Bennett self-leveling tabs on a RIB

[b_arrington]

Has anyone has used the Bennett self-leveling SLT6 trim tabs on a small RIB, and how did they work?

I get a lot of bow rise when alone and with me + my 2 kids sometimes have a hard time getting on plane. I've been noodling with adding tabs to my 9.5' RIB for a while but hadn't found a set that looked suitable.

The spring-actuated SLT6 tabs look like they may work but are listed for boats 10'-16'. I'm a little concerned that the spring may be too heavy and not deflect enough due to the lighter weight of my RIB. The boat weighs ~105 lbs, then add an 85 lb 2-stroke 15 hp motor and 30 lbs of fuel still isn't that heavy. I read one review that said the spring was too powerful and that boat was 2x the weight.

 

[Brett H]

I had something similar on my 11' Nautica that didn't work worth a crap. Still had to shift weight to the front in order to get on plane. Ended up switching to a hydrofoil type that mounted on the outboard which worked much better.

 

[Creekwood]

These:
http://www.maximarine.com/products/lifters/index.html

 

[Gofirstclass]

That video didn't address the OP's question about getting the dinghy up on plane with one person aboard.

I have used "whale tails" on all my dinghys and been very happy with them. But you still have to move weight forward to get up on plane.

 

[b_arrington]

These:
http://www.maximarine.com/products/lifters/index.html

I've seen these before and have always thought they were obnoxiously large. They look like they would extend past the ends of the RIB tubes. My RIB is already wider than my boat when carried on the swim platform so I really don't want to make it any wider.

They are also fixed, and the dynamic nature of the Bennett tabs had some appeal.

 

[b_arrington]

That video didn't address the OP's question about getting the dinghy up on plane with one person aboard.

I have used "whale tails" on all my dinghys and been very happy with them. But you still have to move weight forward to get up on plane.

You mean a fin that attaches to the cavitation plate? I've considered those too. My hesitation on those is that they add width to the motor. I store the motor on a swim platform and pick it up each time to mount to the dingy each time I use it. I don't have much room to maneuver between the engine and the Weaver-mounted RIB. If it doesn't help with the moving forward part it might not be worth it.

 

[Creekwood]

I've seen these before and have always thought they were obnoxiously large. They look like they would extend past the ends of the RIB tubes. My RIB is already wider than my boat when carried on the swim platform so I really don't want to make it any wider.

They are also fixed, and the dynamic nature of the Bennett tabs had some appeal.

All I can say is that they work to address the issue. I can easily get on plane solo with an 8hp.

They are easily and quickly removable. The bottom is a clip on and the struts are on mine with a wing nut. Takes maybe a minute to remove both sides.

I expect that they could be shortened a bit too since the mount is inboard of the end. May not even need to be that long. They are plastic, not fiberglass so would be easy to cut.

I have driven a light dinghy with a whale tale on the outboard. IMO it made it very "squirrelly" to drive on plane. I think its because the light boat is supported on a single narrow place. Any light boat does that a bit though. Its not as bad with my lifters.

The one complaint I have, and the Bennett auto tabs would have the same issue, is that they make backing the dinghy more difficult because they dig in.

 

[Strecker25]

I've seen these before and have always thought they were obnoxiously large. They look like they would extend past the ends of the RIB tubes. My RIB is already wider than my boat when carried on the swim platform so I really don't want to make it any wider.

They are also fixed, and the dynamic nature of the Bennett tabs had some appeal.

They're fixed, but have a cup in them that flattens as you pick up speed. They work very well for us. I have them on an inflatable floor 10' zodiac with a 9.9 and we'll plane at very slow speeds. Like you said though, they're huge. I don't always run them because the boat performs OK without them, but they're definitely effective. They do not hang over the end of the tubes on our dinghy

 

[b_arrington]

All I can say is that they work to address the issue. I can easily get on plane solo with an 8hp.

They are easily and quickly removable. The bottom is a clip on and the struts are on mine with a wing nut. Takes maybe a minute to remove both sides.

I expect that they could be shortened a bit too since the mount is inboard of the end. May not even need to be that long. They are plastic, not fiberglass so would be easy to cut.

I have driven a light dinghy with a whale tale on the outboard. IMO it made it very "squirrelly" to drive on plane. I think its because the light boat is supported on a single narrow place. Any light boat does that a bit though. Its not as bad with my lifters.

The one complaint I have, and the Bennett auto tabs would have the same issue, is that they make backing the dinghy more difficult because they dig in.

I didn't realize the maxi lifters were easy to remove - thanks for the info.

Looking at the photos, they look pretty wide too. Have you had issues with the motor knocking into then, especially if partially tilted?