best way to trim a boat??

[rag top man]

I'm still searching for the "perfect" 22'Classic, and as such, I'm a little confused about how to trim a boat. What I think I know is that except for the Volvo drive, all other drives can be trimmed to adjust the "attitude" of the boat for the fastest straight line performance, adjust for chine walk, etc,... and to help the driver "dig into the turns" so as to control the boat during hard cornering (trimmed in, I think, with the bow down?)
I've read about the SternJack, and it makes logical sense that the spacer provides increased angles for increased trimming ability, but what eludes me now is the need for port and starboard electro hydraulic trim tabs too?!?!?!?! Is the drive trim not enough? or are they used in tandem? or is it a case of overkill?
This question should tie it all up: If building/ordering a boat brand new, what would be the best performing set-up? SternJack? trimtabs? or just use the trim on the drive??
Thanks in advance for any and all comments, greg a.k.a. rag top man

[mattyboy]

rag top,

Murphy covered this in your other post pretty well,
originally posted by Murphy


When in doubt, buy a Bravo. Alphas produce Alpha Bits when driven too hard. I have been told the King Cobras are tough drives but harder to find parts for.

Trim tabs are very useful and should be considered essential equipment on a Donzi Classic of any size. They will help you level the boat horizontally (side to side) when the load is uneven... for instance when your 200 lb. buddy brings his 98 lb girlfriend for a ride one is sitting Port and the other Starboard in the backseat. The boat leans to his side. With tabs, you can compensate for this and enjoy a nice level ride. Even with just me and Mrs. Murph in the boat I'll use a little tab to keep things on the level. At any speed, tabs allow you to control the attitude of the boat bow to stern. This is useful in many ways, for instance at slow cruise speed, the bow wants to climb. Full down tabs will bring the bow down. In rough conditions, it's desirable to keep the bow into the waves. Again, the right amount of tab will do it. Using the drive trim and the tabs together offers multiple possibilities for best combination of bow and stern lift. You can place the boat on almost any plane that suits the conditions. This is just a quick overview of trim tab function. Racers use them to get maximum performance from hull and drive, pleasure boaters use them to keep the boat trimmed, stable, and comfortable.

Bottom line... Bravo + trim tabs.

Murph drive trim will not compensate for an uneven load port or starboard trim tabs will .
from what I know of stern jacks is get a shortie instead

bravo + trim tabs+ shortie+ bb power


Matty

[rag top man]

Sorry about the double post, I didn't thing the other post got posted, I should have looked. greg

[rag top man]

Final question (and please don't laugh, I'm still learning;-) ): exactly what is a "shortie"?

[mattyboy]

Rag top,
not a problem don't worry about it!!

a shortie???
man there's a 1000 punch lines there!!!!! that i won't touch right now!!!

it is a lower unit that bolts up to a bravo drive that is shorter than normal, raising the x dimension ( which i can't explain in english or any other language either!) which makes the boat run faster with a prop designed for a raised x dimension
do a search on
shortie or shorty
imco
bravo
x dimension
should give you a good starting point

good luck on the search for your boat


Matty
hey what did he mean by calling me shorty!!! :p wink eek! :D :D

[Morgan's Cloud]

If I may..I'd just like to add my .02c also as this is a subject dear to my heart.
Over the years,especially more recently,I've seen many a boat manufacturer claim that their hull designs are so refined they don't need trim tabs !
OR a magazine boat tester claiming that the boat never needed tabs (or tab effect) during their test !
Well,I'd like to say this .....I've run a lot of V bottom boats in my time, some of the most notable names in the world, and I have yet to come across a boat that did'nt need / could'nt use them in some way to improve their ride/handling.
Over and out ! :p