Trim tab rocker switch... Which way is up??

[armentb]

Please help...do i press bottom or top of rocker switch to pull tri tabs up and ready for rack?? According to picture i shoud press top...but imnot sure that is correct. Thanks

 

[KC_Sundancer]

Please help...do i press bottom or top of rocker switch to pull tri tabs up and ready for rack?? According to picture i shoud press top...but imnot sure that is correct. Thanks

This is how they work if wired properly:

Port rocker switch: push top - starboard tab goes down (boat reacts w/port bow down)
push bottom - starboard tab goes up (boat reacts w/port bow up)

Starboard rocker switch: push top - port tab goes down (boat reacts w/starboard port bow down)
push bottom - port tab goes up (boat reacts w/starboard port bow up)

 

[armentb]

Thanks... So if i want to store in a rack do i press and hold bottom of rockers or top... In other words i want them up so as not to damage them??

 

[jgarko]

KC just told you.

 

[armentb]

Sounds like i press and hold bottom of rockers correct... It is confusing becsuse picture on bottom of rocker shows arrow with bow down...which i thought originally meant trim tab down.

 

[gtfireftr]

If you hold the bottom of the rocker switches down the tabs will retract (go up).
I had the same issue until I used them while running....

 

[RodnRhonda]

It seems to me to make more sense logically to have it so if you pushed the bottom of the switches they would go down and the top they would go up. That's just me however. :huh:

 

[gtfireftr]

It seems to me to make more sense logically to have it so if you pushed the bottom of the switches they would go down and the top they would go up. That's just me however. :huh:

On my boat the switches mimic the action of the bow.....

 

[CliffA]

on a 215EC I used to own I rotated the trim tab switches 180*..........this worked very well and to me was much more intuitive....

if I needed the port side of the bow to go down I pressed the bottom of the port side switch....this caused the starboard side tab to go down which lowered the port side bow....if I needed the starboard side of the bow to go down i pressed the bottom of the starboard switch which caused the port side tab to go down which lowered the starboard side bow...and vice versa if I needed to raise the bow....

this just made better sense to me instead of pushing the top of a switch to lower the bow....after i rotated the switches I could associate the direction I needed the bow to go with the top or bottom of the switch.....

this way when i needed to raise the tabs i pressed the top of the rocker switches...to lower the tabs i pressed the bottom of the switches....

you could also change the wiring to the switches to accomplish the same thing without rotating the switches....


cliff

 

[Lazy Daze]

With the way the tabs are normally wired, the posts above about the top of the button makes the tab go down is correct. Whenever I explain this to people, one of the ways I explain it is to, first, only think about what you want the bow to do. Next, it may make more sense if you think about touching the top of the button to "push" the bow down, then pull the top of the button to lift the bow. Another way is like how an airplane "stick" works - imagine the stick coming straight out at you from the button. Push the stick forward (press top of button) to push the bow down, pull the stick back (press bottom of the button) to lift the bow up.

Now... Can I suggest a 100% accurate, sure fire way to know which part of the button to press to raise the tabs... look at the tab! :smt001

And here's another way - done from inside the boat - observe the trim pump reservoir. The fluid level will be higher when the tabs are retracted and lower when deployed.

 

[RodnRhonda]

With the way the tabs are normally wired, the posts above about the top of the button makes the tab go down is correct. Whenever I explain this to people, one of the ways I explain it is to, first, only think about what you want the bow to do. Next, it may make more sense if you think about touching the top of the button to "push" the bow down, then pull the top of the button to lift the bow. Another way is like how an airplane "stick" works - imagine the stick coming straight out at you from the button. Push the stick forward (press top of button) to push the bow down, pull the stick back (press bottom of the button) to lift the bow up.

Now... Can I suggest a 100% accurate, sure fire way to know which part of the button to press to raise the tabs... look at the tab! :smt001

And here's another way - done from inside the boat - observe the trim pump reservoir. The fluid level will be higher when the tabs are retracted and lower when deployed.

If you think of it that way, yes that makes sense. I must now think of it that way! lol

 

[chrishick]

I have always imagined the outline of a tiny boat on my dash. Looking at the boat from the top down, divide the boat into quarters and put each quarter on the top/bottom of the switches. Imagine the for corners of the switches = the four corners of your boat.

Now if you want the port bow to go down, just push on the picture of the port bow. Almost like a giant finger pushing down on the front of your boat.

Thinking of it this way has always made sense to me and made it second nature.

 

[Lazy Daze]

If you think of it that way, yes that makes sense. I must now think of it that way! lol

OR it just makes it more confusing! :smt001

Truth is, there's a few ways to think about it and, in the end, whatever works best for you is the "best" way.

 

[armentb]

Chrishick,
I like your explanation...I used it on my last trip out and it is easy now that its locked in my head. I wouldn't mind changing out the rocker switches for something that showed how far each one is actuated but that will be post for another day. Thanks.

 

[Creekwood]

Chrishick,
I like your explanation...I used it on my last trip out and it is easy now that its locked in my head. I wouldn't mind changing out the rocker switches for something that showed how far each one is actuated but that will be post for another day. Thanks.

Or buy and install a Bennet Auto Tab Control and make your life a lot easier.