I had the dealer quote me $2000 to install the trim tabs today which was a bit of a shock. I spoke with customer service at Lectrotab and they said this should take 2-3 hours to install so I was thinking about $500 to get this done. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
$1,500 seems way steep to me, but (as others have mentioned) I do my own work.
My own anal-retentiveness dragged the
planning of the install out longer than it would have taken to do the whole job if it was somebody else's boat and I had 20 more lined up behind it.
I installed the tabs themselves in a few hours with help from my teenage boys. (Which isn't
always help - picture the 16-y.o. chasing the 13-y.o. around the storage unit trying to smack him with an actuator (and me reacting as any Dad does when his boys have lost their mind) - but I digress.)
The electrical part took a bit because I pulled the floor and ran through that way. Would have been quicker and shorter to hide it in storage compartments - but then there's that whole anal-retentive thing again. (Also note I completely re-did the boat's electrical system at the same time.)
Also note that running to the helm under the floor and then BACK to the throttle area meant that I was 6" short of cable for the port side actuator. I zip-tied it to a sticky-back (epoxied, not "stuck") with the vent hose (there is a tiny vent hose in the cable) high-and-dry and extended the leads the remaining 6" to the controller.
It's a half-day job tops if you've ever done anything like it before. Longer if you're in "learn as you go" mode.
My recommendation is to plan it all out and "do it in your head" a couple times to make sure you have all the tools, sealants, etc. you'll need.