QL Trim Tabs
Submitted by LEDGE on Wed, 2009-10-21 12:28
First time user guys, Has anyone fitted QL trim tabs to a seafarer? Just curious as to how to access transom from inside boat and also what fitting people have used for the wiring through the floor? Always wary about drilling holes beneath the waterline!
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Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
not sure about access on
not sure about access on your actual boat but if you drilling holes under the water line then try this .. drill the hole about 4mm bigger than your actaully going to need then fill it with epoxy resin as its water proof (fibreglass aint), once the resin is hard you can then drill it out and put in your screws coated with a little silicon to seal them tight . this is the only way i know of to ensure that the glass doesnt get water in it and start it going soggy.
Clint
LEDGE
Posts: 7
Date Joined: 21/10/09
Cheers Clint Ive used
Cheers Clint
Ive used epoxy resin before and its good stuff...didnt think of doing it that way. thanks mate
Any idea on what fitting to use on the floor where the wiring will come through.
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Yeah that is a real problem
Yeah that is a real problem with boats that have wood in the transoms, even foam for that matter. The trick for foam is to poke a bent piece of wire into the void and spin it aroundto chew out a little foam, then get the epoxy into the void.
just dhu it
Posts: 1081
Date Joined: 14/05/09
QL TABS
Ledge . i had a Vagabond and you will need to drill through the transom for the motor cable about a 22mm hole, which when you install the tab this hole should be sealed with sika flex . , the cables x2 should then run up around transom and through the gunnels to the front cabin area and connect to the control panel , all other fixings on the tab should not go right through the transom but will also need water proofing when installed , Sikakflex these again in all screw holes.
LEDGE
Posts: 7
Date Joined: 21/10/09
Thanks Just Dhu it Can I
Thanks Just Dhu it
Can I pick you brains with this?
when the hole is drilled for the connector in the transom we are still under the floor. I need to make a hole in the floor to bring the wires up so they can run to the dash. Does the hole in the floor need to be large enough for hand to get down to the connector or can I use say a watertight cable connector (whitworths cat no.33524) for example.
Ive heard some people use spinout hatches for access but you still have to bring the wiring through somehow.
Cheers
just dhu it
Posts: 1081
Date Joined: 14/05/09
access plates
Ledge ,mine had a access plate with 4 screws over the top , i could access the under floor for the cables and wet box transducer, i had a decktite or weather proof gland just big enough for the two cables , and plugs to go through then i sealed it all up with sika flex . this allows access at a later stage if required and carpet lays over the top etc
mako magic
Posts: 5785
Date Joined: 03/08/05
i take it Ledge you have a
i take it Ledge you have a set of QL's to fit, where did you get them and how much, im looking for a set for my boat atm
LEDGE
Posts: 7
Date Joined: 21/10/09
Gday Mako magic Mate Im in
Gday Mako magic
Mate Im in Adelaide, the Volvo guys here ( Don Morton Marine)have them for just over $1000. Got a few mates Aust wide that trried to find them cheaper and they appear to be pretty much the same price everywhere.
Only heard good reports on them and they are neat and tidy
Cheers
mako magic
Posts: 5785
Date Joined: 03/08/05
thats a good price actually
thats a good price actually have you got a contact number for them at all?
LEDGE
Posts: 7
Date Joined: 21/10/09
donmorton.com Don
donmorton.com
Don Morton Marine
70 Humphries Terrace
Kilkenny,S.A, 5009
Postal:-
PO Box 85
Kilkenny,S.A,5009
Phone: +61 08 8347 0011
Faxes: +61 08 8347 1389
cheers
mako magic
Posts: 5785
Date Joined: 03/08/05
thanks heaps for that mate
thanks heaps for that mate
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
I wonder if these jokers
I wonder if these jokers ship to aus? They were well under $1k at the boat show IIRC.
The diagram I saw for installing the QL tabs showed a big hole with tabs fitted over them, so the tab itself covered the whole the cables used.
How long are your interceptor cables? Are they long enough that you can mount the control unit under the dash?
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
How are they long term?
I'd imagine its a fair old pressure pushing against the vertical plates.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
Deckie
Posts: 1296
Date Joined: 03/04/09
No probs
I can reccomend them Huggy. as one who has been accused of carrying a little too much weight by my skipper, ( not sure if he meant tackle etc) they make a hell of a difference & no signs of problems long term. To look at em u wouldnt think they work as well as they do. Perhaps buy Matt one for your side of the boat & he can get his own lol. Rob
Cheers & Stay safe
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
considering something for my boat
but it is a costly investment into my budget tub. It would be nice though to iron out the lean (side console).
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
Deckie
Posts: 1296
Date Joined: 03/04/09
Yea
I would go for it so much better in a cross wind or chop Rob
Cheers & Stay safe
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Especially when you have a
Especially when you have a t-top fitted.
alfred
Posts: 3097
Date Joined: 12/01/07
I drilled a hole thru the
I drilled a hole thru the transom, ran the wire thru and left out a bit of wire the same thickness as the transom, get the Sikaflex - use 5200 if you can get it, but at a minimum 4200, now fill the hole with sika, coat the wire that has not been pushed thru yet with sika as well, then pull it thru. The idea is to sill the entire hole with sika. Also put a ring of sika on the outside of the transom around the hole you drilled, then straight away install the tabs. Make sure all the screw holes have sika in them.
To get the wire to the front or wherever you intend install the switches, use a electrician's snake.
LEDGE
Posts: 7
Date Joined: 21/10/09
Gday Alfred Understand
Gday Alfred
Understand the sealing part, not a problem. Do you have a vagabond or similar?
Getting the wiring to the gunnales is the issue as I have to come up through the floor
Cheers
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Alfred has a Boston Whaler
Alfred has a Boston Whaler and is largely sealed underfloor. You need to borrow an electrician's snake, and perhaps the electrician, to run the cables thru.
VAGABOND
Posts: 236
Date Joined: 04/06/07
What year is your Seafarer?
What year is your Seafarer? If it's a late model with a curved transom you will have to put a curved spacer between the transom and the Tab as QL's have to be fixed onto a flat surface otherwise they will bind up.
LEDGE
Posts: 7
Date Joined: 21/10/09
Gday mate 1999, so it has
Gday mate
1999, so it has the curved transon. Am going to shape some polyethelene block say 25mm thick to keep Trim tabs straight.
Have you got these on your Vagabond? Im still puzzled with the size of hole needed in the floor to bring wires up.
Do you know if the transducer plates on the floor can be removed easily...they might be a way to get to the transom where the wiring is? Always wary with holes in boats!!
Cheers
Snappie
Posts: 8
Date Joined: 16/04/10
Best trim system by country mile
one thing to make sure and is the most important of all if you dont want to waste the $1200 you have just spent on the QL tabs.
because the system works due to the blades moving up and down, the mounting surface has to be COMPLETELY FLAT. any bends or curves in your transom will bend the blade when you try to lower it, this will render them BROKEN with no warranty.
if there is any curves on the mounting surface you will need to make up wedges or block to mount on the transom before the QL tabs.
happy boating
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
As you can see we have heard
As you can see we have heard of trim tabs. We even have a few posts about them on this forum.
If you read further, you can see that Mako Magic had them fitted to his Commodore, and had spacers made so that they were mounting against a flat surface.
What kind of mouthbreather would really try and mount them to a curved transom, and even funnier, expect to get a warranty?