Reply With QuoteWhat are QL's mate, excuse my ignorance?
I am looking at installing trim tabs and am unsure as to the better option. I have tired of the boat’s lean into the wind.
I have all but ruled out QL’s and am looking at either Bolt electric or the hydraulic equivalent.
I am hoping to get the good and the bad feedback from uses of both systems of trim tabs and whether one type is inherently better than the other.
Cheers and happy New Year
Steve
What are QL's mate, excuse my ignorance?
Hi Steve
What hull are we talking about please?
I have had trim tabs on a couple of boats and feel you are on the right track. I agree that its appropriate to rule out QL's .
Bennetts make a hydraulically operated trim tab that works well. However as well as electric cables hydraulic oil and tubes are an additional added complexity that I choose to avoid as an hydraulic oil leak in the boat is the last thing to be dealing with.
Lenco make an electrically operated tab that use a screw ram / jack to move the trim tab. I have these on my boat and it takes about 2 seconds to go from fully up to fully down.
You can get LED lights to indicate if the tab is up down or in the middle etc. When I got mine fitted it was suggested by the boat builder that if I needed indicators I shouldn't be driving his boat. Needless to say I didn't get indicators!
When you have the trim tabs fitted you just need to go for a drive and feel the affect the tabs have at different speeds. With Lencos all you need to do is just tap the control button especially as your speed increases. As mentioned 2 secs to fully engage the tab.
I was advised to fit 9 by 9 inch tabs as they would be plenty big enough and that seems to be the case. They make bigger but you probably dont need the bigger ones.
My boat is 6.2 m long with twin outboards. Its reasonably weighty with full fuel and water tanks plus all the other stuff like ice etc in a couple of 70 lt eskys and the 9 by 9 Lencos work well and get the deep vee bow running level with no more lean and shoulder slap running in 1 to 2 m seas
Hope the above helps and also have a healthy happy safe 2020.
Cheers
ChimoTabStbdLenco.jpg
What could go wrong.......................
I've had both, the bennetts and the electrical on other boats I didn't have an issue with the bennetts hydraulic ones, in fact I had them on for near 10 years without issue. nor the older lectra tabs ( from memory)
This boat currently, I'll be putting Lenco tabs on her, They seem to have a good track record, all the bells and whistles.
I can't fault either as I said, maybe the Lenco electric a tad easier to install, Dunno, will find out.
Don't think you can go wrong with either,, maybe compare prices and make a decision on that.....
Col
Hi Chino
They would be fitted to an Allison Fisherman 175.
I am leaning towards the Bolt 'electric' series however I am not 'wedded' and if Lenco make a better trim tab I would be happy to receive that advice
If the 9" x 9 " do you boat - with the Fisherman being smaller they should be more than adequate on mine
Thanks
Steve
My 2 cents worth.
The ONLY advantage of the hydraulic tabs IMO is the ability to dump oil in the event of a failure to easily remove the influence of the tab on the hull. They add complexity in so much as it adds a pump unit and the potential for oil leaks.
The electric actuators from the major players in this field - Bennett, Lenco and Lectrotab are now field proven as far as I'm concerned and reliability of an electric component subject to wet conditions has in the main proven to be a non event.
On a personal basis, I started with 12x9's and made larger planes up so they are now 12x12's. I was looking for not only levelling but also stern lift for slow speed planing capability on a heavy 6 metre rig. Size wasn't an issue as they mount under the boarding platforms. I chose Lectrotab as a brand as I wasn't happy with Lenco's control head at the time having seen issues with plugs and sockets (new model now though that has rectified the problem) and the fact that Lectrotab offer a lifetime warranty on their actuators. I chose the indicator panel and while it is certainly not a need to have, I do find it useful - more so once you are familiar with the characteristics of your hull with the tabs in so much I can set them where they will need to be before I apply throttle and it's useful for tuning slow speed planing at times. On a smaller vessel, 9x9 should be more than enough unless you have transom weight issues.
the QL's are in interference style of trim tab made by Volvo PentaOriginally Posted by Sheik
https://www.donmorton.com.au/marine-...m-volvo-penta/
I’ve had hydraulic Bennetts for years. Always liked the idea of having the electrics tucked away from the water, under cover.
This article/ad amongst others convinced me to go with the Bennett hydraulic system...https://www.defender.com/bennett-tri...s-electric.jsp
I just never like electronics immersed in salt water with just an rubber o ring or seal protecting them...its inevitable that water will eventually get in...
I can understand the reasoning. For a long time Bennet offered hydraulic systems only and it was in their interest for that article
From their website
https://bennetttrimtabs.com/product/bolt-electric-trim-tab-systems/
- in the US they offer 'limited' life time warranty on the actuators - what ever that means - Lectrotab also offer have lifetime warranty of the actuators
IMO - Less to go wrong on Lenco and all the wiring/switches sits right out of the way of water. They have some neat fitment solutions as well if you have limited space. Have had them on my Galeforce for 3 years now - zero issues. I had a good run with QLs on my Fisher - 10 years and no issues either and had M80 Bennets on my Sportfish before that with only minor issue with the pump switch wiring corroding a little but that was a lot to do with install position. Don't think you would go wrong with any of them and would look for the best price of any for the decision.
I have the Lenco on an Allison 195, makes a huge difference to the boat especially if your boat has that extra long pod Allison built. The electronic work well and are easy to install. I originally had 12 x 9 Minn Kota but when an actuator failed i found that MK stopped making trim tabs but i did source one from the states, should have ordered two of them as the other failed 2 years later. I now have lencos and 12 x 12 plates (got the whole system very cheap from the States when the A$ was a lot better.
Things to consider.
Actuator length - you probably have a duckboard so you will either need to cut into it or buy the short actuators.
Transducers - I have found that the area for your transducers become somewhat limited and a 9 x 9 would give you more locations. There is a certain amount of wash from them that can affect your readings at speed.
LED lights - having them is like chalk and cheese, I've had both systems and having the LEDs is very handy and has absolutely nothing to do eith your boating ability.
If failure occurs - I dont know what happens or how one would go about get them into a neutral position but i do check that they are working before each trip, you can wire Lencos up 2 ways, switch through the throttle control where when you switch the motor off they automatically retract or as i have done via a separate switch so that i can decide when i want them on/off.
Like all rams i give them a good wash when i come in and use a small amount of rubber grease on them to stop pitting as this is how an actuator will most likely fail.
I think you will wonder how you got by without them once on.
Hi
yes the boat has the standard Allison pod
Would you be able to post a photo of the actuator at the swim board of your Allison - I am wondering whether the 'short actuator' will avoid cutting the swim/duck board.
my transducer is mounted low about 100-150mm from the keel.
thanks
Steve
It will depend on what has failed and your installation. If it's the switch unit, you can apply voltage manually to the actuator wires to retract the tab. If you run Lenco's, they use a standard 2 pin Deutsch connectors to connect the rams to the control head harness so carrying one made up with a couple of feet or wire so you can contact it against your bus bars will make this a lot easier. If you are concerned about this, you could even have an emergency switch set up pre-manufactured to allow normal operation without the head unit. If it's a ram, pretty much all you can do is get the other tab into the same position and run with it unless you have enough slack wire above the ram to allow it to be unpinned and the whole assembly lifted and tied up. With the hydraulic you have the option of cracking the hoses and just letting the planes sort themselves out.
Has anyone tried the zipwakes….?
Thought about getting them for my boat but the price and newness of them made me lean towards the tried and true bennetts….
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