Question aimed at the bigger WX series boats (2060, 2190):
Assuming you are looking at adding a powered jackplate OR powered trim tabs…which one would you choose and why?
Goals:
– best rough water ride
– hole-shot with variable loads
– add to top end is simply a bonus
Your thoughts and experiences?
Scott
I would say this…. Overall I don’t give a rats rear about speed when it comes to rough water. So in my opinion trim tabs are key. I plan on putting on PowrTrans new trim tabs here in the next month on my WX2060.
If you run a bunch of calm water a lot and never really encounter big waves then by all means a jackplate may bet better. Will it increase speed, it could with the right prop. But again when it comes to rough water you’re not using that jackplate much other than to bring that motor all the way down.
To meet you’re goals I would say Trim Tabs all the way. Evening out loads by adjusting the tabs to level out the boat, tabs down may help get up on plane faster, and also keep that bow down in rough water which I have heard means you can run a bit faster in rough water sometimes.
I plan on also adding PowrTran’s Magnum Max jackplate to my 2060 for the best of both worlds.
Easiest question to answer ever ! :]
Trim Tabs with out a doubt !!!
I had Skeeter Boat Center add Trim Tabs to my MX2025 and it made the Wife quite happy. In fact its the first thing she asks about when we hit some waves. In addition I put the tabs fully down religiously when taking off, it drops the rise of my bow by at least 1/2. In addition they work very well for adjusting the load port/starboard
I put them on my WX2100 and it didn’t make my wife happy.
It did help my boats overall performance. Well worth it.
Trim tabs all the way, Id recommend and currently use the 9″x9″ https://powrtran.com/products/trim-tabs/ on my past 2 WX2190’s.
I do also use a hydraulic jack plate as well, but for what you are trying to accomplish the tabs are the way to go.
I had Skeeter Boat Center add Trim Tabs to my MX2025 and it made the Wife quite happy. In fact its the first thing she asks about when we hit some waves. In addition I put the tabs fully down religiously when taking off, it drops the rise of my bow by at least 1/2. In addition they work very well for adjusting the load port/starboard
Do you have a photo of where your tabs are mounted?
yep
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…my weekend project!
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Something just doesn’t look right in your photo of it mounted. What boat model do you have? If you have a stepped transom, it looks to be mounted on the upper part of the step, in the photo posted. If not a stepped transom disregard my comments. If it is a stepped transom, WX 2060 and similar, it needs to be mounted to the outside of the step, and strap retractors need to be moved to the outer corner. There are many picture posts of trim tabs mounted on Skeeters, and the ram will not line up under the trolling motor bracket. I am considering putting them on my MX2040, and they will mount to the outside of where your photo shows yours to be mounted. Hard to tell from your photo what hull you have, and from view shown, I do not see a step, in which case you are fine.
Mine’s a WX1910 and I’m using 9″ wide tabs. They’re outside the step, and properly positioned per the instructions: 4″ in from outside chine and more than 2″ on either side of the strake. Since my boat is slightly narrower than a WX2060, the trailer strap angle worked without any needed adjustment. Fit inside my kicker setback and the boarding ladder when those are fully down too.
Just have to run the wires now…
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Sorry for the concern. Different boats, different transoms. I may be putting them on my MX2040. Already had tabs on a Skeeter bay boat that I had for 5 years, and I loved them. Used them for a different purpose then, as we didn’t have waves per say, but extremely shallow water where it was really beneficial to keep the boat riding high at low speeds, and take off and shut down. After you use them for a bit, could you give us a review of how you like them, and ease of the install?
Install was easy, more time-consuming than difficult if you’re comfortable drilling fiberglass and running wires…measure 6 times, drill 1 time. 
The included Deutsch connections definitely simplify the wiring process too.
Of course, I don’t know that they actually work yet…
One wiring question that I’m hoping someone can help me out on:
There’s an orange wire for the automatic retractor that is meant to be connected to an on/off switch. (see wiring diagram below) This tells the control box to raise the tabs all the way when the boat is turned off. Is there an easy way or place to plug this in? I’ve run the wire under the console, and it’s pre-rigged with a round connection plug, makes me wonder if I can stick it into one of the wire harnesses under the console? There are times I’d want the motor off with the tabs on, so assume I’d want to attach to an extra line on the power box? What do I look for to find that? Or???
