How to Use Trim Tabs on Heavy Boats
Trim tabs give you more handling power and stability than just the engine trim on big, heavy boats. Proper use of your trim tabs will get your boat up on plane faster, and give you better gas mileage. The heavier the boat, the more important trim tabs are, but even light fast boats benefit from the use of trim tabs. Ski boats can get swimmers out of the water faster, fishing boats stay more stable in the water, and all of them move faster and more efficiently, as the big boats do when you use trim tabs.
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Instructions
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Operate the trim tabs with the dual switches on the helm of your boat. Trim tab switches are normally alongside other electronic breaker switches for lights, horn, stereo, and navigational equipment. The trim tab switches are not the same as the engine trim located on your shift control. Although both do the same thing, trim tabs work in conjunction with the engine trim to level your boat under various conditions.
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Use the two trim tabs corresponding to the actual hydraulic trim tabs on either side of the transom (back) of the boat. Lower the port side (left) trim tab if the boat is listing to the left because of extra weight. Lower the starboard (right) trim tab switch if the boat is listing to the right.
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Lower both trim tabs at the same time to adjust the height of the bow. When you move forward in the water the boat pushes water up into a hill underneath its hull. When that happens the bow shoots skyward, also known as porpoising. Porpoising is bad for two reasons. First, it creates a drag on the bottom of the boat. That drag reduces fuel efficiency and slows you down. Second, the hill of water slams against the bottom of the hull and jars everyone in the boat. On smaller boats, the engine trimmed all the way down is enough to push the boat up on top of the "hill" to ride level on top of the water (planning). Big, heavy boats will take a long time to get over the hill, or may not make it at all without trim tabs.
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