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Hi this thread is pretty complete but here's some more
i had a 2002 160 Ventura with a 115 merc 4 stroke, stock no trim tabs
took way to long to get on plane, pain in the butt for skiing and generally lets'get going this is to slow.
sold the boat as I found a 2003 160 Ventura same motor but in way better shape and already set up for fishing
it came with Dolfin (plastic ) that attached to the leg of the motor. Incredibly better performance by far. for $75 bucks to buy a new one it's deal big time.
gets me out of the hole faster, trims the boat way better, decreases fuel consumption, boat goes faster as I can trim it flatter (power trim of course).
for anyone following this post and doesn't want to spend several hundred $ on hull mounted trim tabs this is a really good way to go.
While I"m on this rant I also have a 13' dauntless that I have mounted a plastic fin on the leg. works fine, though in my case the boat is running on a lake with a 10 mph speed limit. At 10mph I'm pushing a big wake and am considering adding hull mounted trim tabs to get the aft end of the boat higher so I can run at....10mph with no wake. I'm figuring this will work but throwing it out to you since I"m already talking trim tabs/dolfins etc or at least less than what I"m pushing
any comments?
I thought about using a whale tail or similar wing like you did but after all the research I did I went with the Smart tabs. Other than drilling the holes which is kind of permanent I was willing to take the risk. I'm sure the wing would have helped too though but they caution against using both. I can tell you that at low speeds I push less of a wake after adding the tabs and if you are only going slow you can set them for maximum trim and probably get even less wake at the expense of top speed
Sorry for the late reply. I need to log in more often. On the 180 there is a ladder but it didn't interfere with the smart tabs. Close but no problem. They do interfere with the trailer transom tie down straps but I can reach the rear cleats for that
