Which brand of trim tab?

[Bonus]

Howdy all, I am trying to work out which brand of trim tab to fit to my 6.3 metre plate boat. I have seen on the internet Bennet, Lenco and and the strange Volvo brands. Has anyone had experience with these brands that they would like to share with us all.
Thanks Bonus

[Clyde]

We have the QL trim tabs on our 6m Fisher. They work fantastic and do not get in the road when you have a fish around the rear. A bit of fitting may be required though, ours were fitted at the factory.

Cheers,
Clyde

[ozlongboarder]

After doing a fair bit of research on here and many other sites I went with the Volvo QL tabs. I fitted mine myself on a Bertram 25. They have only been on a for a few months now but work great. The are very easy to use and auto retract when the motor is turned off.

They seem like a no-brainer for a trailer boat, I just hope the stand up to living in salt water 24/7 on my boat.

[mirage]

Have used the Volvo QL's. As stated above they're great.

[Greg P]

Had Bennets now have QLs. QLs are way better

[ozscott]

I love my Bennett sport tabs - very easy to fit myself and work very well. All stainless for long life and well priced. The biggest thing for me is the amazing customer service. I have said it before its second to none of any manufacturer of any product that I have experienced - even well out of warranty things just get replaced. To see what I mean go to www.thehulltruth.com and look at the Tabman thread.....

[Bonus]

Greg P, why are they much better? Is it better control of the boat or is it just the fact that they are not in the road of fish or hitting objects. I still have trouble understanding how a blade that goes straight down at 90 degrees to the direction of travel is better than the bennetts or lenco type. One might think that they would slow down the boat considerably. I can understand how they would lift the stern and point the bow down but it is the restriction in the water that concerns me. Thanks for all your coments and keep them coming. I just took the new boat for a run with the new Suzuki DF175 and it did 34 knots easily and it cruises at 24 knots at 3800 rpm.

[ozscott]

mate - I have the bennett ones, and looked at the Volvos before buying. The blade style are a better design - more effecient and have been used on high speed ferries etc for a while. I still bought the traditional type. I am not convinved that polycarbonate at right angles to an object being struck (such as a log) would survive as well as thick stainless which is at only a slight angle and would tend to ride over any obstructions. I also cant see a justification for the price difference. I also like hydraulic and for longevity you cant beat that compared to worm drive (such as Lencos and Volvos) (you can replaced the hydraulic pump but the pump should last for many many moons). I also like, as I say above, the unbelievable customer support both in terms of the set up (like sending photos to Tabman and getting immediate and pro feedback) and after sales and out of warranty support (see for example 10 + year old units on Tabman's discussion where occasionaly there might be a failure of a pump or switch and its replaced without cost quite often).

I also like the intuitive switch gear on the Bennett tabs - 2 rocker switches. If you want the port bow to go down, you push down the front left rocker. You want the starboard stern down (bow up) you push the right rear rocker. You want front down evenly, you push both front rockers etc....you dont think with it after a very short time with the controls (I dont know what the Volvos have).

Cheers

[Greg P]

Bonus - The Bennets are great and I would never bag them. I would take them over Lencos any day. The QLs have a lot of standard features which were extra $$ on the Bennets such as auto-retrac, position indicators which evens any cost difference up.

They are quicker in response to my old M80s and the control unit is great to use for fine adjustments. As you say they do provide you with a clean transom. In relation to the issue of hitting something with them - the pressure wave created on the transom would effectively displace most floatsom but it is possible I suppose to hit something large just as it would be with bennets. When they are not in use they are clear of the water line.


Either one will do the job - it depends on installation space I guess too. Click the trim tab link to the pdf file to see the difference between the two systems. I personally would not go back to bennets after using them.

http://www.qlmarine.com/ql.asp

Cheers

Greg

[Bonus]

Thanks Greg and Ozscott, your help is appreciated. I have fitted a pair of QL's to a Fisher when I worked there. At the time I asked the mechanic how they worked and then did a bit of head scratching. I also like the Bennett type trim tab as they lengthen the hull of the boat and catch the water moving sideways under the tab which gives extra lift to the tab. How much were the Bennetts tabs and where should I go to get them? Thanks Russ

[andrew&lucy]

russ you know who I am, Ive had bennets on my boat for over 9 years and no problem andrew..........

[Bonus]

Gidday Andy how have you been. I am still listening to Martins fishing tales of big reef fish. Thanks for your advise. How is the new Suzuki?

[ozscott]

Bonus - I got the Bennett Sportab 120s from Glascraftmarine (cheapest around at the time) - cant recall the price now mate. I too liked the increase to water line length...forgot to mention that above, but its important I reckon.

Cheers

[Oog.]

I just took the new boat for a run with the new Suzuki DF175 and it did 34 knots easily and it cruises at 24 knots at 3800 rpm.

G'day Russ,
I am in the process at the moment of doing the same upgrade as you did ie DF140 to DF175
Can you please tell me what size prop you are using
Thanks
Ross

[Bonus]

Oog, The prop is 21 pitch and 15 diametre Suzuki stainless. I wonder if the lower leg unit on your DF175 will have the casting problems like mine and many others I have seen. I am talking to the state manager at the moment re the problem.
Russ