Smart tabs are amazing, I've used them with 100% success.

You will find more pros to tabs then just getting on plane like when in heavy seas being able to push the nose down for a more comfy ride

Yeah, so winter has me looking at my boat all wrapped up, and the mind tends to wander. Here's my prob. When I got 4+ people onboard, I have a difficult time getting on plane unless I have a couple of them come forward. Here's my idea/solution. I was thinking about adding a couple of water filled bladders in the compartments under the seat cushions of the bow (down in the cuddy). I'm thinking it will add about 150 lbs to the bow, thus helping get on plane.

I don't have trim/smart tabs and really don't wanna add them. Any thoughts? Anyone tried this before?

Trim tabs are a much better choice because they can be quickly adjusted on the fly. Are you going to add weight to get on plane and then drain them when underway? You want to lose your cuddy storage space so that you can carry lake water in your boat? When you sell your boat will you tell the prospective buyer that you selected a mechanical solution to common boat handling issue that 99.9999 percent of boaters have rejected. If I was considering buying you boat I would be thinking about the other unconventional methods you used on your boat and walk away.

Seriously reconsider trim tabs. They are wonderful.

Easy killer, I was just throwing it out there as an idea. If you read the whole thread, you will see that others have convinced me to go the tab way. In all actuality, I still think it is a doable idea. I am only looking at about 150lbs of water weight, less than an 1 adult. From playing around with weight distribution while underway, I found that having one of my passengers sit down in the cuddy helped immensily in getting on plane.

And as far as drainage, I was toying with the idea of running a line to my built in cooler, which has a built in drain. Oh, and the compartments in my SD are extremely small, I don't use them for anything anyways. Your 2006 might be bigger.

I realize that boating season is done for the majority of us, and we are all sad and grumpy, so here is a tip. After you write your post, read it aloud, if it sounds harsh, it will read even worse.

It wasn't that bad of an idea.

A friend of mine had an airplane model (Barron B-55) that is known for being "tail heavy". Two bags of lead shot from the sporting goods store, placed far forward in the nose compartment balances out against back seat passengers.

The same thing could help you as a temporary solution. 25 lbs of Lead Shot comes in a plastic bag wrapped in a canvas bag that is sown shut, so it's like a really heavy little bean bag. Two or three of those in your anchor locker would put them as far forward as possible, and so would make the most difference.

If you're concerned about drilling the holes, as long as you bed the screws properly in something like 3M 4200 or Lifeseal, you should be OK.

25 lbs of Lead Shot comes in a plastic bag wrapped in a canvas bag that is sown shut, so it's like a really heavy little bean bag. Two or three of those in your anchor locker would put them as far forward as possible, and so would make the most difference.

My 215 has some issues getting on plane with 5+ people but that's due to having massive amounts of lead (batteries) in the aft.