226 Seafarer trim tab size

[Koz54]

Last month I purchased a new (to me) 226 Seafarer. It is a 1999 with a Yamaha Ox66 225 strapped on. It is not the 'perfect' boat as I was looking for a 226 with a hard top, trim tabs, and a four stroke. This boat has none of those, but it is very clean and the price was right. With the money I 'saved' I will get a radar arch and trim tabs.

I've decided on the Lenco standard mount trim tabs with the LED indicator switch. Question is according to Lenco's site the 9"x12" or the 9"x18" fall within the boat's size. I understand that bigger is better as long as they are used properly, (following sea) but what have you folks found to be the better choice? I don't want to overkill it either.

 

[Doc Stressor]

My 226 came with 10" X 12" Bennet tabs. They work fine.

And you never want to use your tabs with a following sea.

 

[DennisG01]

You can't really have overkill when it comes to tabs. If you have bigger tabs, you just won't deflect them as much on a normal basis, but they're there when you need it. Keep in mind that span is much more important than chord when it comes to sizing.

Just to second what was said above - if not never, it's very rare that you use them on a following sea. There's too many variables in conditions to say for "absolute", but it's a safer bet, than not, to err towards not using them.

 

[suzukidave]

i had nauticus smart tabs on a 16' deep v. they are permanently deployed tabs using gas struts. after a lot of trial and error i could not find a way to safely run them in a following sea so i tied ropes to them and installed jam cleats so i could pull them up manually.

 

[DennisG01]

Those SmartTabs are a great invention. Inexpensive, easy to install and work fantastic. But, yeah, the constant deflection can be an issue in certain conditions - as you found out. I think they're best saved for smaller, inland lakes - since they don't chop up so much. Good idea with the jam cleats!

 

[Koz54]

Thank you for the quick replies and the information. I will measure later this week and figure out what size to order.