Bennett Autotrim Pro

M

M/V Miss Kendy

Active member
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
34
Fluid Motion Model
R-21 EC
Non-Fluid Motion Model
Cutwater
Vessel Name
Miss Kendy
MMSI Number
338234966
Has anyone converted their manual Bennett trim tabs to automatic (Autotrim Pro). We would like to on our Cutwater C-28 so the admiral is comfortable with running the boat on her own. She captains the boat like a champ and the only item that intimidates her is the operation of the tabs while underway. Not to mention the passengers that can’t hold still or keep their butt in a seat while underway. Our current switch doesn’t have position indication so the hydraulic arms on the tabs will need changing. Looking for experience and how difficult this project would be. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
 
I am interested to see what others have to say as well. I have been investigating zip wake for my 28 and I’ve been told by a few that these auto trim devices don’t play well with the autopilot. I have yet to sea trial anything with either option.
 
I hope you don't mind me jumping into this thread with stupid questions.

I'm a sailor, new to this whole powerboat thing. I'm still getting used to these trim tabs on my R27. So far it seems pretty simple; when I get up on plane I lower the tabs to bring the bow down. At slow speeds and when docking I raise them. Occasionally I'll work them independently to level the boat while cruising with unbalanced load. That's it, pretty simple right?

Then I read this thread, and I'm thinking I must not be doing it right. The OP's Admiral is intimidated by the tabs. The product snydzy references says "Trimming your boat provides the smoothest ride and the best fuel efficiency, but in changing conditions it require constant attention" and "Hand-off the tedious task of maintaining the optimum trim ...".

Am I supposed to be constantly messing with the tabs underway? Am I losing fuel and smoothness by setting and forgetting? Do I need one of these auto-trim systems ($365 seems quite reasonable)? Is there a "trim tabs 101" tutorial out there that answers all these questions?

Thanks
 
Hi Toki
Utube Bennett Autotrim Pro and it will give you a good idea what they are capable of. It’s rather interesting but I’m sure they are not 100% fool proof or automatic in certain conditions.
 
I wonder how well these work in a choppy sea. Would they continually hunt up and down, would they act like stabilizers?
 
It’s been a year since this thread was originally posted so I’d like to bring it to the top. I’d like to hear of others who’ve installed the Bennett Auto Trim Pro to there Fluid Motion boat? Ease of install, plug n play, on water results, etc would all be helpful for me and others.

Jim
 
I have it, and love it. I didn’t do the install myself, but it was very straightforward according to the tech so did it. I did this at the same time I upgraded to the next size up for my trim tabs. World of a difference. Would do it again.
 
Eric....are your trim tabs electric or hydraulic? I’m assuming they are Bennett trim tabs?

Jim F
 
Correct. Hydraulic. Bennett. Just went up one size from what the factory put on. Made a world of a difference.
 
Toki: I suggest you lower the tabs before getting on plane and you will get there a little faster and more efficiently. I found our R25SC was more stable than the former stern drive boats we had and I suspect much more than the outboards thus constant adjustments to the tabs are seldom necessary on the inboard with the keel.
Our R29 built in the fall of 2020 has Lenco electric tabs rather than the Bennet hydraulic tabs and I believe that is what Fluid Motion is using on all their boats since then. Lenco has an automatic tab system also. Channel Surfing has a you tube explaining his upgrade to the auto Lenco system on his Cutwater 28.
 
S. Todd":5y4zx1rj said:
Channel Surfing has a you tube explaining his upgrade to the auto Lenco system on his Cutwater 28.
Click to expand...

Not a Cutwater 28... Channel Surfing is a 2021 R27-OB. 🙂
 
Sorry Martin, I recently watched the video of yours talking about the C28 that was in your marina and got my "brain wires" crossed. (Not to hijack this thread but I really like your light gray hull color. Your videos have kept me entertained while waiting for delivery of our new R29 (sand color) that is still be customized by our dealer.)
Todd
 
Cutwater28GG":ze5ucln5 said:
some good details in here for the hydraulic bennett upgrade https://bennetttrimtabs.com/installManuals/ATP-N2K-Hydraulic-Manual-WEB.pdf
Click to expand...

This was a great read! Comparing the Bennet AutoTrim with Hydraulic tabs to the Lenco Autoglide with electric tabs, after reading the Bennet install manual, I noted the following differences:

1) Hydraulic tabs require an additional sensor installed to get tab indicators. (which is optional).

2) The controller that has the accelerometers and gyroscopes can be mounted in any direction, unlike the Lenco which has specific mounting instructions.

3) The controller requires power (12volt 20amp) as does the helm switch (12volt 5 amp). With Lenco, I was able to just snap-in/quick disconnect and use the power that was already there for the trim tabs under manual operation. (12volt 20amp).

As I said before, I started out looking for just trim tab indicators. Mainly because I'd balance the boat, then conditions would change. Without tab indicators, I could only adjust based on feel as I rarely would remember which tab or tab combination I last used. Usually I'd guess wrong and roll the boat the wrong way making it worse before adjusting to make it better. So I thought indicators would help.

Since the Autoglide is doing all the work of figuring out balance, I find myself watching the trim tab indicators only out of curiosity to what it's doing. Since I'm not manually adjusting the tabs being able to see the tab position is a nice to have from an instrumentation point of view. The requirement I was after was a more level boat ride.
 
Submariner":2rkuair7 said:
As I said before, I started out looking for just trim tab indicators. Mainly because I'd balance the boat, then conditions would change. Without tab indicators, I could only adjust based on feel as I rarely would remember which tab or tab combination I last used. Usually I'd guess wrong and roll the boat the wrong way making it worse before adjusting to make it better. So I thought indicators would help.
Click to expand...

This is exactly how I ended up doing the Bennett Auto Trim Pro. I wanted indicators, then figured I’d just do the whole thing!
 
S. Todd":3i3zs8ft said:
(Not to hijack this thread but I really like your light gray hull color. Your videos have kept me entertained while waiting for delivery of our new R29 (sand color) that is still be customized by our dealer.)
Todd
Click to expand...

Thank you! We love the light grey. I'm glad you're enjoying our video's as well. We're definitely a work in progress on the channel, and hopefully every video we post is better than the last. My wife is the master-mind behind it all. Editor-in-chief, producer, film maker, etc..

There's another R27-OB moored near us that's the Caribbean sand color. It looks very sharp as well. You're gonna love it!!
 
Looking to add the AutoTrimPro system to a 2013 31CB. Any insight, perspective, experience appeciated. Seems replacing an actuator on each side with one with an integrated sensor makes sense. Given the age, maybe replace all (4), one has failed already.
 
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