What are trim tabs?
Trim tabs work exactly the same way as the control surfaces on an airplane. As you know, there are three axes affecting the motion of your boat as you travel through the water: Yaw, Pitch and Roll. Trim tabs have little effect on the yaw axis, because yaw is controlled by the rudder or the side to side movement of the outdrive. Where they are effective is in the roll axis, to eliminate or reduce listing or heeling, especially if your boat has a deep “V” hull, and in the pitch axis, to raise or lower your bow. The port and starboard trim tabs act independently. It is a simple thing to adjust them to lift the down side of the boat and compensate for the three or four hundred kilos of weight caused by your passengers all wanting to be on the same side. To do this, lower the down side tab. The water pressing against the tab as you move will lift that side of the boat (around the roll axis) and eliminate your list. As your passengers move about, you can continue to adjust the tabs to compen
