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I've been debating the question of installing Smart Tabs for at least three seasons. I have an F224, which is on the big side of what the recommend for Smart Tabs. Well, I see they now have a SmartTab SX for larger boats (with 90# shocks), even though this one is still on the big side of their recommendations.
They are not that expensive (under $200), so I decided to take a risk on them. I did the installation in about an hour and a half. Gathering all the tools and getting set up was a big part of the job, but otherwise it's fairly straight forward. I put them just inside the chines, as close to the outside edge of the boat as possible. Sorry, I didn't take any pics. I have set them up with the shock in the middle (#3) setting, and have not yet adjusted it.
This weekend, I had the first trip with the tabs. Well, I'm totally shocked. This is definitely the best mod I've done to the boat. From launch, the bow stays down and the boat just basically lifts onto the plane. It's amazing! I didn't measure time, but it feels much more stable to plane, and seems much faster to get on plane... with much less drama. Even under full throttle, I was easily able to see the horizon without even standing!
Top speed seems to be the same, roughly, and there is much less porpoising. The effect on porpoising is much improved. I did still notice some as I went over waves, but overall it's more controlled, and even as I raised the trim to go higher on the plane, porpoising was minimal.
Last was low speed on plane. Because the bow stays down at virtually any speed, it's hard to tell when it's on plane and when it's not. But, I was able to stay high in the water down to 16mph (GPS speed), and it took less of my attention on the throttle to keep it up there.
To say the least, I'm very impressed. I strongly recommend it! Especially with the 5.0, which doesn't have as much grunt... this is exactly what it needed to improve performance.
_________________ 2008 Four Winns F224 5.0 Volvo Penta Towing with Audi Q7 4.2 V8 
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