Tafflad
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2007
- Messages
- 544
Back last year I asked about bow rise on my Maxum, possibly fitting DoleFin, and several guys pointed me instead to SMART TABS.
As a result a small number UK guys clubbed together to buy SMART TABS for our Maxum boats importing from the US ? this worked out less that 1/2 price of buying them in UK.
Thought I give an update on these, and if you know all about SMART TABS don?t read any further.
If you are not aware of SMART TABS they are plates that stick out of the bottom of the Transom, if level with hull they have no effect, if angled so tip is lower they significantly improve planing speed.
You can buy expensive electro or hydraulic units and computerised controls.
However SMART TABS do this simply by having a damper that is matched to hull length and engine size. (you also have several tune positions for your boat as well)
At rest TABS are deployed 25 degree down, you apply power and they push up against transom load, preventing bow lift.
Once you are up to speed the tabs are forced down by water flow and then come out of play.
I have a Maxum 1800 SR3 ... generally happy with this boat except from rest if you were putting on full power with a skiier on the back eg. for a deep water start.
The bow would rise dramatically, so much that you lost all view of water in front of you until boat came onto plane. (a significant time)
Now with TABS the difference is startling ... no bow rise, full power on and it simply stays flat.
I have the TABS fitted with retractors so I can lock them up out of play (if I wanted maximum wake, or to beach the boat for example)
On the weekend I tried it several times and the difference was incredible.
It also lowered minimum planing speed which helped with kids on knee boards.
It is also supposed to increase top speed by 2-3mph and improve mpg ..... can't confirm those yet, but it certainly does what it said it would do for handling.
In turns it also improves boat handling as well.
If you are interested in them .... details are on manufactures website ... including some videos of them in use.
http://www.nauticusinc.com/smart_tabsSX.htm
http://www.nauticusinc.com/smart_tabs.htm
(click on performance video)
For those interested in what they look like on a Maxum I have put a couple of pictures of the Smart Tabs installed on my tub on line ...
Take a look at http://tinyurl.com/dy2au5
This should take you to first image, click on 'public folder' to get to the rest.
You should find 4 pictures of the tabs there, I have shown them in running and retracted position ... and also a rear on picture so you can see the retractor mechanism.
This down position is the correct install position for SMART TABS, electro or hydraulic tabs are sometimes different.
You set damper to the middle hole of adjustment, fix hinge plate to transom, so bottom face lines up with bottom of hull when horizontal.
Take a look at this link http://www.nauticusinc.com/images/SX-INSTALL.gif
and step 8, and also this link:
http://www.nauticusinc.com/pdf/6_08_manual.pdf
and look at Fig 4 on page 9.
Also on page 10 they provide the paper template that you use to cut a piece of card or similar to get the 25 degrees.
In practical terms this means Tabs are 25 degrees down at rest .. where they need to be for starting position, and at speed they move up to horizontal.
It also means that they automatically adjust as the boat heaves over in turns, so it keeps turns much more stable.
Hope that explains how there are fitted .... I marked them out, and check marked about a dozen times ... drilling holes in transom is not something to get wrong
There is a video of them being fixed (using 25 degree template) on http://www.nauticusinc.com/installation.htm
All in all, a very worthwhile purchase.
As a result a small number UK guys clubbed together to buy SMART TABS for our Maxum boats importing from the US ? this worked out less that 1/2 price of buying them in UK.
Thought I give an update on these, and if you know all about SMART TABS don?t read any further.
If you are not aware of SMART TABS they are plates that stick out of the bottom of the Transom, if level with hull they have no effect, if angled so tip is lower they significantly improve planing speed.
You can buy expensive electro or hydraulic units and computerised controls.
However SMART TABS do this simply by having a damper that is matched to hull length and engine size. (you also have several tune positions for your boat as well)
At rest TABS are deployed 25 degree down, you apply power and they push up against transom load, preventing bow lift.
Once you are up to speed the tabs are forced down by water flow and then come out of play.
I have a Maxum 1800 SR3 ... generally happy with this boat except from rest if you were putting on full power with a skiier on the back eg. for a deep water start.
The bow would rise dramatically, so much that you lost all view of water in front of you until boat came onto plane. (a significant time)
Now with TABS the difference is startling ... no bow rise, full power on and it simply stays flat.
I have the TABS fitted with retractors so I can lock them up out of play (if I wanted maximum wake, or to beach the boat for example)
On the weekend I tried it several times and the difference was incredible.
It also lowered minimum planing speed which helped with kids on knee boards.
It is also supposed to increase top speed by 2-3mph and improve mpg ..... can't confirm those yet, but it certainly does what it said it would do for handling.
In turns it also improves boat handling as well.
If you are interested in them .... details are on manufactures website ... including some videos of them in use.
http://www.nauticusinc.com/smart_tabsSX.htm
http://www.nauticusinc.com/smart_tabs.htm
(click on performance video)
For those interested in what they look like on a Maxum I have put a couple of pictures of the Smart Tabs installed on my tub on line ...
Take a look at http://tinyurl.com/dy2au5
This should take you to first image, click on 'public folder' to get to the rest.
You should find 4 pictures of the tabs there, I have shown them in running and retracted position ... and also a rear on picture so you can see the retractor mechanism.
This down position is the correct install position for SMART TABS, electro or hydraulic tabs are sometimes different.
You set damper to the middle hole of adjustment, fix hinge plate to transom, so bottom face lines up with bottom of hull when horizontal.
Take a look at this link http://www.nauticusinc.com/images/SX-INSTALL.gif
and step 8, and also this link:
http://www.nauticusinc.com/pdf/6_08_manual.pdf
and look at Fig 4 on page 9.
Also on page 10 they provide the paper template that you use to cut a piece of card or similar to get the 25 degrees.
In practical terms this means Tabs are 25 degrees down at rest .. where they need to be for starting position, and at speed they move up to horizontal.
It also means that they automatically adjust as the boat heaves over in turns, so it keeps turns much more stable.
Hope that explains how there are fitted .... I marked them out, and check marked about a dozen times ... drilling holes in transom is not something to get wrong
There is a video of them being fixed (using 25 degree template) on http://www.nauticusinc.com/installation.htm
All in all, a very worthwhile purchase.
