No Trim Guage on my instrument panel

[DaytonaJohn]

I have a Sea Ray 176. The engine is the inline 4 cylinder 3.0L MerCruiser sterndrive. I do not have a trim gauge that indicates if my outdrive is up, down, or in between. Is it possible my Sea Ray was sold without one? I have all the books with the parts. I looked for the trim gauge part number and see that Sea Ray sold a blank to cover the hole in the instrument panel. There were parts numbers for the gauge and also the blank. This seems odd. I want a gauge. The wiring is there for one. Thoughts?

 

[Lazy Daze]

You didn't mention what model year you have - but if it's what I'm assuming, then a trim gauge was a standard feature. However, a depthfinder was not and that would have been shipped with a "blackout" gauge where the depthdfinder would be if optioned.

That said, who knows what a previous owner may have done.

Reality... a trim gauge isn't really all that useful - there's just too many variables when running a boat to rely on a "specific" trim setting. "Seat of the pants" trimming trumps an idiot gauge every day of the week

 

[Nater Potater]

Gotta agree with @Lazy Daze about the usefulness of a trim gauge. You run it all the way down/in before going hammer down, then trim up/out for best speed/attitude once on plane.
P.S. Please update your signature to not say "Boatless". It's freakin' me out!

 

[DaytonaJohn]

My boat is a 2003 176 SRX. There is wiring for a trim gauge behind the "dashboard". The engine is fresh and had 95 hours on the hour meter when I bought the boat. I have no idea why my info says boatless and can't figure out how to erase that or add to it. So be it! I live in Flagler Beach FL if that is supposed to go anywhere.

I designed my dock so I back the boat in. I remove a hatch where the outdrive goes into the deck, and after the boat is raised, I put the hatch back. I like to raise the L/U up to clear the cradle the boat slips on because at low tide I can't just drive the boat over it sometimes. I don't like having to look over the stern to see where the skeg is. Under way I can fool with the angle by feel and sound like everybody else.
I am assuming that if I get a trim gauge, I can install it and adjust it's accuracy with the sender adjustments. I find it odd that Sea Ray would even have a blank plug for an instrument panel.

This picture shows the hatch. Now imagine my sterndrive where this outboard is.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I find it odd that Sea Ray would even have a blank plug for an instrument panel.

As noted above, Sea Ray did NOT do that. Again, this sounds like something a previous owner did. The blank plug was for boats where a depthfinder was an option.

Yes, you could hook one up, of course.

Just an FYI, running the boat with the drive past the "safe" zone (where the drive stops at by itself and then you're required to use the trailer-portion of the trim/tilt) is not recommended and can possibly do damage.

 

[Juliery]

Absolutely ensure the trim limit switch works or as Lazy Daze notes, you will cause expensive damage. Never use trailer up in the water. Forget the useless guage. Get familiar with the sound and feel of your boat when trim is correct, once on step. In my case, just a bit before it begins to porpoise slightly. Check your wake. Always full trim down out of the hole and at the dock. Tabs should be full up in following seas or at the dock.

 

[Nater Potater]

I like to raise the L/U up to clear the cradle the boat slips on because at low tide I can't just drive the boat over it sometimes.

Okay, now I understand your dilemma. However, you still don't need a trim gauge to do that. Like @Lazy Daze and @Juliery noted, you don't want to be running the engine with the outdrive past the point where the outdrive's trim limit switch blocks you from going any higher. Up to that point, you're fine. The next time the boat is hauled, run the outdrive up until the limit switch stops, then check the length of the trim cylinders. There's a set length that should be obtained, and no more. That's your "safe zone" for the gimbal and u-joints. If that won't allow you to clear your dock's framework, you'll have to come up with a different plan, as running the engine with the outdrive any higher will get expensive quickly.

 

[GypsmJim]

Gotta agree with @Lazy Daze about the usefulness of a trim gauge. You run it all the way down/in before going hammer down, then trim up/out for best speed/attitude once on plane.

I'll disagree. After running all my boats with a trim gauge since 1984 I have to say its the most useful tool on the dash.
When on the hard I "calibrate" the gauge to show when the prop is in a position that won't hit the sandbar every time we stop to meet with others. Otherwise its too much trouble to hang over the back and see where the OD is.

 

[Juliery]

I'll disagree. After running all my boats with a trim gauge since 1984 I have to say its the most useful tool on the dash.
When on the hard I "calibrate" the gauge to show when the prop is in a position that won't hit the sandbar every time we stop to meet with others. Otherwise its too much trouble to hang over the back and see where the OD is.

If I ever hit a sandbar the GPS and sounder are both broken! We do anchor out and raft up with friends though. The trim guage still doesn't help us.

 

[Maggieiscrazy]

Maybe a trim gauge isn’t absolutely necessary. But I sure like having one and if I had a boat that didn’t have one. I’d be getting one put on. My GPS usually alerts me before I hit a sandbar.

 

[Juliery]

Maybe a trim gauge isn’t absolutely necessary. But I sure like having one and if I had a boat that didn’t have one. I’d be getting one put on. My GPS usually alerts me before I hit a sandbar.

