You need trim tabs! Yamaha AR250

[Justbix1]

Today I installed my lectrotab trim tabs on my 2024 AR250. The results are fantastic! I am not sure why these boats don’t come with them from the factory, the ability to control how high the bow rides really allows for these jet boats to be used in rough(er) seas.

backstory: I boat in the upper Chesapeake near Baltimore, the creeks are often calm, but the bay, let me tell you it’s extremely rough. In the afternoons on the weekends there are 3 foot white caps. This makes for a pretty rough ride with lots of pounding, in general not fun boating. The options are to slow down but the boat falls off plane near 25 mph, the bow raises and the boat pounds really hard. Next, option is to throttle down and drive the boat at 40mph. At this speed the boat rides flat with the V of the bow in the water and the ride smooths out, but 40 mph just feels rough on the boat with 3 footers.

Solution: trim tabs! I installed the 12x9 short ram, 28 foot cable, manual control head. Install was fairly simple, start to finish just shy of 6 hours. LectroTabs gave me a discount too. Total cost was right around $850.

With tabs down I can plane at 14mph. At 27, with the tabs slightly down people can ride in the bow in three foot seas. The tabs really transformed the boat. The are really a must have.

Build instructions coming soon!

 

[Justbix1]

Top picture of my running at 25ish mph, tabs about 25%. Notice how flat the boat is riding. Second picture is 25mph tabs 75%. When the boat is riding this flat the bow slices through any waves, or chop with ease!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Great write up!

Question for you, at 25 mph what is the fuel consumption difference between no tabs, 25% and 75% tabs? Just take the mph and divide that by the gph.

 

[Jahall812]

I'm hoping to get mine installed this week. Did you use a grommet where the wires entered the boat? If so, what size?

 

[MilesPrower]

I'm hoping to get mine installed this week. Did you use a grommet where the wires entered the boat? If so, what size?

From the photos, it looks like the wires go straight through the upper mounts and into the cavity of the swim deck. I did the same on my Lectros — no additional grommets needed.

 

[Justbix1]

Great write up!

Question for you, at 25 mph what is the fuel consumption difference between no tabs, 25% and 75% tabs? Just take the mph and divide that by the gph.

25 mph no tabs 10 people, 4 coolers, full tank of gas, 15.5 gph.
25 mph 25% tabs (much better ride), same load, takes a little more throttle 16.7 gph.
25 mph 75% tabs, (to much tab for todays load out). 18gph

 

[Justbix1]

I'm hoping to get mine installed this week. Did you use a grommet where the wires entered the boat? If so, what size?

I installed the wires right through the mounts on the bottom side of the transom. Just used some 5200 to seal it up.

 

[Justbix1]

I will say! Only downside with 10 adults, 4 coolers, heavvvyyyy boat. Steering with any tabs angle with exception of fully retracted was verrryy tough and took more throttle input. This was with my 25-30mph cruise

 

[MilesPrower]

Steering with any tabs angle with exception of fully retracted was verrryy tough and took more throttle input.

Same on my 255 FSH. On my boat, steering becomes very difficult with either (or both) of my tabs more than 2 (out of 5) LEDs down, and the turning radius goes way up. Even with the tabs fully retracted, my turning authority suffers compared to how the boat turned before I mounted the tabs.

I have T9X12-9008 tabs. I wish I had gotten the smallest 9X9-9008 tabs, because I never need more than 1 LED worth of down when I'm on plane, even when I'm trimming for too many passengers on one side of the boat. When I need to plow through tight rollers just below planing speed, I'll run 2 LEDs down.

The next time I pull my boat out of the water, I'm drilling new mounting holes in my tabs for the actuators, so that the tabs will tuck up and out of the way by another 5–10°.

 

[Justbix1]

Same on my 255 FSH. On my boat, steering becomes very difficult with either (or both) of my tabs more than 2 (out of 5) LEDs down, and the turning radius goes way up. Even with the tabs fully retracted, my turning authority suffers compared to how the boat turned before I mounted the tabs.

I have T9X12-9008 tabs. I wish I had gotten the smallest 9X9-9008 tabs, because I never need more than 1 LED worth of down when I'm on plane, even when I'm trimming for too many passengers on one side of the boat. When I need to plow through tight rollers just below planing speed, I'll run 2 LEDs down.

The next time I pull my boat out of the water, I'm drilling new mounting holes in my tabs for the actuators, so that the tabs will tuck up and out of the way by another 5–10°.

I was contemplating doing the same, either that or installed an additional rudder system

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Same on my 255 FSH. On my boat, steering becomes very difficult with either (or both) of my tabs more than 2 (out of 5) LEDs down, and the turning radius goes way up. Even with the tabs fully retracted, my turning authority suffers compared to how the boat turned before I mounted the tabs.

I have T9X12-9008 tabs. I wish I had gotten the smallest 9X9-9008 tabs, because I never need more than 1 LED worth of down when I'm on plane, even when I'm trimming for too many passengers on one side of the boat. When I need to plow through tight rollers just below planing speed, I'll run 2 LEDs down.

The next time I pull my boat out of the water, I'm drilling new mounting holes in my tabs for the actuators, so that the tabs will tuck up and out of the way by another 5–10°.

That is super informative information about trim tab size performance AND the affect on steering, I’ve not seen that mentioned before, and I’m not surprised as there is ALWAYS a trade off / compromise and I can see how the trim tabs would keep the boat from rolling into the turn and increasing the turn radius. And that is perhaps a reason Yamaha doesn’t offer trim tabs in addition to cost. It would be nice if our boats came with an Up / Down adjustable nozzle so the boat could be trimmed that way.

 

[FnF2.0]

Hello: I just signed up specifically to research this issue. I’ve had boats with trim tabs for the last 40 years, and was curious why my new 2024 252sd did not come with them. (I’ve read that it was a Yamaha cost issue.) Regardless, I’ve only been in the boat twice, only bought it 6 days ago, but know that trim tabs would be extremely beneficial. Are there some trim tabs that are better than others with this hull? Thanks, FnF

 

[dwakeman]

You may want to consider using Zipwake instead of trim tabs. They’re fully automated and respond faster. However, they do cost much more.

Thread 'Zipwake install on 2023 Yamaha 252SD'

Aug 27, 2023

This forum was really helpful when researching this (particularly this thread) so I thought I would pay it forward by documenting my own Zipwake install.

Boat is a 2023 Yamaha 252SD
Zipwake 300S

A few things I was anxious about when planning this:

1. How hard is it to run wires from the cockpit to the engine bay
2. Can I access the area behind where the Interceptors get installed, for a thru-hull below the waterline install
3. How to wire the electrical components

• shortroyd
• Replies: 37
• Forum: General Discussion