Do trim tabs help with fuel economy?

Trim Tabs aren’t a new product to the boating world, but the introduction of intuitive new technologies and advanced features makes the installation of a modern Trim Tab System even more beneficial to a wide variety of vessels. Properly matched and installed Trim Tabs can provide a more comfortable, dryer ride in changing sea conditions, enhance vessel performance and even increase fuel efficiency. To fully appreciate the many benefits of Trim Tabs, it helps to first have a basic understanding of how they work.

What are trim tabs and what do they do?

Trim Tabs are moveable metal tabs of various sizes that extend beyond the edge of the hull bottom at the transom. Adjusting their position up or down can help to level the boat in changing sea conditions and loads and “fine-tune” the ride, resulting in improved control of the vessel for the skipper and a more comfortable experience for everyone onboard.

A quality Trim Tab system will also enhance overall boat performance and increase fuel efficiency. It does this by helping the operator achieve the vessel’s optimum running angle — the specific configuration where ride and engine performance are optiimsed. Since it is a dynamic system that can be adjusted “on the fly” for changing conditions — changes in weight load and distribution, wind/wave angle, running up or down swell, etc. — Trim Tabs can keep a boat performing at peak efficiency in any situation.

Here are some additional key benefits to Trim Tab use:

• Get out of the hole and onto plane faster. A boat that gets on plane quickly is more efficient and more effective for water sports, shallow water fishing and other activities.
• Stop boats from “porpoising.” The bow of a poorly trimmed boat can rhythmically rise and fall (like a porpoise jumping and falling below the surface). Trim Tabs can be used to eliminate this uncomfortable and inefficient hull behaviour.
• Stay on plane at lower speeds. A boat’s ability to remain on plane when speed is reduced makes it more efficient, more comfortable and easier to control.
• Reduce listing. This is the side-to-side roll/tilting of the vessel due to propeller torque and/or uneven weight distribution. Adjusting the Trim Tabs can eliminate this, even as people move and weight is shifted around the vessel.

How do I know if my boat needs Trim Tabs?

Every powerboat with a planing style hull will receive a ride, performance and efficiency upgrade with the installation of a quality Trim Tab system. A quality Trim Tab system can transform your entire boating experience and help ensure ease of control in a variety of conditions.

How do you use Trim Tabs?

Most systems will be switch or dial controlled, used to deploy and adjust the Tabs to the desired position. In most instances, you will first utilise your tabs on acceleration to get you out of the hole and up onto plane in the shortest time and with a minimum of bow rise. Tab deployment will push the “bow down” and assist you in adjusting your vessel ride to the optimum running angle, allowing you to see the horizon and what is in front of you.

 When up and running, trim tabs can be adjusted to level the running attitude (bow up or down) and roll (side to side), to find the best position for the given conditions. This reduces pounding and spray in the cockpit, while optimising performance and fuel economy.

Is the installation of Trim Tabs difficult?

The Standard Dometic Trim Tab System can be installed by a competent DIY boat owner — but this would depend on the capability of the boat owner, and whether they have the required tools. A new install can actually be much easier to do yourself than replacing a system (older systems can often rust together). For the Dometic Adaptive Trim Tab System, we recommend installation by a trained marine dealer.  

Take your boat’s performance to the next level with Dometic’s new and innovative SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs

With the boating season for much of Australia nearly upon us, now is the perfect time to upgrade your planing-hull boat with Dometic’s new SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs.

Control, comfort and economy

Trim tabs can transform a boat’s performance and handling, delivering better control across a wide variety of sea states, along with greater ride comfort and improved fuel economy.

With traditional systems utilising twin hinged plates with hydraulic actuators mounted on each side of the boat’s transom, trim tabs are independently raised or lowered to ensure your boat maintains its optimal running angle for the prevailing conditions, both in terms of pitch (from bow to stern) and roll (from side to side).

Achieving your boat’s optimal running angle enhances safety across the board, while trimming the boat to lower the bow can improve visibility significantly and lowering engine revs while keeping your boat comfortably on the plane reduces fuel consumption.

Meanwhile, everyone on board will appreciate the smoother ride, especially in choppy conditions or when punching on through a swell.

Dometic SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs

The latest breed of trim tabs from Dometic makes harnessing the inherent benefits of this feature even easier, with the firm’s SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs boasting a number of clever inclusions.

Trim your boat with confidence with the clever and intuitive dial controller with integrated pushbuttons. See the individual settings of your port and starboard trim tabs at a glance courtesy of the position-indicating LEDs with adjustable brightness.

Trim the boat’s bow up or down via the integrated pushbuttons and twist the dial clockwise or counter-clockwise to level the ride from port to starboard, instantly addressing issues of uneven weight distribution or windage. It’s never been easier to adjust your trim tabs on the fly.

There’s a ‘Holeshot’ mode to get your boat out of the hole and climb up on the plane with maximum speed and efficiency, along with a ‘Home’ button to return the tabs to their home position and a ‘Favourite’ button that remembers and stores your preferred running settings.

The tabs automatically retract when the boat is in reverse or the ignition is keyed off, and because Dometic’s SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs are fully NMEA 2000 compatible, the position of your trim tabs can also be integrated across a wide range of suitable multi-function displays.

Quality you can trust

New for the Australian market, Dometic’s SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs are designed and manufactured in Canada and the USA from components of the highest quality.

Featuring heavy-duty stainless-steel tabs with 316 SS marine-grade fasteners, the trim tabs are controlled by electric actuators with a simple two-piece design that minimises water intrusion points, with dual housing seals, a rear seal in a protected bushing area, and a wiper to protect the rear seal and remove particles from the shaft.

The solid and chromed actuators feature a 304-grade stainless-steel shaft for strength and maximum scratch resistance, while the all-electric design, with CAN-based communication, reduces overall complexity, in turn enhancing reliability and durability.

Experience the Dometic difference

Trim tabs aren’t by any means new to the boating scene but Dometic’s SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs mean that anyone can pilot their planing-hull boat with total ease and pin-point control. With the best of the boating season looming, take your on-water experience to the next level with Dometic’s SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs.

Click here for more information on Dometic's SeaStar Adaptive Trim Tabs or here for more information on the full range of Dometic SeaStar Trim Tabs, including Dometic’s Standard Trim Tabs and Optimus Adaptive Trim Tabs, the latter compatible with Optimus joystick controls.

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