[workinpr0gress]

I have 400 lb. 25" old crossflow v6 with a 3 blade 15x17 prop on a 30" Armstrong on a 20' with no tabs and just a foil. I don't need tabs or a stern lifting prop. My batteries are under the console. My cockpit is just barely self draining on the original floor. I believe the ride is superior in a sea to without the bracket. Not to mention it alleviates a ton of spray that SeaCrafts are known for. Me personally I like having a little more weight towards the back to a point. The bow tends to stay in the air wave to wave much better. The trimability to nose the boat in or run on the last five feet is great. And it's especially nice to run a boat from the Sweet Spot of the boat. I havn't been on to many boats that don't run better (looser, tighter, drier, faster, smoother) with a bracket as long as someone doesnt get crazy.

I used to work on a 57' Monterey (one of the best riding coldmolded speedsters ever made) and used to fish on the sister boat to the one I worked on. The boats were identical except the engines were a foot further back and 75% of the fuel and genset were in the cockpit and no trim tabs on the one I worked. As opposed to the sister boat carried it's fuel forward and had the genset in the engine room and the gear further forward and had tabs. The boats burned 8 gph different and were 2 knots different at the same rpm, the sister boat would soak you to the tower on a 4-6 head sea and pound pretty good for a Jim Smith style hull, the other would get the back corners of the covering boards wet and the tips of the outriggers would barely move. I am for moving as much weight back as possible for the most part while still keeping a margin for safety. It doesn't work for every boat but enough other people have done these things at this point you should be able to figure out how ya wanna go. good luck