc).

An option for the former is Minn Kota tabs, who also make a 'short stroke' ram, however I think they will still be too long.
cheers