One last Smart tabs question..NEW

[mh1042]

All-
I appreciate the feedback....one last experience question...I hear they work well and get expected results....how is the quality? I have seen a few opinions and I saw in two occasions that two folks thought the hardware was cheapo and would be at the bottom after a couple uses. Does anyone have a season of experience and can say.."hey, lasted fine". I see replacemant parts are not terrible, but not the point. Thanks in advance!!

 

[5150abf]

Re: One last Smart tabs question..NEW

I can tell you from several post I have read that Nauticus is a terrific company and they have customer service that is unbeatable.

There are ALOT of guys here running them and I don't think you will find too many of them have anything but priase for smart tabs, if it was a bad product there woudl be more than 2 guys complaining.

You have to remember that these are installedby the customer so they may not have installed them correctly.

I am a foil guy myself but I am sure you will be getting alot of positive responses.

 

[Woodyq]

Re: One last Smart tabs question..NEW

We have had them on our 18' Larson for two seasons now.

They are fantastic absolutely do what is promised and no quality issues.

As this is our first boat and as an old retiree I am now more reticent to tackle issues like drilling holes in the hull I had them installed by the major marine centre in our town.

 

[Robbabob]

Re: One last Smart tabs question..NEW

No personal experience with them. However, I have heard a lot of great things about them.. as with ANYTHING, they need to be serviced or repaired now and then. Tabman works for Bennett (SP?) and I've read several posts where he has helped with restorations and revitalizing of his (their) systems. He has even sent free itmes for no other reason than great marketing and Brand support.

When I grow up and need tabs, they'll be Bennett.

Good luck to you!

 

[RhythmsDJs]

Re: One last Smart tabs question..NEW

I have a 1992 21' Maxum bowrider with a 5.0lx motor. Smart tabs have been on my boat through 4 seasons now and I have had no issues with them. The difference after installation was immediate and I feel it's the only change I've made to my boat that's been worth more than I paid.

There are a ton of large boats in my area on the river and lakes and I used to get beat up on their wakes. Now I can have precise control over the bow and get through the wakes in relative comfort. I am able to plane at a GPS verified 18 mph and the tabs eliminated the horrible bow wander I had at no wake speed.

I usually don't sing high praises of a product without pointing out some things I would like improved, but honestly I haven't found anything yet. The time to plane, increased control, rough water/weather handling improvements and low speed stability makes boating so much more enjoyable. I did lose about 1-2 mph top speed, but that didn't matter to me. The entire experience is so much better it's worth it.

 

[superpop]

Re: One last Smart tabs question..NEW

I replaced all the nylon fasteners with stainless as I lost one of the tabs in rough water last year. I was in some rough water last year and accidentally launched the boat pretty much out of the water when I hit a surprise wave, I suspect the impact of the tab slamming back into the water sheared the nylon bolts that hold them on. Went to stainless, cost about 5 bucks and should be good now. Also, I should mention that nauticus sent me a new tab and actuator at no charge since I lost one. Excellent service.

 

[RhythmsDJs]

Re: One last Smart tabs question..NEW

I replaced all the nylon fasteners with stainless as I lost one of the tabs in rough water last year. I was in some rough water last year and accidentally launched the boat pretty much out of the water when I hit a surprise wave, I suspect the impact of the tab slamming back into the water sheared the nylon bolts that hold them on. Went to stainless, cost about 5 bucks and should be good now. Also, I should mention that nauticus sent me a new tab and actuator at no charge since I lost one. Excellent service.

Which tabs do you have? I have the metal tabs with the 80lb actuators, came with all stainless hardware. I did have an incident just like yours, but all that happened was the actuator popped off the post. I had to put it back on and all was good. I'm glad they replaced it for you, they seem quite helpful and have great service.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: One last Smart tabs question..NEW

I've got the metal ones with 60 lb. actuators plus the protoller bracket, which I use to lift the tabs out of the way of the fork lift at my marina. I've got a 21 foot Hurricane Sundeck, and the smart tabs have worked flawlessly for the first season.

I think that the stainless steel smart tabs are just about indestructible. Most of the complaints I've seen are with the plastic model (SX). I'd recommend getting the metal version to avoid potential problems.

 

[ufm82]

Re: One last Smart tabs question..NEW

Agree with posts- Smart Tabs are pretty bulletproof. I too have the SS models an have had them on the boat now for 4 years. No issues.
Just this summer I was down at Norris Lake with the family and parents for the 4th of July weekend. We were anchored in a cove and were swimming. My dad, who is as big as I am (6' 4" 260) went to climb back up the boat. He caught my attention and asked where the ladder was. I told him to stop standing on my trim tab and move to the port side where the ladder was. LOL So they'll handle a large load on top of them as well. I have evidence.

UFM82