Benefits of tabs

Chopppywaters · 01 June 2006, 02:15

Hi guys, quick question: my Ribcraft 5.85 just splashed with its heavy 115 Honda motor hangin off the back and when pushin it full throttle it chine walks like crazy. I am thinking about putting smart tabs on the back and i hear they can only benefit you but is that true? are there any areas in which the tabs will acutaly decrease performance?

Thanks

ollyit · 01 June 2006, 08:38

I supposed theres a touch of minor drag involved sumwhere along the line initially, which then turns in to lift on mine, I doubt you'd noticed to be honest with your setup

good luck

Chopppywaters · 01 June 2006, 11:27

hmm, well right now my boat turns amazing at speeds below 30 knots. I just dont want to loose that turning ability. But one more question: I have little to no expierence in installing things on a boat, how easy is it to install the tabs?

ollyit · 01 June 2006, 11:30

have a look at the build images page 2 on my website, should give you a rough idea of whats involved

swginn · 01 June 2006, 12:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopppywaters

when pushin it full throttle it chine walks like crazy.

Have driven plenty of Ribcraft 585s, nearly all more powerful than your own and had no problems with chine walking. Are you sure the motor is rigged correctly?? A properly set up rig at this size really shouldn't need trim tabs. Bet she's stern heavy with that Honda on the back too?

Chopppywaters · 01 June 2006, 13:50

the engine is super heavy heh, i have a friend with the same exact setup and his chinewalks too. Pretty sure the engine is rigged correctly due to the fact that it came directly from the factory.

swginn · 02 June 2006, 00:11

Maybe they don't rig them over there like they do on this side of the pond??

What kind of offset are you running?

Also I would experiment with weight distribution, ie: anchor location, ballast/ seat people at the bow, etc. You may need to trim in to get more hull in the water. To be honest I suspect the chine walk is down to the heavy Honda, making you stern heavy, causing the bow to shoot skywards. Told ya you should have gone for that 115 Opti!!

Chopppywaters · 02 June 2006, 00:33

offsets at 3/4 of an inch i think. hehe yea the honda was a veryy bad choice and im prettty sure its just the weight of the honda, although i already hit 48 mph

then got scared because i was flopping back and forth lol

swginn · 02 June 2006, 00:51

Offset seems about right, will check on a few different 585s over the wkend. In the meant time I would try get as much weight up the bow as possible, so as to gain more waterline length. Also, if you have hydraulic steering, be sure it is bled properly and has no air locks. Other than that I'm really not sure?? Have you talked to Ribcraft about it?

Chopppywaters · 02 June 2006, 01:19

Haven't talked to Ribcraft about THIS yet heh just sent them an email asking why water, when it didnt rain or anything, ends up in my bilge area. Also the engine cover latch never stays...latched, yelled at them for this too heh. I think instead of adding more weight to the bow the smart tabs would be an easier solution but im not sure.

Chopppywaters · 02 June 2006, 01:20

o yes also yelled at him for the Honda....it never starts on the first try, may be because its a new engine but I doubt it. It always takes 2-4 times for it to fully fireup

swginn · 02 June 2006, 08:22

There could be an even simpler solution. I'm not too sure about Ribcrafts but is it possible that you might have water in your hull void sloshing about. This would slow you down and cause a chine-walk!

Chopppywaters · 02 June 2006, 16:34

hehe doubt it due to the fact that they said id hit no more than 48 mph and ive hit it