How did you mount your Smart Tabs?

Sea Trials were an absolute success. Basically, everything people have said on this board is true. The boat comes out of the hole with very little bow rise and is maintaining a plane at 15mph without a problem. No more jockeying the throttle to hold speeds compatible with wakeboarding and kneeboarding.

At low speed there is a bit of a rooster tail which is new, but presents no problems for captain or skier. The wake does appear to have washed out a bit but my wakeboarder did not complain. I've noticed no problems at wot nor any loss of top end. At idle speed there is no wander at all.

Overall, I have to give the Smart Tabs an A+. I wish I had done this last year when I first looked into it.

I played around with my trim angle and was able to get most of the rooster tail to disappear. YMMV.
 
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Is the anode really necessary? (not asking sarcastically) What type of screw did you use... head.

Since i have the curved transom, thinking of getting the metal tabs powder coated black.
The instructions called for anodes if you boat in salt water which I do about 50% of the time. I ran one time in salt water with the Smart Tabs on and without the anodes and within a few days I noticed some brown residue, which I assume was rust, starting to form between the trim plates and the L brackets. This was even after I had rinsed the boat and flushed the motor with Salt-Away.

I got the anodes the day I saw what was happening and after I got rid of the residue it hasn't come back. The anodes are cheap at ~$7 each and they came with their own screw. Cheap insurance imo.
 
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The instructions called for anodes if you boat in salt water which I do about 50% of the time. I ran one time in salt water with the Smart Tabs on and without the anodes and within a few days I noticed some brown residue, which I assume was rust, starting to form between the trim plates and the L brackets. This was even after I had rinsed the boat and flushed the motor with Salt-Away.

I got the anodes the day I saw what was happening and after I got rid of the residue it hasn't come back. The anodes are cheap at ~$7 each and they came with their own screw. Cheap insurance imo.

Ah, didn't know the instructions called for it. From the few pics, saw you were the only one with them. Think the anodes are necessary even if i powder coat them? I just think to friends boats with big trim tabs, and have never seen anodes on theirs. Yea anodes are cheap, just changed all the anodes on the stern drive and cost me like $40. I take my boat out 90% of the time in salt water.

thanx
 
Ah, didn't know the instructions called for it. From the few pics, saw you were the only one with them. Think the anodes are necessary even if i powder coat them? I just think to friends boats with big trim tabs, and have never seen anodes on theirs. Yea anodes are cheap, just changed all the anodes on the stern drive and cost me like $40. I take my boat out 90% of the time in salt water.

thanx

http://www.nauticusinc.com/pdf/6_08_manual.pdf
See the bottom right picture on page 4. There is also a warning on the first page and on several other pages of the instructions to use anodes if in salt water.

I don't know about the benefits of powder coating them but since the anodes were so cheap I think I'd put them on anyway.
 
I don't think the cylinders are the issue. I think it is the mounting bracket which causes the problem. That is the way it was described to me.

I think its the way the cylinders attach to the tab. If you set it to any hole except the upper most one it binds when the cylinder compresses (when the other side of the cylinder is mounted to a curved transom). Its really hard to really understand the physics of the problem unless your standing at the back of the boat pushing up on the tab. My solution was to set it on the top hole and leave it.
 

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