CD28- Trim tabs or Not??

[George Kalfa]

I have a CD28 Open (gas).It did not come with trim-tabs. Are they really needed? And if so, any particular make or model?



gkalfa@aol.com

[Walt Bilofsky]

I have a CD28 Open (gas).It did not come with trim-tabs. Are they really needed? And if so, any particular make or model?

My take is that they are not a necessity, but they can be quite useful and improve efficiency.

My 30 has twins and a different hull shape, so my experience might not be directly applicable. However, FWIW: The tabs let me bring the bow down quite a bit. Since the 30 rides pretty bow high on plane, tabs make it a lot easier to drive from below (I have a flybridge). Also, running a bit more than half tabs picks up one to one and a half knots at lower cruising speeds (12 to 15 knots). At the higher speeds, reducing wetted surface is more important than attitude, so less tab is more efficient.

In poor sea conditions, tabs let you decide whether to plow through waves or bounce over them. Depending on conditions, you may prefer one or the other. Down tabs in a following sea are dangerous, however.

Unfortunately, Teleflex made the original tabs on my boat. Since they went out of the trim tab business, you won't make that mistake. I replaced my cylinders with TrimMasters - a little family company that knows what they're doing and makes a good product. But you won't go wrong with Bennetts.



bilofsky@toolworks.com