Trim tabs Overnighter.

B

Bigfoot

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F200 on 1990 Overnighter with paint. Boat does well as is, would tabs give me anything extra on a 20 foot rig? Worth the $$$

The man says about 900 installed , Bennett's
 
That pre-SV2 hull has a will of its own. It doesn't respond well to trim tabs or even to the engine trim angle.

The bow likes to ride high even with a lighter engine than yours. Pushing the bow down, which requires enough tab to loose rpm, will make a wet riding hull a lot wetter and won't really reduce the pounding much.

The SV2 hull is an entirely different animal which responds well to trim tabs.
 
Doc,

Your reply had me take the hand off the phone. Wetter??? You got one thing right for sure, my bow loves riding high!!! Lake Lanier is home base now and would love to push through em instead of up/down over em

Anyone else with Overnighter Pre SV2 like the tabs?
 
A freshwater lake, even a big one, is a lot different from offshore. You might be able to smooth out the chop a bit with tabs.

A cheaper solution might be to try a stabilizer plate that will give you some stern lift without adding drag.

The only one I've tried that does this well is made by Bob's machine shop:

http://www.bobsmachine.com/True-Tracker-Stabilizer-Plate-90-HP-402-000000.htm

I tried several others on my old 22 Seafarer. While they all let me plane at a lower speed, the only one that didn't slow me down or increase fuel consumption was the aluminum one from Bob's.

You just drill 4 holes and bolt them on to the anti-ventilation plate. If it doesn't help, just remove and fill the holes with epoxy or bondo. At most you'll be out $60 unless you sell the plate to someone else.
 
Bigfoot said:
F200 on 1990 Overnighter with paint. Boat does well as is,
Click to expand...

If it ain't broke, don't fix it...

I'm curious who quoted you $900 installed...I was playing around with the idea of adding them to my 225...quotes were higher than $900.
 
I seem to have a different opinion on this one. Everyone I know with a Grady 20' hull put aftermarket trim tabs on them and it improved the ride significantly. Why not contact the factory and see what they say??
 
I have a pre sv2 hull, running in SE alaska. I put tabs on three years ago and have never used them. I came from an olympic hull that used them all the time and I have yet to need them. Well balanced loads and engine trim.
 
That was my experience when I put them on my 204C. They didn't make any difference in the ride until I dropped the bow down far enough to loose rpm. That would soften out a small chop a bit but throw sheets of water. I ended up never using them.

When people spend money on a modification, most will tell you that it was well worth the money. That's human nature.
 
I had a 2003 208 with 200 hpdi and a 2005 with F200 and I don't think one could run the boat without tabs. The one with the F200 would porpoise if I didn't add a little tab even in calm conditions and it was balanced for the 4 stroke. My crowd seems to move around every couple of minutes also. I would not consider a 208 without tabs.
 
Both of those boats have the SV2 hull. They are very different from the 204C. The SV2 responds well to trim tabs and in fact needs them at least for port to starboard load balancing. The 204C is more like a tri-hull with those wide reverse chines. The older hull is much more stable but rides harder, wetter, and doesn't even respond much to trimming the engine.
 
interesting. I thought the SeaV2 hull had been around a lot longer. I have a 2013 Freedom 225 and I actually think it needs bigger trim tabs than the factory tabs.
 
Added 300 lbs of sand bags to bow. Stern raised a good amount - no water coming into scuppers, etc

She was slower out of the hole, lost 3 mph top end and most likely lost mpg, BUT the bow rode lower and she cut through the waves 3 x better! No bouncing.

Riding with the bow down makes a world of difference....
 
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