Trim tabs Lectrotab

[Jmland]

I wanted a better ride out of my Yamaha 2018 242X, so I researched it on jetboater.net, coming from an IO I wanted to enjoy using trim tabs for water conditions. My 242x was an ok ride but not a good ride and when the water conditions changed, it sucked, it's no fun when swells are coming sideways into the side of the hull.
Knowing that on a Yamaha boat and the swim platform on the back was not going to be your normal tab insulation, saying that, I reached out to Lectrotab for advice seeing that they had a quite a few Yamaha boats with their trim tabs on them.
You could not ask for a better company to help you, very, very knowledgeable about their products and since they had already designed the tabs for the Yamaha boat I felt I came to right place.
Dan and Russ were great, they helped me every step of the way and answered all of my questions, trust me I had tons.
I purchased the 9 x 16 tabs with short actuators with the semi auto control, and it blended in perfect and looked factory installed.
The installation was not difficult at all, followed it step by step, very easy to perform.
Took the boat out right after and wow, what a difference it made. I cannot say enough about the performance of my boat. It made all the difference in the ride and easy to use. With the tabs on the boat, fully retractable, it's like they are not even there.
Just want to say if you have the boosters by Yamaha or the wedge, the actuators, they do not interfere with the tabs, they still work , which was another huge plus for me.
I can not stress how much they have improved my boat, saying that ,THANKS to Dan and Russ at Lectrotab.

 

[swatski]

I wanted a better ride out of my Yamaha 2018 242X, so I researched it on jetboater.net, coming from an IO I wanted to enjoy using trim tabs for water conditions. My 242x was an ok ride but not a good ride and when the water conditions changed, it sucked, it's no fun when swells are coming sideways into the side of the hull.
Knowing that on a Yamaha boat and the swim platform on the back was not going to be your normal tab insulation, saying that, I reached out to Lectrotab for advice seeing that they had a quite a few Yamaha boats with their trim tabs on them.
You could not ask for a better company to help you, very, very knowledgeable about their products and since they had already designed the tabs for the Yamaha boat I felt I came to right place.
Dan and Russ were great, they helped me every step of the way and answered all of my questions, trust me I had tons.
I purchased the 9 x 16 tabs with short actuators with the semi auto control, and it blended in perfect and looked factory installed.
The installation was not difficult at all, followed it step by step, very easy to perform.
Took the boat out right after and wow, what a difference it made. I cannot say enough about the performance of my boat. It made all the difference in the ride and easy to use. With the tabs on the boat, fully retractable, it's like they are not even there.
Just want to say if you have the boosters by Yamaha or the wedge, the actuators, they do not interfere with the tabs, they still work , which was another huge plus for me.
I can not stress how much they have improved my boat, saying that ,THANKS to Dan and Russ at Lectrotab.

Awesome post, and welcome to the community!
I agree, those guys are first class.

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[Dixie Highway]

I 100% agree, have a set on mine and love them

 

[Jmland]

Awesome post, and welcome to the community!
I agree, those guys are first class.

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Yes they are

 

[Jmland]

I 100% agree, have a set on mine and love them

Awesome

 

[feziwig]

how much did your setup cost?

 

[Jmland]

how much did your setup cost?

Around 800.00 you can't go wrong. What a difference

 

[zipper]

The Lectrotab trim tabs, 12 x 12 on our boat, has been a great mod. for our M/Y Yamaha over the last 3 seasons. The improvement of the ride while in the chop was worth the price.

 

[swatski]

Among the best/unique features of Lectrotabs (besides dealing with excellent people there) are:

1. their internal conduits equalizing the pressure inside actuators (preventing water intrusion)
2. short actuators which permit 9" x 16" tabs to fit nicely on the Yamaha transom
3. Wake Wedge or Wake Booster can still fit/be installed, w/short actuators!

It's a game changer for cruising in any large body of water. The tabs self-retract and the manual, semi and full auto controls are great.

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[tabbibus]

so what is different now? Can you elaborate a bit on that? Just curious.

 

[swatski]

so what is different now?

If you asking me - I'm on my third season, not aware of any changes in the current offering. Most opt for the MLC-1 controller, which soem call semi-auto.

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[swatski]

so what is different now? Can you elaborate a bit on that? Just curious.

Here is some more info on those, and how we came up with the sizes:

So... after some 20+ cutouts of various tab-actuator combos, I think I'm starting to get a grip on what needs to be done! Needless to say, it will be a compromise, but a good one (I hope).

The goal is, as stated, to design and fabricate trim tabs that would aid both cruising attitude (as traditional tabs would) but also help with wake surfing (which is what "wake plates" are called for).

So, what's the difference?

