For two years I ran my 21-foot center-console fishing boat without trim tabs. Boy, was that a mistake, as I discovered after a friend recommended tabs while slogging through a particularly rough offshore run. I installed tabs before our next fishing trip, and we never took a pounding like that again.In truth, any hull can benefit from the ability to adjust its running attitude — the angle at which the bow meets the seas — to accommodate anything the ocean can throw at you.For example, when meeting a steep head sea, many boats run more comfortably and efficiently with the bow down slightly, allowing the sharper forward-V to knife through the waves. Conversely, in a following sea and when overtaking waves, it is often safer to run with the bow up a bit to help prevent stuffing into the backside of a roller.There ...![trim-tabs-opener]()