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Orange wire just needed to be spliced into a positive wire that is downstream from the master on/off switch. I tapped it into one of the sonar wires.
Controls work, self test runs, so does the auto retraction when the master power is turned off…now to water test!
Nice job Michael! Please post a review here when you get a chance to get out on the water and put them through a test. I’d like to see where you decided to mount the actuator too.
Scott
Orange wire just needed to be spliced into a positive wire that is downstream from the master on/off switch. I tapped it into one of the sonar wires.
Controls work, self test runs, so does the auto retraction when the master power is turned off…now to water test!
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Micheal- Can you let us know if you have any issues with that transducer right next to your trim tab? I just picked up a new WX2060 and my FishHawk downrigger speed and temp probe transducer was mounted right next to the trim tab. The ducer mount broke during the water test. Not sure if it was due to excess force from water coming off the trim tab when down, or if it was cracked prior to that. It would be interesting to hear if you have any issues.
As far as trim tabs vs jack plate?……It’s a no brainer for me. Trim tabs all the way. I spent all last week on Lake Michigan Salmon fishing out of Sturgeon Bay. We had mostly calm winds and smooth water, but one day was nasty with high winds and big mixed up waves. I was simply amazed what that boat could do in big waves with the trim tabs. So far, the jackplate has only been good for bringing up to run in shallow water and to launch the boat. Yeah, at full throttle you can raise it to get another 100-200 RPM’s and a mile per hour, but I just don’t give a rip about that.
Please post a review here when you get a chance to get out on the water and put them through a test. I’d like to see where you decided to mount the actuator too.
I spent a week muskie fishing on LotW with 3 people in my boat, and then a week at the cabin family fishing. After 2 weeks of daily use I’m exceptionally pleased with the trim tabs. Basically they are everything everyone said they’d be.
My WX1910 has the F200 which isn’t a motor with much low-end punch. Great motor, just not a ton of torque. I compound it with extra cockpit weight: tackle box deck extension full of muskie lures, 4x 31-series batteries, 15hp kicker on a setback, 3rd person, full livewell with a bunch of walleyes or bluegills, etc. Prior to adding g the trim tabs I needed to put the 3rd person between the consoles, even with an empty livewell.
With the trim tabs fully down I got on plane quickly with a full livewell and 3rd person sitting on resr casting deck, in about the same amount of time as when by myself and no water in livewell. It also stayed level while getting up without all the bow lift I experienced in the past. With a little practice they make coming off plane equally smooth.
Once up on plane, raising the tabs frees up the hull so I could trim up and get more rpms. I installed the controls such that I can hit them with my throttle hand while holding the throttle open/forward. Worked as well as I hoped. The LEDs helped a lot, I learned that 3 lights of starboard bow down was my most frequent setting so could return to it quickly.
When quartering waves it made the boat run so comfortably! Adjust to get the bow down on the side of the waves and it smooths out with no more hull slap. Really awesome, especially 2 days with 18 mile runs home into an annoying 15mph SE wind.
Highly recommend!
Can you let us know if you have any issues with that transducer right next to your trim tab?
No issues, transducer worked fine.
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slawrenz
thanks for the pics I have been looking hard at this question. we run a large canyon lake In UT and have great water for 25 miles in the early am. terrible hull slapping run back . what size are the tabs look to be 9×9 lencos. do you thing that they would interfere with the 3 step latt. are they the short actuators or stds. do you think that the 4×12 would work as well or even fit??????? did you go with the led level indicator switches or stds. I am trying to get a pdf template from lenco to check on fit. thanks again for your post. helps move me along. actually have the wife all for it. we were up on a lake at 8000 ft fishing Kokanee and the wind came up quartering into the waves with a side wind load and a lot of hull slap. side note do you see an advantage with the plate you have on any top end increase. looks to be an atlas thanks again
Looks like I got pics and post mixed up I have a 2025 and looking for a pic for slawrence boat. thanks
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