TRIM TABS vs WAKE PLATES
Trim tabs and wake plates are essentially the same thing: metal plates attached to the rear of the boat using a hinge and a hydraulic or electromechanical (the latter being our choice here) shock. Honestly? -- I think the main difference is regular boats call them "trim tabs" and wake boats call them by many other names to make them sound cooler...
Check this out:
Attitude Adjustment Plate (MC), Taps (Tige), SmartPlate (SC), Quick Plane Cavitation Plate (MB), Hydro-Gate (CC), etc, even MC's surf tabs are basically trim tabs... Basically, Centurion, Sanger, WB, Supra, MC, Supreme, Tige, etc are using a Bennett/Lenco trim tab and calling it a wake plate. Or in other words, same parts with a different use.
(all of that is MHO only, of course)

That said, there is ONE THING that really stands out for me (other than wake plates can have funny shapes): the angle in fully retracted position.

Traditional trim tab with a typical 12" chord (fore-aft length) is mounted flash or 1/4" above the bottom of the hull with the plane set so it is at less than an inch (typically 5/8") up at the trailing edge or just a couple deg up off of the hull's plane (when fully retracted). In contrast, wake plates are generally retracted up at a much more aggressive angle, as much as 10-15deg (again, when fully retracted). Here, the deployed tab goes on the opposite side of where you will be surfing, while the retracted one on the surf side does not interfere with creation of a large wave with tons of push. The latter being the key point, the way I see it.
For example:

Standard tab mount VS Wake plate tab (many are even more aggressive, or "up")
View attachment 49544View attachment 49543


With Yamaha transoms, we are SEVERELY vertically challenged -- one major obstacle to mounting a true wide range tabs/plates. Of course, anything can be done. But short of designing recessed actuators etc. (I'm NOT interested in anything of that nature) it is just not quite doable as a simple bolt-on mod.
Incidentally, all of the Yamaha tabs' installations I know of are (more or less) flush with the hull when retracted, as below:

@1948Isaac @OperationROL
View attachment 49536View attachment 49537

@Bruce @Glassman
View attachment 49538View attachment 49540

@paul075 (and there is another, TBA - I know I'm missing someone... please help!)
View attachment 49541

FOUND IT! @bucks448
View attachment 49597

So, there is no perfect solution... BUT
I think there is a good compromise that can be achieved, a simple approach using a balanced tab/wake plate -- actuator combo. That could even serve as a simple hull extension device to lengthen the hull by as much as the chord length to create a larger wave with tons of push.

(More below - in the next post)

--

We are working off of the Lectrotab design of @Bruce and Dan Roberts of Linear Devices Corp (parent company making Lectrotabs). The standard tab dimensions in that kit are 12"x12" (chord x span), 14" actuator, and the attachment point is at 7.75" from the hinge/hull.

Those work really well for boat attitude adjustments, or as regular trim tabs. However, there are several issues with the above tabs/actuators if used as wake tabs, the way I see it. Most notably, those overall dimensions would NOT be compatible and potentially interfere with other wake shaping devices. For example, Gantlin Wake Wedge install would NOT be possible. Or other devices, such as an adjustable ASP-like platform (AKA Swatski's Tail, LOL), etc.

Shortening the actuators, the ONLY readily available solution, would dramatically reduce the tabs' range of motion due to the reduced stroke of the "short" actuator, 2.25" standard vs 1.5" "short". The only way to compensate for that is to move the attachment point closer to the hinge/hull, which would also weaken the load rating, which needs to be compensated for with the shorter chord (but longer span to retain the surface..). Etc, etc.

So, long and short, here are some considerations and solutions we came up with.

SPAN
The general recommendation is using tabs that are 9 inches in chord (distance from transom to trailing edge of the tab) the tabs should be one inch in span (width port to starboard) for each foot of boat. Accordingly, tabs for my boat should be 24" x 9".
The largest span of the tab that can be easily fitted is 16" (again, that is the width, or port to stbd measurement).
Making the tabs 16" x 9" would do the trick, close enough to 216 square inches to make a noticeable difference in lift without placing undue stress on the system. 16x9 is also the same surface as 12x12 that works extremely well in the above mentioned 23/24' Yamaha boats.
Importantly, 16" is also the largest span to fit exactly flush with the transom (in my 2016 240).

TABS PLACEMENT
On boats powered by outboards or sterndrives it is necessary the trim tabs not be placed too close to the drive unit to avoid disturbing the water flow to the propeller thus causing ventilation. This is usually no closer than 7”. General rule is no less than 8" from the center of the drive. 16x9 tabs would fulfill those criteria, however that is probably an overkill anyway as the intakes in our jetboats are far removed and would not be obstructed with tabs. I have learned however to be conservative with any such estimates. That said, looking at the picture from @Williamsone46 (in an above post) - the tabs would be out of the water and out of the way of intakes FOR SURE at planning speeds. So, 16x9 tabs would work well here.

