I running this 18 x 50 untill i get my other built (after season). One thing I noticed since getting my heads back from SETX is that i can't trim up and throw a tail anymore due to the boat bouncing. I have a 14 gal gas tank up front, 1 battery in back and thats it. It is a heavy boat but besides the point, it runs great with the mods. can't wait till the new rig. But I can tell that when I start triming up, it definately gets faster up untill it starts to throw a tail and it starts bouncing so bad i have to trim it back down. With it trimmed down and not throwing a tail, I'm turning 4050 rpms. I know this can go faster. So....... would welding some tabs help or hurt? I'm guessing I could take some 1.5" flat bar, bout 10" long and weld them on if it will help

You could do that or I've heard people talking about just welding a bead down either side of the back of the boat on here. There was a thread with pics about it but its proly lost in the server change

Someone said on here once you could take a rope the diameter of a weld bead and tie it REALLY tight around the boat to see if that would work before you go welding your hull. (as a test bead basically)

I think Ill try and just tac it on. That way if it doesn't work, i can just grind it off and cleand up the weld.

tx,
That sig about the sleep couldn't be more true

Also i noticed your from Nederland My dad's job was transfered to Port Natches when i was back in high school. Went to PNG for 2 years from 88'-89' before he got transfered back to Louisiana and eventuallt retired. Man we use to hat you f^^^ers I remember my last year there they went to the dome only to get smashed.

Trim tabs can get hung up, especially if u have reverse or use a push pole in the mud. I had to put the weld beads also, I have pics of it still if y'all want to see. I put them as far back as possible, on the seam where the transom meets the floor about 8" long from the outside corners going in. As bad as my boat was porpoising I was very surprised that's all it took to correct the problem.

I have 12 x 12 trim tabs adjustable via turnbuckles. Pain in the ass when you have to reach over and lift them to revers in mud. Imma gonna try to install wedges shortly to see if I can substitute that for the tabs. Without trim tabs my hole shot is crap and my boat will porpoise. But once I'm on plane, I hall ass like superman.

Trim tabs are bandaids!

Try to weld a section of flat bar ¼” x 1” downward on the transom about ½” below the bottom of the hull the entire length. Just tack it in a couple of spots and run it. That may work well for you.

Same concept as the welded beads but somewhat adjustable. You can also slot it and attach via screws to find the best depth then weld in place if needed.

Good Luck !

I put a set of smart tabs on a lake boat (16 foot Lund with 115 4 stroke), the results were fantastic, better hole shot, better top end, better stability in rough water, stay on step at much slower speeds.
Has anyone tried them on their mud boat, (They have an option part that allows you to lift them right up)....

http://www.nauticusinc.com/smart_tabs_a ... m_tabs.htm

I don't see those plastic smart tabs holding up very well in a mud boat application, I put a set on a buddys boat for him and not that they seemed flimsy, but they seemed flimsy for these boats are used for.

Them things are pretty long to, I wanna say the ones I've seen were like 6-8" long or something like that. Seem like they'd get caught up on everything, grass mud stumps laydowns whatever. My rinky dink alweld has some small built in trim tabs, prolly 6" wide and 1.5" long and being barely bent down I haven't had any issues in any situation with em.