Information on trim tabs please

[rhino_mac]

I've got the same problem as you - standard rocker switch with no indicators. If you have Bennett trim tabs, they do a kit to change the rocker switch over to one with LED indicators on for each trim tab.

It's something like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BENNETT-EIC5000-ELECTRONIC-INDICATOR-CONTROL/dp/B000V0BJNQ

Mine is being fitted this week. Keeping track of whether your tabs are up or down (or in the middle) sounds like a simple thing but in reality, it's a nightmare as you can't see how fast the rams are acting. Is 2 seconds enough to fully lower/raise? I've never known so at least I have a fighting chance of leveling the boat with these fitted.

 

[Switch]

I have outdrives which I usually trim in at -4. I've found after experimenting that -4 gives the best speed at my usual cruise at 3000rpm. Some one suggested to me the other day that I should use the trim tabs and leave the outdrives in the 0 position. This seems logical I guess but does anyone here with outdrives do this?

 

[omega2]

I have always been under the impression that the most effective attitude is for the boat to flat on the water i.e. watch the sailors. This is born out in our case by playing with the tabs and reading the SOG on the plotter. bow up generally slows us down as does bow down, flat is nice, mind you we aint no speed boat, 19 knots WOT, but who can afford to run like that these days??

 

[Scillyboy]

I've got the same problem as you - standard rocker switch with no indicators. If you have Bennett trim tabs, they do a kit to change the rocker switch over to one with LED indicators on for each trim tab.

It's something like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BENNETT-EIC5000-ELECTRONIC-INDICATOR-CONTROL/dp/B000V0BJNQ

Mine is being fitted this week. Keeping track of whether your tabs are up or down (or in the middle) sounds like a simple thing but in reality, it's a nightmare as you can't see how fast the rams are acting. Is 2 seconds enough to fully lower/raise? I've never known so at least I have a fighting chance of leveling the boat with these fitted.

I have the EIC5000 control box, and it's very useful. However, being a Bear of Little Brain, I've managed to get myself confused when trimming to one side or the other. With standard wiring, when you press then Port bow down rocker, it's the Stbd tab which moves (of course), and the indicators on the Stbd side illuminate. More than once without thinking I've tried to dial out the asymmetric trim with reference to the lights, and tried to raise the Stbd tab with the Stbd switch. It seems I'm not the only one, though, and it's possible, I've read (so don't take my word for it), simply to swap the indicator sensor plugs in the relay box, so that the LEDs effectively show the commanded trim, not the actual tab in use. I may experiment with that this year (when I've checked with Bennett, who I've always found very helpful).

 

[Jim@sea]

I bought a builders spirit level and with my GPS on at cruising speed I raised and lowered my Trim Tabs watching the Speed increasing and decreasing as I operated them. The spirit level was useful as it showed that when at lower revs but still on the plane the moment the bow started to rise the boat was coming off the plane and about to slow down.