tips for a following sea on 265 express

[CascoHorn47]

hi all,
New owner of a 2000 year 265 express, love the boat overall. I know this boat likes to bow steer, any advice from veterans of this model here on trim tactics, etc in avoiding bow steer in a following sea? I've messed around on trim both engine and tabs and can't quite get it right. And as some of you know, it can be quite unsettling especially with guests on the boat when she veers suddenly. She has twin 200hp Suzuki 4 stroke and hydraulic Bennett trim tabs. Thanks!

 

[glacierbaze]

Trim up, bow up, tabs up!

 

[CascoHorn47]

Is it worth tabbing to correct a list? I’ve found the boat doesn’t like a lot of tab even in a head sea.

 

[Halfhitch]

I would recommend using the tabs only to correct a list from uneven loading. Your motor trim is your most reliable mechanism for adjusting running attitude in the salt. When you're on a glassy lake, play with the tabs all you want.

 

[Gullchaser]

Trim up, bow up, tabs up!

Glacier hit it on the head with this. I have generally found that the 265 likes to run bow up in just about all conditions. I very rarely use tabs. Occasionally, I may add just a touch of tab to correct a list. I use the fuel management gauge to assist in finding the right trim in most conditions. Yous can tell the sweet spot when you are at maximum efficiency. For following sea I add a bit more trim out. Congrats to the OP on the new boat. You will love it.

 

[DennisG01]

Tabs are a great tool to use to adjust pitch and roll - and should definitely be used. And, pretty much any V-hull boat is going to bow steer - it's not really something is "special" to a 265. However, in a following sea, it would be the RARITY to use any tabs (other than MAYBE a little bit to correct some roll). You need to keep that bow up. It sounds like you just aren't trimming up enough with the engines.

 

[SkunkBoat]

I have a 265 with DF200APs. Leave the tabs up and forget that you have them. If you are acting funny, make sure that someone didn’t mess with them.
Some toe out on the motors helped make it go straight at idle speed. I cranked the tie bar and added 3/8” to the 28”

don’t leave the motors too deep after jumping on plane or it will heel over

 

[tilewave]

congrats on the new boat! if you veered off and dug in dramatically you were 100% using too much trim tab . some tips before you develop your own feel for the boat. in a following sea ;
-use no tabs
- try to ride the back of the swells
-motors trimmed in a "medium" position
As far using tabs: as mentioned above, typically use only for correcting lists ( also "be the captain" shuffle people and coolers around to make your load balanced)
i will at times put the bow down a little with the tabs in certain head seas , like a tight chop. Good Luck ! what kind of power you have on that ?

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

I have fished aboard a 265 last spring . and,boy you're right in a following sea she will catch a wave and surf it a little. my friend was running auto pilot and it would happen ,the boat would steer to the left or right and the AP would correct. We surfed one wave and I was nervous and I have been fishing offshore now 14 years. I would also say no tabs in the following sea as I also don't use tabs in the following sea on my boat .

I have been fishing on a192, 228, 265, express 305 and express 330 and I can tell you the 265 is a great boat but it does have this quirky behavior in a following sea that these other boats do not

 

[PDX-Boats]

Sounds like it's time for a bigger boat.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Early on I had that problem of the boat heeling to one side. I played with tabs and motor trim and learned that the tabs were screwing me.
They might help some going straight into a chop but as soon as you turn you are screwed. If you had them set unevenly to fix a slight list and turn, you are really screwed.
They are not indicator tabs so once you mess with them you have to remember to go back to both all up and start over.

After I got my new motors and was testing props, I had a really bad problem with heeling over.
It turned out that the tabs were not going all the way up and I did not know it.

the 265 appears to have a special SHORT actuator so you can't install an indicator sensor. Thats assuming you could ever access the hydraulic line connection in the transom.

Since fixing that and NEVER TOUCHING THE TABS, I can run 60 miles on autopilot in 3 to 5 and never touch the wheel. That frees me up to work the throttles which is much more important.

Oh...what props do you have on those Zukes? Tilewave and I are both running 4 blade 15.25 x 22. They perform much better than the 3 blade 16X 21.5 that the dealer tried first

 

[Fowl Hooked]

Early on I had that problem of the boat healing to one side. I played with tabs and motor trim and learned that the tabs were screwing me.
They might help some going straight into a chop but as soon as you turn you are screwed. If you had them set unevenly to fix a slight list and turn, you are really screwed.
They are not indicator tabs so once you mess with them you have to remember to go back to both all up and start over.

After I got my new motor and was testing props, I had a really bad problem with healing over.
It turned out that the tabs were not going all the way up and I did not know it.

the 265 appears to have a special SHORT actuator so you can't install an indicator sensor. Thats assuming you could ever access the hydraulic line connection in the transom.

Since fixing that and NEVER TOUCHING THE TABS, I can run 60 miles on autopilot in 3 to 5 and never touch the wheel. That frees me up to work the throttles which is much more important.

Oh...what props do you have on those Zukes? Tilewave and I are both running 4 blade 15.25 x 22. They perform much better than the 3 blade 16X 21.5 that the dealer tried first

Skunk, one minor clarification - as you stated, the 265 does have a special short actuator and you can't install the standard kit indicator sensors as they won't work. However, Bennett does make an indicator sensor specific for the 265 actuators, I went through my local GW dealer to source the parts AND do the install as I could not begin to imagine how to get at the connections as you mentioned. Out the door, cost me about $900 for parts and labor but now I know where they are and they also auto-retract when the engines are shut down so at least I'm starting from zero every time I go out.

 

[Punchline Cap]

I agree with tilewave. Try to load the boat balanced and if too many passengers are on one side ask them to move. I rarely touch the trim tabs.

 

[SeaVee]

Any of you guys running 4 blade props? Thinking about trying some out, love to hear real world experiences. I have 200 HPDI’s on my 01

 

[tilewave]

Any of you guys running 4 blade props? Thinking about trying some out, love to hear real world experiences. I have 200 HPDI’s on my 01

yes , but on suzuki 200's. i had the HPDI's on with a 3 blade prop and they seemd fine.

 

[SeaVee]

I was hoping to get a little stern lift with the 4 blades, since most of my crew is back in the cockpit when cruising or on the way out/ back from the hunting grounds. Thought I may be able to pick up a few knots at cruise.But I don’t want to amplify the bow steer issue.

 

[Toothpick 10]

I have the 270 Islander, which is a similar configuration to the 265. My observations are very similar to those mentioned above. Tabs all the way up, motor trimmed up just prior to prop ventilation seems to be best approach to keep the bow up and minimize bow steer.

I have a few other observations to be aware of:

1) Tabs will go down faster than they will retract back up. Therefore, if you touched one of your tab rocker switches to adjust for a slight list, and you don't have a location indicator (like me), you need to hold the switch down about twice as long to get the tab back up to the original position.

2) For some reason barnacles like to build up on the bottom of my SS tabs faster than anywhere else. Therefore, the longer my boat stays in the water, the more my tabs seem to grip.

 

[DennisG01]

2) For some reason barnacles like to build up on the bottom of my SS tabs faster than anywhere else. Therefore, the longer my boat stays in the water, the more my tabs seem to grip.

Paint 'em.

 

[Toothpick 10]

Paint 'em.

I do

 

[DennisG01]

I do

You said "SS tabs" which made it sound like they were bare. Maybe you need to change the type of paint you're using?