B52 TWB trim tab or not?
 

Just curious if some of you MB owners have any experience with the 21 foot B52 with or without trim tab. I have rode behind one with stock ballast and it was great. I mainly board, although I have gotten into some surfing now and then.

So... advantages? disadvantages? and why?

oh.. the one I rode did not have trim tab.

I had the trim tab on my first 23 Team Widebody and I don't have it on this one. It is a very nice feature if you are riding heavy most of the time, but i found with the stock ballast and stock prop, i never really had any issue getting out of the hole. And that is on a bigger boat :)

You want adjustable trim on any boat so you change change the attitude of the hull depending on conditions. You are safer and able to travel faster if you can adjust the pitch fo the hull in rough weather or at varied speeds. The benefits in shaping the wake quickly or getting out of the hole faster are also big plusses. It's not necessary. It's just better. Decide on the value to you against the price.
I'd always add it if it's an option.

It will make your boat stay on plane (when all the way down / ON) coming out of the hole where you do not need to use the booster seat and it will help get the front belly of the boat down and ride smoother in the water in rough conditions, we have found it to be useful for our goofy surf wake also, it's not needed but nice to have and with the thumb throttle control I feel like it is a big bang for your buck, every boat I order, I order it with

I have had two 21' MB's. My 2009 TWB did not have the plate, and I always felt it was something the boat could benefit from.

So when I ordered my 2012 F21 I was keen on getting the new plate. Now that I've had one, I don't think I'd get a boat without it. It's not absolutely necessary. But it is nice to be able to control the "pitch" of the boat. It is just one more element of control you gain over the position of the hull. I find it most helpful when you are running in rough water. It can really help smooth out the ride.

However, don't get one thinking it will help you "shape" the wake. It is not a wake altering or enhancing device. In my limited experience, dropping the plate during any watersports makes the wake washy at the top. It really makes you apreciate how well designed the MB hulls are all by themselves. They don't need any contraptions to help the wake. All they do is ruin an already perfect wake.

http://www.mbsports.net/images/acc_c..._img_right.jpg

...and that is also exactly what Mike Brendel says about the wake plate.

You wanna know what's funny? I first met Mike when I was shopping for my first boat three years ago. When I asked why MB's didn't have a wake plate, he responded simply, "don't need one."

I wondered at the time if that was 100% true...

It took me two years and buying a new boat with a plate to see that he was right. The boat doesn't need it. I have never had an issue getting on plane. I put it in the category of "nice to have."

Yes you need one. Bow rise is common. Th wake plate takes care of that.

But what about all the boats that dont even offer one as a option?? not trying to go against what some are saying here... just trying to get some good info.

as of right now... i think DBC nailed it as a "nice to have" option?

hey Bryce, When I bought my Tige all of the manufacturers were bashing wake plate because Tige was the only boat promoting one- they said the hull wasn't a good design, therefore Tige added the plate to allow you to shape the wake and adjust hull attitude. Funny thing- now almost ALL manufacturers offer them. In 2001, the Tige was also the heaviest boat by 500-1000 pounds ( comparing MC, MB, Malibu, Nautique, Centurian) and I believe they needed this plate to control the bow rise, etc. Today, all 21-22 foot boats are pushing 4000 LBs dry and it seems that the same bow rise issues are prevelant with their boats.
I would definitley recommend getting one if the option is available. It does help the hole shot when we are fully loaded, and allows me to shape the wake - it won't make the wake bigger- but it does affect the transition, lip, and ramp shape. It can also keep the top of the wake from rolling over when the boat's really full. Some boats have twin trim tabs now and I think that makes some sense for balancing the boat with a lot of people and weight, or for surfing.

Sorry I missed the MB Day last weekend. I went to Seattle to fish! Later!

You dont need one in a Malibu, Sangrr ot Tige. I hav owned all 3. The MB has a really bad bow rise when weighted and pulling boarder out. About 6 seconds to plane but that is a long time to not know what is in front of you. I am 5'11" and even with bolster takes that long. Just by opinion.

Did you run more than stock ballast on your TWB? If so... how much extra weight did it take to make it a real problem with the abscence of the trim tab? I was VERY content with the way it got out of the hole with stock ballast, but thinking into the future if I were to want to run more weight.... at how much ballast is the trim tab really noticeable or "needed".

No, I don't run extra ballast. 1,800 lbs is plenty.

I would like to have it if I had another 21 TC or WB. On the 23 I am not sure it's needed. Decent bow rise in the 21 footers.

Would the TRIMTAB is useful for improving the SKI wake?

I do pull an occasional skier!

No, quick plane plate on the MB is not useful for improving the big ski wake.

the wake plate is not a wake shaper, it gets the boat on plane FASTER! ;)

I tried to deploy the plate when my wife was skiing at 30 mph. I ended up with a huge rooster tail!

really is a good feature to have on any boat

seems like a great feature to have.

I ended up getting the trim tab with the trim control on the dash on my 2012 21WB. I strongly preferred their standard shifter so I went with the rocker control on the dash. My next trick will be to create a controller that automatically raises the tab once the boat reaches wakeboarding speed.

GB- I have heard of a few guys on hear "wanting" to do that to their boats, but have yet to see it in action. I think it would be a great option for all you trim tab owners. Do you have any ideas on how to accomplish it?

I dont have a trim tab, but I was thinking about this the other day. Is it possible to use the stereo volume/throttle control module that is prevalent on many boats, and connect it to your trim tab switch? not sure, just spit ballin here.

There are a number of solution ideas that I have in mind...

1) simple timer

Push a button which deploys the tab for the amount of time it takes to come to plane.

2) more advanced controller

Push a button to deploy and enable automatic raising when the boat stops accellerating (using a smart phone style accellerometer)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerometer
.

I built a system for my Sanger, it works so good for bow rise and efficiency. Supra has it standard as does Centurion now.

Here is the controller interface I built & Tab. It takes a input from the PP and moves the tab from 100% to what ever position to dial on the centre knob @ 16mph (adjustable but not on the face plate). The button on the left puts the control in auto or manual mode. The up and down buttons are for manual plate movement. If I am riding the knob is set @ 100% to fully retract it. If the financial controller or kids are riding the plate is set @ around 60% to mellow the wake out somewhat.