Trim Tabs and the Wake Wedge

[Woodchuck]

Jcyamaharider, does the wake wedge work on a boat with trim tabs?

 

[ar240owner]

It sould , but just to confirm can you post a pic of you tab set up ?

 

[Woodchuck]

It sould , but just to confirm can you post a pic of you tab set up ?

I don't have tabs yet but I would hate to get one or the other first and then not have them work together.

I wonder if trimming the opposite side up would improve the wake on the surf side.

 

[ar240owner]

Prob would !!!

 

[Julian]

@OperationROL had trim tabs on his old boat...and he's a surfer...so I'm sure he can weigh in with his experience. He also had the same model boat as you.

 

[Bruce]

@sx210owner, these are where my trim tabs ended up.

@Woodchuck, @Backwash tried using the trim tabs to adjust my wake for surfing but was not impressed with the results. I believe I would need a lot more tab surface to improve the wake.

 

[OperationROL]

My experience showed that the Tabs actually hurt the wake for wake boarding, but I have never tried while surfing. I always said I would but always forgot.

 

[ar240owner]

Man it looks like where the ram is mounted it would interfere where the wedge mounts @jcyamaharider what do you think ?

 

[OperationROL]

I am pretty sure it will interfere. Mine were more inboard and the actuators were mounded further down, so your wedge would have worked on mine. However, to get the best use of the trim tabs, they need to be this far apart.

 

[jcyamaharider]

@Woodchuck on the picture above the actuator would interfere with the mounting. We use the tie down hook as one of our mounting points. If the actuator mounted to the opposite side of the tie down loop and there was enough room to slide the sleeve over it would work just fine I suspect.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Bruce, how do you like the tabs? Are you able to get and stay on plane at a lower speed? I'd love to be able to stay on plane at 15-18 mph when I'm pulling my daughter on a wakeboard.

 

[Bruce]

Bruce, how do you like the tabs? Are you able to get and stay on plane at a lower speed? I'd love to be able to stay on plane at 15-18 mph when I'm pulling my daughter on a wakeboard.

The trim tabs allow me to stay on plane down to 16 or perhaps a little lower. The biggest advantage to having them was crossing the gulf stream to Bimini and on rough days on the lake. They really smooth out the rough water. But they also make low speed boating a lot more fun.

 

[txav8r]

Disclaimer: I don't have trim tabs so I might not know what I am about to say. Are you sure that trim tabs allow you to plane at slower speeds? I know they help to push the bow down, and the slower you go, the LESS affect they have. My own suspicion is that at a slow speed, they don't help you plane any better, they just hold the bow down a little, making you a displacement hull instead of a planing hull. And at surf speeds, you don't want to plane anyway do you? At wakeboard speeds, you do plane, but I can see them messing up the wake. I guess at surf speed, my thought is they would be very ineffective, just not enough speed to have the tab roll the boat into the surf side. Again, I don't know, this is just my observation from afar...

 

[Bruce]

@txav8r, this was one of my first posts about using the trim tabs

"On the way back it was after dark, lots of boaters had been drinking and there were lots of debris in the water. I trimmed down the bow at 16 mph and made the entire 12 mph trip at that speed without having to touch the throttles or trim other than to slow down for two bridges. I was riding at the same angle that I had been at going 30 mph on the way there. I could sit down at the low setting of the seat without the bow blocking my view. Last year I had difficulty sticking below 20 mph when the kids were tubing."

The hull would have less lift at 16 mph than at higher speeds so it must be displacing more water. But the important part is that at 16 mph or perhaps even slower I can sit comfortably and not have the bow blocking my view.

 

[txav8r]

I think your right on the money @Bruce , I think your displacing water, not planing slower. Either way, it cuts through the wave or wake and doesn't bounce or jump. In relation to water sports, not sure you want to displace vs plane for wake boarding. Surfing? Not sure, but I would think you want to sink the transom as much as possible, not lift it. But the conversation was about using one tab to roll the boat into that surf side I think...I don't know about that. Lots of things are discovered by experimentation!

 

[OnTheWater]

@OperationROL or anyone else - I have a 2013 242 LS and am interested in trim tabs, but also want to use my wake wedge. Any suggestions or pics to support a decision?

Thanks!

 

[swatski]

@OperationROL or anyone else - I have a 2013 242 LS and am interested in trim tabs, but also want to use my wake wedge. Any suggestions or pics to support a decision?

Thanks!

@Belteddeep The trim tabs we are designing/figuring out will not interfere with the Wake Wedge install:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/trim-tabs-options-wake-surfing-and-cruising.12031/page-2#post-208202

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[OnTheWater]

@Belteddeep The trim tabs we are designing/figuring out will not interfere with the Wake Wedge install:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/trim-tabs-options-wake-surfing-and-cruising.12031/page-2#post-208202

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Thanks - been keeping my eye on that thread. Hope it works out!