TRIM TABS VS. INTERCEPTORS

Breaking down which system will work best for you

- CAPT. RICKY WHEELER

With the high cost of fuel these days, trimming your boat properly means you get the best-possible fuel-burn rate. Old-school trim tabs are standard on nearly all boats 16 feet and larger and are a must in order to make the proper adjustments in certain sea states, to not only maximize the ride, but also to get the best speed-to-fuel-burn ratios. Without them, trim needs fly out the window, often leaving you vulnerable to the constructs of Mother Nature.

Trim options used to be limited to flaps that either attached to the transom or laid in flush to the aft-bottom part of the hull, attached via a heavy-duty hinge. We adjust these flaps up and down with a switch that activates an actuator with either a hydraulic pump or an electric motor, allowing them to move up and down on command.

TAB OPTIONS

Two of the most common systems found in offshore-fishing boats of this style are Bennett hydraulic trim tabs and Lenco electromechanical trim tabs. While Bennett deals with mostly hydraulic tabs, it does offer both. Both of these trim-tab options angle down from hinges on each side, deflecting water as it rushes past the hull and raises the transom up on whichever side needs raising, and vice versa. The system is very simplistic yet uber-effective.

But boating technology continues to evolve-as it should-and lately, some builders have been installing a different style of trim tab called an interceptor. It is a fall-free, low-profile device that attaches to the transom of your vessel. Similar to standard trim tabs as it relates to the effect, an interceptor uses a blade that protrudes straight down to achieve trim and lift through the creation of hydrodynamic pressure.