Smart Tabs on Yamaha sx 190

[Yamahasx190_2017]

Hello:
Has anyone installed smart tabs on a Yamaha 190 or 195? If so would you recommend it for this boat?

Nauticus SX9510-80 Smart Tab SX Series Trim Tabs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DZ2VVC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_JUCEzbSP7F8EJ

 

[d_coyne1984]

I think a lot of people have had success with trim tabs, but I have not heard of anyone using self adjusting trim tabs and I would be very leary about these personally. They sound to good to be true at that price point. Very little in the marine environment comes cheap if it works really well and lasts.

 

[Bruce]

My perspective is that "smart tabs" dona good job of helping boats that need help planing. Ours do not. The only advantage of trim tabs on our boats is to smooth rough water. For that you need to be able to adjust the trim.

 

[Yamahasx190_2017]

My perspective is that "smart tabs" dona good job of helping boats that need help planing. Ours do not. The only advantage of trim tabs on our boats is to smooth rough water. For that you need to be able to adjust the trim.

Thank you for the explanation. Do you have any tips for my first time out on the sx 190 this weekend?

Such as: what bring onboard, storage tips, performance tips, accessories/equipment I should purchase, etc?

Also have you ever heard about people using the ski locker as a cooler? Any suggestions there?

 

[2kwik4u]

I had smart tabs on my old '98 Rinker. LOVED them. They both helped it get on plane SIGNIFICANTLY faster than before, and it rode smoother in general by keeping the bow nosed into the waves at lower speeds. They will destroy the shape of the wake though, so if you're a wakeboarder at much of any level you will want to get the "trolling brackets", and then mount them "upside down" so that you can retract the tabs and restore the wake shape......I have some pictures around here somewhere.

Not sure how well they would work on the 190's. With no engine trim to mess with I've not had a loaded condition yet that made the boat porpoise, or bounce at all. This hull also rides signficantly smoother than our older one, so I haven't even considered them for this boat.

 

[d_coyne1984]

Thank you for the explanation. Do you have any tips for my first time out on the sx 190 this weekend?

Such as: what bring onboard, storage tips, performance tips, accessories/equipment I should purchase, etc?

Also have you ever heard about people using the ski locker as a cooler? Any suggestions there?

Make sure you have all the usual safety gear: life vests, throwable, fire extinguisher. A small first aid kit is a really good idea. I can't count how many times people have cut themselves on various items and needed some wound cleaning.

I can't emphasize KEEP A KNIFE ONBOARD enough. If you ever suck up a rope, you will need it to get mobile again. Besides that it comes in handy. Be very careful if you do tow sports to keep the rope away from the back and underside of the boat. The rope can get sucked in faster than you can blink and if anyone is caught between it and the hull they will be in a world of hurt. Make sure you have somebody in charge of rope management if you are doing tow sports, but don't trust them. I use a little foldable utility knife from Home Depot. It has served me well.

Almost as important as a knife is a bottle opener. As far as the center for a cooler goes, I did think about that once and posted a thread on it. I think the consensus was that you would need a boat load (yes, pun intended) of ice, and it is not insulated so the ice would not last very long. The nice part would be that if you leave the plug open it would just drain into the bilge and you could pump it out with the bilge pump. I have found the center storage the best place to stow coolers though. I used to put them under the seats but I hated having to move seated people constantly in a small(ish) boat.

I use these coolers from Bass Pro Shop. They fit the width of the center storage perfectly and have held up with a lot of use now for 2 years. I use two. $16.99 each:
http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-soft-side-cooler

One other mod that sounds dumb, but it is probably the easiest and my favorite is the storage compartment garbage can:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/here-is-a-great-trash-can-idea-for-the-storage-compartment.14318/

Performance wise, the only thing I can think of is if you are heavily loaded in the stern with nobody in the bow, you might need to move one person up there to get her up on plane. If this is your first time with a jet drive, it takes time to get the hang of things, but don't get discouraged. Once you figure her out, you can far out maneuver any sterndrive. You'll learn to anticipate the wandering and figure out how to preemptively correct for it. When docking use very slow speed and small pulses of the throttle in and out.

