trolling tabs

Anyone use these or have amy knowledge to shake if they are work/ are worth it? We dont get out near as much as I’d like to be using the boat but we do a fair amount of trolling. Currently if I want to be going less than what the outboard can do (2.5-2.75 mph with little wind/chop) I either just use the trolling motor or I do have some buckets I rigged up (but I’ve only used like twice). If any of their additional handling claims are true would be a nice bonus, more concerned if they would actually get me down to that 1.5ish mph range (and any other concerns with their use they dont warm you about). Not really one of those ‘need’ items but would be nice to not have to pack the buckets around and reduce dependance on my trolling motor and battery power.

For reference boat is a 2001 pro sport 1600 and a 90 hp merc 4 stroke outboard.

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Any time you add any drag off the rear of the boat you’re going to lose some control. I have zero experience with those tabs but the theory is very good. When you’re pulling a drift sock or a bucket tied by a rope, the boat will sway because they are firmly mounted. These are firmly mounted so you won’t get that sway associated with a sock or bucket.

Very good concept in my opinion.

If I were you, I’d try dropping your bow mount trolling motor in the water and face it backward. I did this exclusively when I had a Crestliner Fish Hawk 1750. Worked great and it was free.

They are not going to slow you down enough to notice. They will only hang a about 15 deg angle below your hull line. They are made for adjusting the ride when on plane. Ive got tabs on my 27′ and they maybe slow me down .25mph when trolling but as mentioned they will make handeling worse. Spend your money on a small trolling bag and run that off a mid ship cleat.

Like Mark said, they aren’t going to slow you down much if at all at trolling speed. They are meant more for on plane handling. I have lenco trim tabs on my Warrior 2090 and use them every time I drive it, but they are electronic and I can adjust each side independently with a push of a button. Not sure how I would like having them set in a specific spot without the ability to adjust them as your driving the boat.

I have them on my boat, the previous owner put them on it. Without them, the boat will porpoise when driving. They don’t draft much water but do the trick. I wish they were electric or better yet it did not porpoise.

When I run the big motor and troll I drop 2 bags, one on each side off the mid cleats. At idol I’m at .5 and my boat is planted, even in bigger water with the wave surges. I steer with the Xi5 “auto pilot” on the front and the boat does not move off line.
Before you spend your money on something that probably won’t work and you have a dozen more holes in your boat try the bags.