Difference between trim tabs and wake plates?

I know this sounds like a stupid question but what is the difference? Thanks for your help.

Trim tabs will help you keep your boat level, plane out faster at a lower speed, and will probably smooth out your wake. Wake plate will help shape your wake, and make it a little bigger by drawing the stern deeper into the water.

Wake plate and trim tab's are the same thing.

Originally Posted by hogger

Trim tabs will help you keep your boat level, plane out faster at a lower speed, and will probably smooth out your wake. Wake plate will help shape your wake, and make it a little bigger by drawing the stern deeper into the water.

^^^ I'm not sure that's quite right. Here's my understanding. I'm sure the experts will chime in soon to tell me I'm wrong.

Trim tabs and wake plates are essentially the same thing: metal plates attached to the rear of the boat using a hinge and a hydrolic shock. I think the main differnce is I/O boats call them "trim tabs" and wake boats call them by many other names to make them sound cooler... Attitude Adjustment Plate (MC), Taps (Tige), SmartPlate (SC), Quick Plane Cavitation Plate (MB), Hydro-Gate (CC), etc. Even MC's surf tabs are basically trim tabs.

They don't make the wake bigger, they actually push the rear end of the boat up and out of the water, which can help "shape the wake" making it less steep and more rampy. They are also known to help plane the boat quicker, clean up wash, and helt flatten ski wakes at higher speeds. They can also help cure propoising.




Hydrofoils on the other hand are designed to pull the rear of the boat deeper into the water, which increases displacement, wake size, and steepness. Malibu is most famous for this. They call it the Wedge (manual, floating, or power). Centurion has something similar called the Switch Blade. I'm not aware of any others.

Trim tabs= 1 plate on each side of the hull to help plane or to balance uneven weight(more weight on one side of boat actuate that side tab down to lift the side with more weight to level the ride)A wake plate is a single plate placed in the middle of the transom used to shape the wake and slightly smooth the ride in chop.Really not the same,same mechanism different use.

Nautique's HydroGate is different from all of the others.It uses a tunnel through the center of the rear part of the hull and a plate that slides down to block the tunnel.The backpressure from the water being blocked from flowing through the tunnel helps lift the stern to shape the wake.

Centurion, Sanger, WB, Supra, MC, Supreme, Tige, etc are basically using a Bennett/Lenco trim tab and calling it a wake plate. Jay T. description is correct, same parts with a different use.

So wake plate/ hydrofoil/ wedge.... Same thing. Different name.
But if it lifts the stern, why are we trying to add weight to lower the stern?

This might clarify what I was getting at.
Wedge stuff.

No,plate/tabs lift transom.Wedge/switchblade sink transom.

Exactly

Switchblade is more adjustable than the Wedge though..... supposedly the angle can be adjusted to the point that it lifts the stern like a trim tab too.

http://www.switchbladewake.com/instructionalvideo.html I love mine

Originally Posted by wakebrdjay

Trim tabs= 1 plate on each side of the hull to help plane or to balance uneven weight(more weight on one side of boat actuate that side tab down to lift the side with more weight to level the ride)A wake plate is a single plate placed in the middle of the transom used to shape the wake and slightly smooth the ride in chop.Really not the same,same mechanism different use.

^^^^^

He hit the nail on the head as for what the difference is.

Technically thats true. But realistically, they do the same thing. Trim tabs on both sides will shape the wake to some degree too.

In the mid - late 90s, Mastercraft had some problems with their Maristars porpoising all the time. The driver would have to drop speed a lot to settle the boat down & very annoying for the rider. Their fix was to reshape the hull with a "hook" in the stern, to push the stern up & the bow down, reducing the porpoising. But there were a few guys in this forum & on the TMC site who installed a single trim tab in the middle of the stern..... essentially doing the same thing as the "hook"..... forcing the bow down. But in this case it was adjustable from the driver's seat.