Lenco trim tabs

K

ken 120

New member
Hello all:

Doing the Spring pre launch prep on my 22-moved my trim tabs(electric not hydraulic) and they made an unusually loud noise and one would not fully extend or fully retract. Hit both with liquid wrench and both work fine now - I have done nothing to them in the last 7 years I have owned this boat-Has me thinking:

1. Should I apply a water resistant grease to the pistons before I launch since the liquid wrench will wash off fast once launched?

2. Does it matter if the pistons are extended or retracted when not in use in the water- I keep the boat in the water in the summer.

3. During winter storage does it matter if the pistons are extended or retracted-Seems that it would make sense to lube the shafts and then retract them into the cylinder for the winter.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Ken
 
We have had Lenco tabs for 12 years now on one boat "salt water" .
The other 4 years .

They are super & we have had NO PROBLEMS period.

That said the pilot house is keep on a lift & the tabs stay retracted to keep from possible damage ,if loaded to far forward.

The newer model with the water proof snap together wiring :thup can be installed in such a way that they retract when you turn the key off.


I always retract my tabs for storage & have never given them any special care ...
 
Loved my Lenco on both the 22 and the 27. I always retract them when not in use. the last two years they spend the summer in the salt water so I make sure that they are retracted.
 
The older Lencos have had some water intrusion issues, and they have been redesigned with more O rings to seal them more completely. My tabs were bought in 2004, and one failed in 2010, in the up position. Lenco did the redesign I'm thinking about 2008, but not really sure. That may or may not be your problem, but a call to Lenco could be helpful. I called them on one occasion, and they were good to work with.
I don't think that I would ever leave the tabs fully extended while the boat was in the water, just in case the tabs (one or both) failed and could not be raised.

Robbi
 
Resurrecting this thread rather than starting new. Had a really weird situation with my port Lenco Trim Tab, and can't figure out why. The boat is on it's trailer out next to the house, and it's been pretty cold out recently. (Live near Madison Wi). With the boat right here at the house, I do check it frequently. The other day I went out to look at the Battery Charger & wiring, as I have ordered a new Mastervolt Chargemaster, and just wanted to start getting ideas of what new wiring and materials I would need. Walking up to the boat, I noticed the port trim tab hanging down. The bottom nylon bracket that is pressed into the bottom of the piston had come out. I can not imagine it coming apart like that on it's own, and am assuming someone was out there purposely vandalizing it; either that or a deer or large animal put some weight on it. Anyway, with some finesse and pressure, I was able to get the end piece pressed back into the piston. I'm just wondering if anyone has seen or had this issue? Lenco agreed with me that about the only way that could come apart is with someone physically pushing down on the tab. (As it standing or sitting on it.)

IMG_5447.jpg
The black end with the hole is the piece that had pulled out of the piston. BTW, the little black pin next to it, is the nylon pin that holds the tab bracket to the piston. I am replacing the pin with a s/s bolt.

IMG_5448.jpg
This shows the trim tab piston installed back on the boat, but with a temporary pin holding the tab bracket on. The nylon pin here was sheared as I worked on pressing the "plug end" back into the piston.

I did take the top cap off the piston to remove the piston from the stern, rather than trying to pull the wire thru the stern. Other than just some slight rust, it was pretty clean. Lenco suggested I use some 4200 around the cap and nuts to reseal it tight. Colby
 
I agree that something/one put weight on the tab, to pull the nylon bushing out. These are put in with a hydraulic dimple, and once that pulls thru the nylon, it will be easier to pull out in the future. I probably would have put a few drops of an epoxy, like "G-flex" on the nylon bushing. If it comes out again, you can drill and put a small self taping screw into the metal, and into the nylon bushing type of piece. The pin having sheared, also points to some very substantial weight put on the tab.
 
Thanks Bob. Actually since I have it back together now, I think I'll go ahead and drill a small hole and put a screw in the dimpled part to keep it from happening again. The pin sheared when I was using a hydraulic jack trying to push the bushing back into the piston. That didn't work, so I ended up having to take the entire piston off the boat and work on it in my garage. Colby
 
Ok, this happened again. No issues with the boat at the Hontoon gathering, and all looked fine yesterday. Today however I noticed the same trim tab hanging down again. Here is a picture of where the end has popped out.

