Trim Tabs?
Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 11:41 pm
As I get closer and closer (ever closer) to putting my '61 SkiBee inboard on the water, I am pondering whether to re-attach the "Trim Tabs" that were attached to the bottom of the transom when I got the boat.
They are just small aluminum plates with a flexible "fin" on the bottom that is set to whatever pitch you choose via bolts. Of course, there is no "set" left to them as the bolts are steel and are permanently bonded to the aluminum. Rather than mess around drilling them out, I just left them set the way they were.
A couple of seasons ago, I removed the "tabs." They were held on by six screws and, of course, the screws were steel, rusted away, and too long--poking through the board into the boat.
I thought the "tabs" might be affecting handling when turning at speed, so I puttied up the screw holes and tried it without them. Didn't seem to make much difference.
Anyone have any experience with these Trim Tabs? I believe their sole purpose is to help lift the tail out of the water faster and get up on plane easier. I can't really notice much difference, but it's kind of hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison with them off or on.
They are just small aluminum plates with a flexible "fin" on the bottom that is set to whatever pitch you choose via bolts. Of course, there is no "set" left to them as the bolts are steel and are permanently bonded to the aluminum. Rather than mess around drilling them out, I just left them set the way they were.
A couple of seasons ago, I removed the "tabs." They were held on by six screws and, of course, the screws were steel, rusted away, and too long--poking through the board into the boat.
I thought the "tabs" might be affecting handling when turning at speed, so I puttied up the screw holes and tried it without them. Didn't seem to make much difference.
Anyone have any experience with these Trim Tabs? I believe their sole purpose is to help lift the tail out of the water faster and get up on plane easier. I can't really notice much difference, but it's kind of hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison with them off or on.