SHORT vs STANDARD ACTUATOR STROKE vs RANGE OF MOTION
This has been the trickiest item to tackle and plan around. Standard actuator has a stroke of 2.25" (fully extended) and affords approximately 16.6 degrees of tab movement, I think (see below). To determine how a switch to the short actuator (with a 1.5" stroke) affects the range, we did a little back-of-the-envelope calculation here (where a is the measurement between the hinge/transom and the actuator attachment point in the tab):

(this was drafted by my son, as we were driving and talking, he just whipped this up on his tablet)
View attachment 49545

Basically (some oversimplifications notwithstanding, such as ignoring the change in the actuator angle of attack - which should be fine as it only moves a total of <20% of its length, etc.):

The current standard actuator attached at 7.75" affords the range of motion of approximately 16.6 deg.
This would be mostly retained by using short actuator attached at 6" from the hinge/hull.


That is the final "best case" scenario we could came up with:

1. 16"x9" tabs
2. short 10" actuators with 1.5" stroke
3. 6" attachment point (in the center of the tab's span)


Additional considerations are a few. Taper would be initially bend up, but possible "drop fin" add-ons (AKA "DF12" in Bennett parts) would be considered, etc, all pending test results in the water. Chine overlap is not an issue with this design (I believe). Internal hull fiberglass enforcements of actuator attachments are strait forward, not discussed here.
Here is a rough sketch of tabs' placement:
View attachment 49546
(Short actuators' attachment points in the hull would not interfere w/ Wake Wedge mounting points / tie down eyes, and tabs would not interfere with fins)


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[tabbibus]

If you asking me - I'm on my third season, not aware of any changes in the current offering. Most opt for the MLC-1 controller, which soem call semi-auto.

--

Sorry, I was actually asking @Jmland because he stated his boat is so different now with the tabs. It seems you posted seconds before I did. Woops.

 

[rkim808]

I want a setup so bad, I love my Yammy and she is fine as is. I can only imagine the difference.

 

[BigAbe75]

No problems drilling (and sealing) all those holes? That’s a big hang up of mine. (And, I’m not really on any water big enough to make this necessary).

this is on my “metoo” list, rather than a real need/want item.

 

[Jmland]

so what is different now? Can you elaborate a bit on that? Just curious.

Being able to get the now down when getting into chop and being able to raise or lower from left to right is awesome Before in chop I would need to slow down. And if I didn't it felt likey boat was going to break apart. I hated that. With tabs I just lower the bow and note it doesn't take much. my controller has 5 indicator lights and I have never gone past the second light trimming my boat. Porpoising is no fun your boat slaps on the water and feels like everything's going to come apart the tabs totally render this if used in the right way and you don't want to over trim you don't want the boat to steer with the keel yes it's just takes a few taps on the controller to bring the bow down but the trade-off you get a nice ride soon as you get in better water raise them up I think the 9 by 16s with the short actuators is the ticket you don't need much travel on the Yamaha boats with the actuators it is more than enough I cannot imagine trimming any more than the second indicator light. Most of my boating is on lake Havasu and the river and it gets windy there this was a game-changer for me there's also perks with the tabs you can list the boat to one side to help with a wake surfing. Trim tabs are nothing new look around most of the boats out there have them there is a reason for that. I opted for the semi Auto controller I like being able to trim the boat when I want the auto controller the tabs run quite a bit people ask how does it improve your mileage it does when you were cruising around 40 miles an hour and they boat just coming up and down a little bit in the water you can hear it on the motors not much but you can hear it with tabs you can take that away just by hitting them wants will lower them just to stop that and that even increases your speed because there is no slight porpoising at all.

 

[swatski]

No problems drilling (and sealing) all those holes? That’s a big hang up of mine. (And, I’m not really on any water big enough to make this necessary).

this is on my “metoo” list, rather than a real need/want item.

Here are some install notes:

I will post the install details w/pics, but just in short - yes I used screws.

I agonized over what to use. Ended up with:

• self-tapping round head SS #12 1 1/4" (for the top actuator mount)
• pre-drilled w/ 11/64 drill bit (through hull, about 1/2")
• w/countersink (just to chamfer gelcoat, very slight, shallow, wide angle)
• bedded with 3M 5200 (regular)

I considered using the "epoxy-plug" technique (drilling a larger hole for an epoxy plug and redrilling to the screw size), but with those FRP hulls I'm not sure that is the best way to go. I ended up drilling small pilot holes and, to my surprise, discovered there was wood inside -- no idea the exact thickness but I would guesstimate the thickness to be about 1/2" (see below).

