I recently installed these on my 2000 180CC Sea Pro and thought I would write up a review. Up till now I had a “whale tail” on my motor (115 Yamaha 2 str). The whale tail was a Doel-fin model. Doing maintenance on the boat I noticed that one fin was damaged and decided to try the Smart Tabs.
If you haven’t seen them they are basically “dumb” trim tabs in that they have a gas pressurized shock absorber attached to the tab with no controls. The SX version is all composite material and non-corrosive.
They retail for $129 but via internet price match and a $10 coupon I was able to get them for $119 tax included at West Marine.
Install was easy and I did it during lunchtime. You simply attach a hinge flush with the bottom of the boat at the transom. The tab attaches with push pins. You let the tab hang naturally which is at the recommended 25 deg angle, attach the shock and upper plate, rotate the shock and upper plate to the transom and drill holes there. A little 5200 on the screws and you are done.
Right side done
Finished
Performance
Before, with just me (190 lbs) in the boat, I could top out at 40 mph wide open. On the sea trial, I had BOSN with me, so 2 adults. Accelerating, the bow came up about half of what it used to, and planed in about 30 ft. Top speed WFO was 46ish mph! Incredible. The motor can now be trimmed to optimal when underway, which I think makes a lot of the difference. When wide open, there was occasional slight porpoising but the shock absorber action seemed to dampen it right away. Since the bow rides lower in the water, it cuts through chop much better and makes for a softer ride. Turning, the boat does not heel over as much which makes sense. There were no weird effects noticed while turning at speed.
Overall
Are they as good as real tabs - of course not. Are they better than a whale tail - extremely!
Optiker,
Glad you’re happy with them, and I hope yours end up being better than mine. I installed them on my boat about a year and a half ago, and was initially very happy. They definitely helped get my boat up on plane faster and I was able to properly trim the motor. Now, however, they have been removed, since after about a year, the gas pressure in the shocks bled out and you could basically move them up with gentle pressure from one finger. Thus, they weren’t really doing anything to help the boat get up on plane, since the slightest water pressure moved them immediately up to the horizontal position. I hope that your experience ends up being better as far as longevity goes. Let us know how it goes!
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
George Orwell
I have had Smart tabs on Edgewater for about 4 years now. I had one strut that got the boot ripped from an angry bluefish and eventually lost pressure about a year ago. Other than that I have also been extremely happy with them. In fact I just installed a pair on my little Sea Hunt I just got. They make a world of difference coming up and off of plane. For offshore boats I would go with Bennett tabs, but for smaller inshore boats smart tabs work very well.
Iain Pelto
Edgewater 185CC “Jumpin’ Bean II”
Sea Hunt Triton 160 (yet to be named)
Native Manta Ray 14
Thanks for posting this. What is the primary need you had for installing the hydrofoil and now smart tabs? Porpoising, bow lift, listing to one side? I have porpoising problems and want these tabs to help. Do they help balance the boat if you have someone sitting on one side of the boat?
When I bought the boat it had the whale tail on it. It was put there to help porpoising due to the 115 motor which is bigger than standard and heavier. I never liked the performance when trimming the motor with the tail. That’s why I tried the smart tabs. You can’t control them to level an uneven load. But they are probably better than the tail or nothing since they are wide out to the sides. Hope that helps
I put a pair on my KW 196BR last year. Didn’t increase speed at wot, but it did improve speed at lower rpms. I was looking for stern lift at lower rpms, and it did just that. Much more level ride now. It also gave me a much faster plane and better ride throughout the rpm range. Well worth the cost. Since I fish primarily inland, I didn’t feel I needed the adjustable tabs.
Well, I bought a set yesterday from West Marine (price matched to $116 online) and there’s a $10 shell card rebate. I need to ride one more time to get “pre-tab stats” and then install… probably after easter. I’ll post later this month my thoughts. I have high expectations for an improved ride.
My smart tabs losst pressure after a couple of years but I called the factory and ordered new cylinders for very little money, I forget how much,and they are going on 3 years now with no more problem.
Thanks for adding your experience scottsmh. On their website, it looks like new actuators are $40.
KeyWest 1720cc 90 Ymha
I put a set on my boat a couple of years before I sold it. They work good for what they are, but the pistons won’t hold up to salt. They replaced both of mine for free after they rusted through and lost pressure. I dissected one and the are just like the pistons used to hold the lift window of an suv.
sand, good input. I will be watching mine carefully. The SX models are sold as “corrosion free” so made for saltwater, so we will see. Everything I have read about Nauticus is that they have really good customer service.
Here is a follow up on the SmartTabs…As of right now I am not a happy camper
Yesterday at the launch after trailering my boat, I noticed the right tab fell off/broke off… Why? Who knows? I installed per directions and checked them regularly. They have not been beached, nor do they interfere with my trailer. In addition, the left piston is shot, as Dragonslayer initially mentioned. I can push it up with my finger. I had been noticing that the boat was porpoising again unlike the first few times I had it out after install. Right now, my assessment of these things is pretty poor. I will be calling the company and hopefully will get some sort of resolution. Buyer beware I guess…
Sorry to hear. I bet Nauticus takes care of it, though. You sure a tow rope didn’t snag it? Was the hinge still attached to the hull?
I’ve had mine installed for 2 months now and love them. Too soon to notice fuel savings, but my wife drove the boat across the harbor a few weeks ago doing 32 mph and she hates going fast. We were cutting the chop like butter.
Just a note, I sprayed the top and bottom of the pistons with T-9 Boeshield to protect against saltwater.
hi-c…
No tow ropes since I have had them on…
The hinge is still there along with 1 pin, and the piston is still there - there is just a threaded bolt sticking out the bottom of the piston.
OK - I just got off the phone w/ Nauticus. Gotta say, I am very pleased with their customer service.
Here is what I learned:
My tabs had plastic pins and screws. These are obsolete. They figured it was old inventory at West Marine. They have had a handful shear off, and thats what happened to mine. The components are now all metal (brass, I think)
The pistons must be sealed air-tight or they are more likely to fail. I am pretty sure mine were not. If they are kept air tight (and he also suggested to hit the boot with Armor All periodically to delay sun damage), the life expectancy of the piston is about 6 yrs.
They are sending me all the new components and hardware to fix them up - should have them in 2 days.
Sweet!
