Another 25 Seafari goes under the knife

[madie03]

Could you tell me more about the trim tabs. I'm not sure what I see did you replicate a section of bottom and secure it to the tab?

[bigeasy1]

Dave,what a beautiful job.I am amazed by your craftsmanship and what you've accomplished.

I always look forward to seeing the unbelievably beautiful work and the outstanding finished products that you and so many other members on this site have created.
I was happy with my Tsunami restoration,but it wasn't even close to the restorations that so many of you have done.
To see boats that are in many cases over forty years old looking and functioning better than new is awe inspiring.

Thanks to all of you(too many to list)for the hours of enjoyment looking at these beautifully restored gems.
Incredible job Dave,keep the pics coming.

[Blue_Heron]

bigeasy1,
Thanks for your kind words. The work of strick and some of the others here has inspired me, too

Originally Posted by madie03

Could you tell me more about the trim tabs. I'm not sure what I see did you replicate a section of bottom and secure it to the tab?

Yes, that's basically it. I made a mold that follows the contour of the last step in the hull, then made a top half for a two part sandwich mold, and made two trim plane extensions that I bolted to the bottom of my stock 12" x 12" Bennett trim tabs. I held the tab mounts above the hull bottom by the thickness of the trim plane extensions for a flush finish. Here's a sequence of pics that show the process:





















They are very effective, but not really necessary. Unless you ever need to steer the boat with the trim tabs or stay on plane at 12 kts.

Dave

[gofastsandman]

Originally Posted by Blue_Heron

bigeasy1,
Thanks for your kind words. The work of strick and some of the others here has inspired me, too




Yes, that's basically it. I made a mold that follows the contour of the last step in the hull, then made a top half for a two part sandwich mold, and made two trim plane extensions that I bolted to the bottom of my stock 12" x 12" Bennett trim tabs. I held the tab mounts above the hull bottom by the thickness of the trim plane extensions for a flush finish. Here's a sequence of pics that show the process:





















They are very effective, but not really necessary. Unless you ever need to steer the boat with the trim tabs or stay on plane at 12 kts.

Dave

One spoke at a time.

Dave has a beautiful mind. He always wonders what if I think of this.
A hull that was lacking torsional bliss sat on his lap.

Once outside the wheel, he thought. This is the finishing touch.
Stepped tabs.

Yum.

Brilliant.

[madie03]

Wow,that's the coolest thing I ever saw. Beautiful job! Thanks for all the pictures

[gofastsandman]

He only needs a steering wheel for docking.

[Blue_Heron]

Thanks for the compliment madie03. And thanks for the flattering prose Mr. Sandman.

I can't take credit for the idea. "Seafari25" Brandon's grandfather originated the tab extensions.



I just prettied up the concept.

Using the tabs to turn the boat is just a parlor trick. It freaks out the passengers because the boat leans pretty dramatically to the outside of the turn. But I can also use the tabs to hold the boat perfectly flat in a sharp turn, which is cool. They're fun to play with, and as I mentioned, they make low speed planing performance phenominal.

On the other hand, the tab extensions have rendered my Bennett Auto Tab Control pretty much useless. It worked pretty well to maintain trim before I added the tab extensions. Now it overcompensates to the point it's a joke. Not Bennett's fault, just an unintended consequence of the over efficient tabs.