Lenco Bennett Retrofit Kit - 12V Trim Tab Conversion

The Lenco Bennett Retrofit Kit is the upgrade that pays back faster than you'd expect. If your Bennett hydraulic trim tabs are leaking oil, slow to respond, or you're tired of priming the pump after a season of sitting, this kit drops in Lenco's electric ballscrew actuators on top of your existing Bennett trim planes, lower brackets, and rocker switch. No new mounting holes. No ripping out the transom hardware. No buying a fresh complete trim tab system.

Lenco actuators use a ballscrew design instead of a hydraulic cylinder. The benefit is instant response, more force per amp, and zero hydraulic fluid to leak or maintain. Press the rocker, the tabs move now. No pump priming, no slow startup, no air-in-the-line spongy feel that older hydraulic systems develop after years on the water. The Lenco units are sealed for marine duty and the ballscrew mechanism is the same one used on Lenco's factory-equipment trim tab kits, so reliability is the same as buying a complete new Lenco system.

What makes this a retrofit kit specifically is what's NOT in the box, on purpose. You don't get new trim tab planes because your existing Bennett planes are fine. You don't get new lower brackets because they bolt to the back of the plane and they're fine too. You don't get a new switch because your Bennett rocker switch wires straight into the included Lenco harness. You buy what you actually need to convert: two Lenco actuators, two new upper mounting brackets that fit the existing Bennett mounting hole pattern, and the wiring kit. That's the kit and that's the install.

The install is genuinely four steps and most boaters knock it out in an afternoon without pulling the boat. Step one, remove the two Bennett hydraulic actuators and disconnect the oil lines from the cylinders. Step two, bolt the new Lenco upper mounting brackets to the transom using the existing Bennett mounting holes. They line up. Step three, mount the Lenco actuators to the new upper brackets and to your existing Bennett lower brackets on the trim tab planes. Step four, feed the Lenco wires through the same hole the old oil line passed through and connect them to your existing rocker switch using the included jumper wires.

What to do with the old hydraulic pump (the HPU). Pull it. Cap the oil line at the pump end. The pump is no longer in the system. Some boaters keep it under the helm as a future spare in case they sell the boat to someone who wants to convert back to hydraulic, but most just remove it and reclaim the space. Drain the residual oil from the pump and the lines into a container and dispose of it properly. The new Lenco system has zero hydraulic fluid in it.

This is the 12V version of the kit. There's a separate 24V version if you're on a 24V boat (large sportfishers, some commercial vessels). For typical recreational boats with 12V house systems, this is the kit you want. Current draw on the actuators is small enough to wire into your existing trim tab circuit without changing fusing, but check the spec on your existing Bennett switch fuse against the Lenco draw to be sure.

One important compatibility note. This kit fits boats equipped with Bennett's standard-length 4-ring hydraulic actuators. That covers the large majority of recreational Bennett installs from the last 20-plus years. If your Bennett system uses one of the longer or non-standard actuator lengths, this kit may not fit. If you're not sure, take a tape measure to your existing actuator length and call us before ordering. We can confirm fit against the Lenco compatibility chart.

The performance difference is noticeable from the first ride. Lenco's instant-response ballscrew gives you fine-grained tab control that hydraulic just can't match. Tap the switch to bump the tabs a quarter inch and the boat responds immediately. With hydraulic, you get the pump start delay, then the cylinder fills and moves. By the time the boat reacts, you've often already let go of the switch and you're past where you wanted to be. Electric actuators eliminate that lag.

Maintenance on the new system is essentially zero. No oil to top off, no lines to inspect for weeping, no pump filter to change. Rinse the actuators with fresh water at the end of the season the same way you'd rinse any transom hardware, and they'll go for years.

One important note on returnability. Marine trim tab actuators are non-returnable to NVN Marine once shipped because they're functionally hydraulic-system-related parts and we can't restock them after they've left our warehouse. Confirm fit before ordering. Warranty issues run directly through Lenco's authorized service network, which is responsive and broad in the U.S.

Same-day shipping before 3 PM ET on in-stock units.