I'm old. Don't use the tach, either. Just listen for the sweet spot.

 

[ColoSR]

I have replaced a bunch of the gauges on my 2003 with ones from faria. They were all plug and play. There is a wiring diagram in the owners manual which tells you what the wire colors are.

 

[GypsmJim]

If I ever hit a sandbar the GPS and sounder are both broken! We do anchor out and raft up with friends though. The trim guage still doesn't help us.

We know where it is - you can see it! Its where all the other boats are. We are not trying to avoid it, we are trying to deliberately drive over it to anchor next to our friends.

The trim gauge lets me drive without fear of having my prop hit the sand.

That's the only use for the gauge. Trimming for speed and optimum running at plane is still done by feel and sound.

 

[Juliery]

I totally get it, Jim. Just teasing! We can't do much of that here, with big tide ranges of 10 or 12 feet.

 

[Pirate Lady]

I have a gauge which is nice. A trick I was taught, anyone do this, i dont have videos.
OD down, come up plane, look behind you will see spray on either side of wake just behind platform. Trim up a count of about 3, the spray goes away, this is optimal trim angle. Does not work for inboards.
But as said above, sound and rpm-vs-speed tells me more than the gauge.

 

[Lazy Daze]

We know where it is - you can see it! Its where all the other boats are. We are not trying to avoid it, we are trying to deliberately drive over it to anchor next to our friends.

The trim gauge lets me drive without fear of having my prop hit the sand.

That's the only use for the gauge. Trimming for speed and optimum running at plane is still done by feel and sound.

It's different with an sterndrive, though, Jim. With sterndrive's, we can't raise the outdrive enough to clear a sandbar yet still have the engine running - raising it high enough to do that can cause damage.

I do the same thing as you do with my Grady (has an OB) when I'm coming into our dock at an extreme low tide. I usually just go by "sound" since I can hear the prop starting to break the surface... then I click back down a bit. But same idea as what you're doing with your gauge.

Funny, though... the trim gauge on my Grady hasn't worked for 6 years! Truthfully, the only reason it bugs me a bit is because it's something that's "not working" and I FEEL like I should fix it... but I keep reminding myself that even if it was fixed, I still wouldn't use it!

Regardless... one way or the other... it's all good

 

[GypsmJim]

It's different with an sterndrive, though, Jim. With sterndrive's, we can't raise the outdrive enough to clear a sandbar yet still have the engine running - raising it high enough to do that can cause damage.


Regardless... one way or the other... it's all good

I WAS talking about a sterndrive. With my outboards all I have to do is look in the rear view mirror and SEE where the engine is.

My "calibration" was to correlate the gauge position where the prop was just above the bottom. Of course, the outdrive position is above the trim section (now in trailering section). The owner's manual says to keep the rpms below 1000 to avoid damage.

35 years and ~1450 hours on the Mercruiser anchoring on the sandbar every Sunday and the u-joint suffered no harm.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I WAS talking about a sterndrive. With my outboards all I have to do is look in the rear view mirror and SEE where the engine is.

My "calibration" was to correlate the gauge position where the prop was just above the bottom. Of course, the outdrive position is above the trim section (now in trailering section). The owner's manual says to keep the rpms below 1000 to avoid damage.

35 years and ~1450 hours on the Mercruiser anchoring on the sandbar every Sunday and the u-joint suffered no harm.

Gotcha - I had looked at the boats in your signature and didn't see a sterndrive - that was an assumption on my part.

Yes, you are CORRECT about what the manual says. Although I've seen some manuals that DON'T say that... maybe it's the newer ones since Merc has revised their statements? I'm not totally sure on that, though.

However, I can also tell you that your experience (from myself being in the marine business for the same amount of time) is not always the norm. Since it's "best practice" to NOT do that, along with the damage I've seen, is the reason I recommend against it on a forum. It's the whole "better safe than sorry" thing.

 

[Pirate Lady]

Where I am, the Chesapeake is shallow. No quick drop offs, so unless you want to anchor 1000 yards off a beach you pretty much have to run with OD up past the ‘safe’ point. Go slow, idle 650rpm slow. Never had a problem, it’s common practice here. All these in 2-3’ you can tell from people in water.

 

[GypsmJim]

However, I can also tell you that your experience (from myself being in the marine business for the same amount of time) is not always the norm. Since it's "best practice" to NOT do that, along with the damage I've seen, is the reason I recommend against it on a forum. It's the whole "better safe than sorry" thing.

That's funny since my experience isn't the norm in my area either.

I have a buddy who refuses to raise his outdrive AT ALL, since that's what "somebody" told him. He chews up props every year driving thru the sandbar to meet us.

He also has replaced u-joints. Last time one failed I asked him how often he greased it and he said he was told he didn't have to do that. Nuff said.

In 2017 I replaced my old tinny fishing boat with a Whaler with a newfangled 4-stroke OB. With that experience in 2019 I sold my 35 year old I/O in favor of another OB bowrider. Boy, I'll never own one of those again. But that's a story for another day.