Quote:
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.
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^^^ 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.