Trim tabs

[CBREEZ]

I have a 6.1m Trailcraft sportscab and under power the boat lists to the starboard would hydraulic trim tabs rectify this problem?
While stationary the boat sits level in the water it is not from uneven weight distribution but like prop torque.

[hakuna]

Yes , they will level out the boat
I would get to the bottom of the issue but, should not happen and I would doubt that it is prop torque. I would suggest it has somthing to do with hull and motor set up.
Move some weight around and play with it a bit and see if you can identify where it is coming from. Seems somthing is off centre

cheers

[Daisy Burnett]

CBREEZ
Firstly, yes trim tabs should solve the problem with the listing to one side under power. However as pointed out above you should ID the problem as well as listing like that generally means something else is not quite right. I had the same problem on my last boat from the very first time I took it out. After speaking to the guy I bought the boat off I played around around with the trim setting and this solved 95% of the problem. The rest was my sloppy loading.
I would suggest fooling around with the trim setting and looking at the loading fist. Then look at Trim Tabs for the fine tuning if required.

Cheers
Daisy

[Dignity]

CBREEZ does it always lean to starboard, the wind can cause low pressure on the one side, but for this to happen in one direction it would always need to blow from the port side

[White Pointer]

G'day,

The Trailcraft is not a very heavy boat in the water by plate boat standards so some other considerations come into play.

Has this been going on since new or is a recent change in attitude?

Are you having to continually correct the course to stop it turning to one side? You may not be conscious of this with hydraulic steering.

To test this power up to about 6 KN on smooth water. It should run straight with the engine lined up with the keel line at this low speed. Then don't hold the wheel but accelerate up onto a plane using minimum revs but adjusting engine trim for a level plane. If it starts to steer to one side it is possible that the trim on the engine leg is not properly set or the steering has lots of play in it. The boat is always trying to steer to one side and you are fighting it at the helm. The lean to one side is the battle front in this constant attempt at correction.

If this is the case go an blow up the dealer for not setting up up properly.

If it is not, make sure your keel is actually a straight line and that the planing strakes are exactly the same, side to side (i.e. in the same place from the keel line, the same length and one is not welded on the wrong way around.

Once this is sorted consider trim tabs but not before. Proper hull alignment and engine trim is critical to hull efficiency through the water. Trim tabs may be able to compensate for error but they will also help you burn more fuel in an inefficient hull/engine setup.

Regards,

White Pointer