I have tabs, but my PERMATRIM is more effective on getting on plane. In fact, my boat will plain at about 9-10kts. I mostly only use the tabs for side-to-side leveling, the permatrim does the rest.
For less than a couple of hundred, consider trying one of these first:
www.permatrimmarine.com
Makes that motor-trim button VERY effective. You can really dial in the thrust with one of these. I wasn't so excited about it at first, but having lived with it for the last couple of seasons it's a really handy tool.
They come from New Zealand, Andy at SIM has them, he's the north-american importer and distributor.
Easy install, however you do have to drill thru the caviation plate on the motor. I winced once on my brand new F150 :wink:
Here's Andy's forum on THT for Permtrim:
http://www.thehulltruth.com/forums/foru ... asp?fid=12