IMG_4493.jpg

Bob, I forgot to drill and put a screw in it last time. The boat was parked in a different position than last time, and I'm beginning to wonder if there is some internal pressure causing it to fail like this. I'm leaning towards replacing the unit this time, but will pull it apart tomorrow to see what it looks like inside.
 
Colby, I have the same tabs you do. How many hours do you have on the boat? Is that the same for the tabs?

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Thanks Colby, Guess I should go take a look at mine, just in case. I have a few more hours on SleepyC. Best in your repair.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I ended up ordering two new actuators from West Marine. Actually I ordered their Bennet refit kit, as you get two actuators in the kit. And I believe they are the standard size actuators that I would need anyway. I got the kit for $259. The cheapest actuators I could find otherwise were about $180/each. So it made sense to go ahead and order the refit kit to get both actuators at a cheaper cost than what I'd spend for two. Today I pulled the back panel off in front of the gas tanks, and pulled my port tank. That's so I can get at the wiring that goes thru the stern. Wanted to pull the tanks anyway at some point, to rebed the tank hold down bracket screws, and fix where the back panel is screwed at the bottom into my raised cockpit floor. The tanks were full of fuel, so I pumped out that port tank into some gas cans. When I get done with that side, I'll transfer to the fuel in the starboard tank to the port tank and work on that side. I also had to pull my kicker and it's bracket off on the starboard side to access the trim tab actuator there. So the back of the boat is kind of torn apart. Still ice on the local lakes anyway! Colby
 
Oh no Colby! You'll never get that back together!

In that last picture it looks like something black and ragged on the end of the shaft.

Capture_008.jpg

Is that busted plastic or maybe some tape you stuck on there? Just curious, really, since it doesn't matter now. Your fix sounds good.

Good move getting the kit with a spare actuator. I had to replace one of my Lenco actuators a few years back and it seems the best price I could find at the time was $187 for one. I don't recall that kit being available at the back then.

Have fun crawling around down there in the back. It gets easier every year, doesn't it? Don't bump your head.
 
Colby these things just don't "happen". I suspect that Sasquatch is alive and well in your area, and just hopped up there to take a look inside of the boat. (Are you sure that some of the "Kiddies" you drive around are not vandals? )

Let us know how the Bennet fit the Lenco tabs....
 
Mike, that black is an overzealous use of Black 5200 to keep any water from leaking in last time I fixed it. Bob, Sasquatch? Perhaps. I was thinking a curious deer last year when it happened. But I have to wonder if water got inside, froze, and pushed the end piece back out? I suppose it could be vandals as my boat is parked outside. However, we have not had any problems in our rather quiet neighborhood. With the tabs location I think more damage could be done easier in other areas. Also, it's actually a Lenco kit to retrofit Bennet tabs. But the kit comes with two actuators, and is much cheaper than buying replacement Lenco actuators seperately. Colby
 
Colby, any chance it happened from someone (or some thing) curious, using the tab as a step to climb up on and see inside the cockpit. Stealth kids, oversize critters, or un heliumized aliens :shock:

I think your ice scenario does sound plausible.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

Desktop_Picture.thumb.jpg
 
Harvey, with it being under the swim step, and a full cover on the boat, I'm not sure how they'd step on the trim tab, or use it to climb on. I'm really at a loss for an answer. I suppose if someone just wanted to vandalize the boat, they could do anything... but I'm just not ready to go there. Colby
 
I bet you can Jack!

Well, got the Lenco actuators today. The ones in the retro kit for replacing Bennets are in fact the right size actuators. So it is much cheaper to buy the kit, than individual actuators. But the hard part of the job is removing the fuel tanks to get access to the wiring coming through the transom behind the tanks. And for Midnight Flyer, having to also remove the Kicker and it's bracket to gain access to the starboard actuator.

I've also decided that all this talk about drilling out and reaming out the area to install screws, and then embedding with resin or epoxy is not really worth the time and trouble if there is no sign of moisture. I'm finding that rather I use fiberglass resin or epoxy, it strips out fairly easy. Also, unless you are drilling all the way through, trying to fill a horizontal hole without getting airlock is quite time consuming unless you have the right sized syringe to push the epoxy in behind the trapped air! While I wasted a lot of time doing that on the port side attachment points for the swim platform, tabs and actuator bracket, when I start the starboard side, I'm simply going to pull the screws and if everything appears dry on that side, reinstall the screws embedding them with 4200 or 5200 to reseal them! Colby
 
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