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Mfuller
121 Posts |
 Posted - 16 May 2018 : 11:10:08
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Hi All,
Anyone fitted trim tabs to their Norman? If so, do you think it was worth the expense?
I find weight distribution a pain in the butt when I have friends/family on board and was thinking of installing an electronic set to compensate. Not sure how they would work at slower speeds though. Any experience?
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df
United Kingdom
5994 Posts |
Posted - 16 May 2018 : 13:32:36
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At river speeds they would be a complete waste of money, they need a bit of speed to do anything.
Anything auto compensating would cost an absolute fortune, all smaller boats move about as soon as someone moves, mine weighs in at around 6T with 11' of beam and still gets a rock on if one of us moves about.
NBAS--The communal colostomy bag of the boating community.
 Visit leomagill.co.uk |
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cliveshep
Thailand
1324 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2018 : 14:32:35
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I fitted fixed tabs on a Norman 20 stern-drive boat I used to use as all-weather transport between Langstone Harbour and Bembridge Harbour I.O.W where my parents lived.
Without them it trundled along with it's nose in the air, a massive stern wave and would not plane even empty.
With tabs it lifted onto the plane quickly, was fast and stable and an altogether different boat totally suited to the job I was asking it to do which was wizz back and forth the 7 miles between the two harbours.
Bringing the boat back to Surrey and using it on the Thames and River Wey and also up on the Broads it showed no ill-effects at river speeds with the trim tabs which did nothing. Turn the tap on and speed up and then it was a different matter once the pressure of water under the hull hit the tabs forcing the stern to lift.
From memory the tabs were about 18 inches wide, projected about 8 - 9 inches, were of 1/4 inch ali plate, used a 4 inch wide strip of 18 gauge folded down the middle with 2 inches bolted to the transom with a plate of 2 inch x 1/4 inch aluminium over it and the tab bolted to the other 2 inches again with a piece of 2 inch wide 1/4 inch thick strip preventing it from buckling.
It was simple to bend the tab down to the required angle - I used 15 degrees from memory,the "hinge" offering little resistance, and two parallel pairs of 1 inch angle side by side forming a "T" bolted to the top of the tab and similar to the transom received two "bottle" screw rigging screws which held the tabs at that angle rigidly.
So if you intend to plane your boat assuming it is a planing hull and has enough power to do so and you aren't breaking any laws then tabs are the way to go to trim level.
Finally living the dream!
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Edited by - cliveshep on 18 May 2018 14:35:37 |
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Mfuller
121 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2018 : 14:41:56
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OK, thanks all. Since I'll only be using at about 5 knots then it sounds like they won't help.
Thanks for the feedback all. |
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Trim Tabs
