How it’s made: trim tabs on a motor boat

The trim tabs are essential for perfect control of the hull while sailing. Originally conceived as a submerged appendage to compensate for the balance of the hulls, today the flaps are an integral part of practically every boat. These are “fins” mounted on the transom, below the waterline. Their inclination can be varied with a series of electrical or hydraulic devices. Interceptor model trim tabs, such as Humpree and Zip Wake, with a blade coming down from the transom specciho, will be addressed in another service.

The reason is simple. The greater the angle of incidence between the flaps and the flow of water that flows under the hull, the more a direct upward thrust is generated. The thrust is due to the deviation of the water flow itself, which deflected downwards by the trim tabs responds with an equal thrust and opposite, then upwards, to the hull. In this way it becomes possible to manage the attitude of the hull during navigation. This allows you to balance the boat both in relation to the load and according to weather conditions, when for example you navigation with wave formed.

Where they are placed

They are always two, the trim tabs are installed one on one end and one on the other, so you can vary not only the height of the bow, but also the transverse balance (decisive if you find with the sea at the other end). How to check their status is simple, in fact on the dashboard, usually near the gas handcuffs, there are analog or digital indicators that indicate their height. If the display shows a “zero”, it means that the flaps are neutral, i.e. they are horizontal; if the numbers are negative they are inclined downwards, otherwise upwards.

Usually, the trim tabs are lowered significantly when you give gas to accelerate entry into glide, because you force the bow to lower. By increasing the speed, you can begin to raise them to zero for optimal trim. In bad weather they become essential for safe navigation, especially when the waves reach a certain height.

The trim tabs are also automatic

The first to present such a device on the market was the German company Böning, at the end of the first decade of the 2000s. Today, several companies offer an automatic trim tabs control system: Smart-Tabs by Nauticus, Mente-Marine, Bennett,. Operation is similar for all systems. From a monitor or a control panel on the dashboard you can set the optimal trim of the boat and, once in navigation, using gyro sensors the system changes the trim tab adjustment to keep the boat in the “standard” position. A solution that allows you to focus exclusively on driving even in a sea format.

The automatic trim tabs adjustment system is set up from an intuitive and easy-to-use digital screen. The system’s processor calculates the rest and dynamically determines their position. In addition to the boat’s balance, the advantages include fuel savings.