Bennett Trim Tab installation for Surfing

[Fman]

Has anyone here installed bennett trim tabs to help create a better wake for surfing? I was considering looking at this for a mod this winter, I know some other boat manufacturers are doing this (MC, Sanger) on there surf package. Does anyone know if it actually makes that big of a difference in the surf wake?

[winddawg]

I have a Lenco set sitting in my garage wondering the same thing. I picked the set up at a garage sale for next to nothing and they have been on the shelf for a year.

I think before I make the permanent install I want to find out first if it has much effect. I know that the X80 has them but I believe it is more for getting on a plane rather than for surfing.

-Dave

[Fman]

I have a Lenco set sitting in my garage wondering the same thing. I picked the set up at a garage sale for next to nothing and they have been on the shelf for a year.

I think before I make the permanent install I want to find out first if it has much effect. I know that the X80 has them but I believe it is more for getting on a plane rather than for surfing.

-Dave

I wonder if it would help with the slalom wake if you engaged both of them at the same time in the down position? Would it push the bow down and create a smaller wake?

I might go on the Teamtalk site for MC and post a message and see what users feedback are using them on the X-25 and X-15 are?

Edited December 21, 2011 by Fman

[winddawg]

At slalom speeds it will push the bow down for sure but I can't say if it will or will not help the wake. Nothing is for free.

I wonder if it would help with the slalom wake if you engaged both of them at the same time in the down position? Would it push the bow down and create a smaller wake?

I might go on the Teamtalk site for MC and post a message and see what users feedback are using them on the X-25 and X-15 are?

[wdr]

I had the same thoughts as well and have done some research. I had read on the MC forums mixed reviews, seems the "surf tabs" have primarily been good at cleaning up the face of the wave and not necessarily making them bigger. A few had even commented that the tabs weren't worth the expense, but I am sure you will find comments that will run to the other end of that scale as well. I had the single Bennett tab on my old boat and really liked it for the hole shot aspect when fully ballasted and for smoothing out the wake for slalom skiing. For surfing the single really on cleaned up the face, not much else. For dual tabs used for surfing I have found a couple problems, one is boat specific and the other is tab specific. The way the transom sits on my '10 won't allow the (available/non custom) tabs to be positioned IAW the installation instructions, no closer than 4" to the outer hull IIRC. The other thing and I had read this on the MC site also was that the surf tabs weren't long enough to create the amount of list needed to really be effective for surfing just leveling the boat. I have given some thought to making a surf tab shoe that might be able to be attached at the transom mounting point (ambidextrious) but need to do alot more research.

[jcon44]

It would be interseting to know if they are more/less effective than the wedge, but im not sure how well it would work with both a wedge and trim tabs. I always thought the tabs were only used because the wedge is patented and the other companies didn't want to shell out the R&D money to come up with something comparable. Trim tabs have been around for decades in larger boats to control listing so it was a redily available alternative. Just my thoughts.. but it would be nice to take a wake hull that would normally have a wedge and put some tabs on it to see how they compare to the wedge. So.. someone do it and report back

[BG2085]

always wondered this as well. seems like tige "taps" system is simply a single trim tab. i think the san's have them also. it would purely be for wake shaping....bow down or bow up.

[duffymahoney]

It would be interseting to know if they are more/less effective than the wedge, but im not sure how well it would work with both a wedge and trim tabs. I always thought the tabs were only used because the wedge is patented and the other companies didn't want to shell out the R&D money to come up with something comparable. Trim tabs have been around for decades in larger boats to control listing so it was a redily available alternative. Just my thoughts.. but it would be nice to take a wake hull that would normally have a wedge and put some tabs on it to see how they compare to the wedge. So.. someone do it and report back

Yep Taps or all wake plates are bow down and bow up. Doesn't make the wake any bigger, but it can help with wash and shape a little. You could cause a slight list with trim tabs though. I am pretty sure Sanger abandoned these as they didn't really work. The malibu wedge is a better design then the trim tab. If you could have both, then that would be sweet!! Bigger- better waves come from more weight.

[REW]

Yep Taps or all wake plates are bow down and bow up. Doesn't make the wake any bigger, but it can help with wash and shape a little. You could cause a slight list with trim tabs though. I am pretty sure Sanger abandoned these as they didn't really work. The malibu wedge is a better design then the trim tab. If you could have both, then that would be sweet!! Bigger- better waves come from more weight.

You can add some extra list maybe but without extra weight it will not make a bigger wave. The skiing option would be intresting, you could push the bow down with the tabs but I don't think it will make a large differance. The Responce doesn't have a trim tab and IIRC neither do the MC 197 and equilvent.

The Moomba's and Mobious's have a single tab but this is to stop the boat from porposing at about 26 mph.

[wdr]

I had been using the Bennett tab for 5 years on my Moomba OBV and didn't really need the tab until I hit the unreasonable wake boarding speeds @26 mph and fully ballasted @1500 lbs which was over 1/2 the weight of the boat. The tab really helped for getting rid of the porposing and triming the boat for max speed under any given load, I just used the trim until I started to loose speed. As far as surfing went I only used it to get to speed and then brought it all the way up or almost so to clean up the face. Otherwise for surfing the single tab center line was counter productive for the surf wake. If I used the tab to clean up the wake behind the boat for slaloming there was a point of diminishing return and if you went past it the bow started to plow, loose speed and create more of a wake which kind of defeated the purpose in the first place. I think the bottom line is that a tab(s) create lift (bad for surfing) and " there is no replacement like displacement". I would still like to see what a single tab could do for the wave. I am guessing if the stern comes up any in the process of listing the boat that the wave would have a tendency to get washed out more that usual, but thats just an uneducated guess.

[Bake's Marine]

So you would tab the episcopate side for surfing right? Mastercraft does the 3 tabs from the factory and I know Inland Surfer uses their tab (single on a Enzo) to "shape" the wake. Inland said that it doesn't change the size at all, just adds or takes away lip at the top of the wave.

If somebody has done this on a Malibu, post up some pictures!!

-Paul

[duffymahoney]

It would be tough to run a wedge and a wakeplate. I don't think dual exterior tabs are the answer either. I own a Tige 24v with taps and I use it to just calm wash from the prop and to add length to the wave. Putting the taps or plate down, brings the nose down, and the rear up making the wave less steep and longer. You can do the same thing with bow weight and or going faster.

[Fman]

It would be tough to run a wedge and a wakeplate. I don't think dual exterior tabs are the answer either. I own a Tige 24v with taps and I use it to just calm wash from the prop and to add length to the wave. Putting the taps or plate down, brings the nose down, and the rear up making the wave less steep and longer. You can do the same thing with bow weight and or going faster.

My Supra had a wakeplate in the center of the boat, it was pretty useless for surfing, and IMO did not do much for wakeboarding. My idea was to have the tabs mounted on each side of the wedge, to allow for more push. I believe this is what MC is doing on there boats. Still waiting for some feedback on MC Teamtalk.

[Bobby Light]

Didn't Sanger do that on thier Surf Edition boats?

Edit: Found the pics.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Bobby Light