The transom built is quite different between model years, @Bruce install used the embedded wood enforcement for the transom U-bolts (left), which inside the transom look identical to my 2012 190 (on the right):
Bruce's (left) My 2012 190 (right)
View attachment 51028View attachment 51029
@Bill D had his U-bolts enforced in the 2010-2015 24 hull, I wish the new hull afforded similar access:

The new (2015+ 240) hulls are quite different. There is sound-deadening material stuffed up in the narrow space in the swim deck, and the access is obstructed by water boxes. I could take those out, of course, but it is a major PIA/project. I could reach the U-bolt (kind of) in the corner of the hull but could not reach the space directly above where the top actuator mounts are installed - roughly 8-9" inside of the U-bolts/tie-downs.
Here is the best pic I could take with my arm stuck under the transom, note the strbd U-bolt in the far corner under the deck:
View attachment 51030

The install went well, I was able to torque those screws real tight, have a pretty good feeling about it. The key, I think, is the exact hole sizing. In my case - with #12 SS screws (from Menards, self-tapping, sheet metal, full thread) - the best fit was w/ 11/64 drill bit -- which performed best in scrap fiberglass panels I used for testing the fit. Screws from different sources will fit a bit different so I would always test that.

--

 

[Ratket]

I wanted a better ride out of my Yamaha 2018 242X, so I researched it on jetboater.net, coming from an IO I wanted to enjoy using trim tabs for water conditions. My 242x was an ok ride but not a good ride and when the water conditions changed, it sucked, it's no fun when swells are coming sideways into the side of the hull.
Knowing that on a Yamaha boat and the swim platform on the back was not going to be your normal tab insulation, saying that, I reached out to Lectrotab for advice seeing that they had a quite a few Yamaha boats with their trim tabs on them.
You could not ask for a better company to help you, very, very knowledgeable about their products and since they had already designed the tabs for the Yamaha boat I felt I came to right place.
Dan and Russ were great, they helped me every step of the way and answered all of my questions, trust me I had tons.
I purchased the 9 x 16 tabs with short actuators with the semi auto control, and it blended in perfect and looked factory installed.
The installation was not difficult at all, followed it step by step, very easy to perform.
Took the boat out right after and wow, what a difference it made. I cannot say enough about the performance of my boat. It made all the difference in the ride and easy to use. With the tabs on the boat, fully retractable, it's like they are not even there.
Just want to say if you have the boosters by Yamaha or the wedge, the actuators, they do not interfere with the tabs, they still work , which was another huge plus for me.
I can not stress how much they have improved my boat, saying that ,THANKS to Dan and Russ at Lectrotab.

Got any Pics???

of the trim tabs installed-
Where you mounted the controller?

 

[Ratket]

Being able to get the now down when getting into chop and being able to raise or lower from left to right is awesome Before in chop I would need to slow down. And if I didn't it felt likey boat was going to break apart. I hated that. With tabs I just lower the bow and note it doesn't take much. my controller has 5 indicator lights and I have never gone past the second light trimming my boat. Porpoising is no fun your boat slaps on the water and feels like everything's going to come apart the tabs totally render this if used in the right way and you don't want to over trim you don't want the boat to steer with the keel yes it's just takes a few taps on the controller to bring the bow down but the trade-off you get a nice ride soon as you get in better water raise them up I think the 9 by 16s with the short actuators is the ticket you don't need much travel on the Yamaha boats with the actuators it is more than enough I cannot imagine trimming any more than the second indicator light. Most of my boating is on lake Havasu and the river and it gets windy there this was a game-changer for me there's also perks with the tabs you can list the boat to one side to help with a wake surfing. Trim tabs are nothing new look around most of the boats out there have them there is a reason for that. I opted for the semi Auto controller I like being able to trim the boat when I want the auto controller the tabs run quite a bit people ask how does it improve your mileage it does when you were cruising around 40 miles an hour and they boat just coming up and down a little bit in the water you can hear it on the motors not much but you can hear it with tabs you can take that away just by hitting them wants will lower them just to stop that and that even increases your speed because there is no slight porpoising at all.

Ha! I live in havasu and i primarily boat on it and the river and have been thinking of doing this for some time. The river and the lake are more often than not rough, due to wind or mainly other boats.

 

[Jmland]

Got any Pics???

of the trim tabs installed-
Where you mounted the controller?

I mounted the controller right above the joy stick on the dash on my 2018 boat it look great plenty of room. I ran the wires between the back swim deck I was able to do this by removing the cup holders and removing the inspection cover between the clean out ports I was able to fish the wires threw into motor box and up the side of boat to the helm and also ran the power wires at the same time made sure everything was tie rapped very neet and clean