 

[d_coyne1984]

Oh, don't forget to bring your shit-eating-grin!

 

[Yamahasx190_2017]

Oh, don't forget to bring your shit-eating-grin!

O I have that one already!!!!!

 

[Yamahasx190_2017]

Make sure you have all the usual safety gear: life vests, throwable, fire extinguisher. A small first aid kit is a really good idea. I can't count how many times people have cut themselves on various items and needed some wound cleaning.

I can't emphasize KEEP A KNIFE ONBOARD enough. If you ever suck up a rope, you will need it to get mobile again. Besides that it comes in handy. Be very careful if you do tow sports to keep the rope away from the back and underside of the boat. The rope can get sucked in faster than you can blink and if anyone is caught between it and the hull they will be in a world of hurt. Make sure you have somebody in charge of rope management if you are doing tow sports, but don't trust them. I use a little foldable utility knife from Home Depot. It has served me well.

Almost as important as a knife is a bottle opener. As far as the center for a cooler goes, I did think about that once and posted a thread on it. I think the consensus was that you would need a boat load (yes, pun intended) of ice, and it is not insulated so the ice would not last very long. The nice part would be that if you leave the plug open it would just drain into the bilge and you could pump it out with the bilge pump. I have found the center storage the best place to stow coolers though. I used to put them under the seats but I hated having to move seated people constantly in a small(ish) boat.

I use these coolers from Bass Pro Shop. They fit the width of the center storage perfectly and have held up with a lot of use now for 2 years. I use two. $16.99 each:
http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-soft-side-cooler

One other mod that sounds dumb, but it is probably the easiest and my favorite is the storage compartment garbage can:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/here-is-a-great-trash-can-idea-for-the-storage-compartment.14318/

Performance wise, the only thing I can think of is if you are heavily loaded in the stern with nobody in the bow, you might need to move one person up there to get her up on plane. If this is your first time with a jet drive, it takes time to get the hang of things, but don't get discouraged. Once you figure her out, you can far out maneuver any sterndrive. You'll learn to anticipate the wandering and figure out how to preemptively correct for it. When docking use very slow speed and small pulses of the throttle in and out.

Thank you for the great feedback! I think I have everything imma need for now. I can see how the ski locker is wayyyyyy to large for a cooler but I really don't have anything else to put there right now so I think imma give it a shot to see how it goes just plane as a cooler and work my way on improvements as we go. I did look at the cooler from Bass pro. I might just end up with a pair of those haha

 

[aaron jansen]

I had smart tabs installed on my 2015 AR190 and I did not like them whatsoever. I made many adjustments to them and it hurt my fuel economy and speed.

I ended up taking them off.

They definitely helped with rough water but it wasn't worth it to me as I try to avoid rough water with a 19ft boat anyway.

 

[DBamaC]

Performance wise, the only thing I can think of is if you are heavily loaded in the stern with nobody in the bow, you might need to move one person up there to get her up on plane. If this is your first time with a jet drive, it takes time to get the hang of things, but don't get discouraged. Once you figure her out, you can far out maneuver any sterndrive. You'll learn to anticipate the wandering and figure out how to preemptively correct for it. When docking use very slow speed and small pulses of the throttle in and out.

As the opposite of this advice, when you are maneuvering at extremely slow speeds, if you find her to be sluggish with responses, get everyone out of the bow. I have that issue sometimes if both kids are in the bow with just my wife in her normal spot in the rear on the port side.

 

[vetplus40]

Hello:
Has anyone installed smart tabs on a Yamaha 190 or 195? If so would you recommend it for this boat?

Nauticus SX9510-80 Smart Tab SX Series Trim Tabs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DZ2VVC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_JUCEzbSP7F8EJ

I put those tabs on my 2014 Stingray Bowrider and it helped out tremendously. Stingray hull design invite porpoising and need a little help getting on plane quicker.