The Reveal: AutoWake and WakeTouch!

[nmriordan]

Really. Really. Cool. (Cap tip).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mdephillips]

Wow, want to congratulate you for a truly breakthrough product. Although I think the Autowake is terrific do think the other items such as fuel burn, built in gps, the ability to manage so much meaningful data in many different ways will, as you say, open up many new possibilities. Wish you all the best and hope the buyer appreciates the power and capabilities that this can unleash (and compensates you accordingly).
A fan!

[IDBoating]

Although I think the Autowake is terrific do think the other items such as fuel burn, built in gps, the ability to manage so much meaningful data in many different ways will, as you say, open up many new possibilities.

Thanks! Yes, the key here is having access to all of the data. You can combine data into all sorts of interesting features. And the stuff in the video is only part of it... there are other features in the patents that we haven't even started work on yet. The next few months are going to be very exciting for at least one manufacturer - and then for boat owners!

[robert theisen]

I saw Auto Wake announced on Wakeworld. Basically repeats what was said on here. Wondering how progress was going in negotiations?

[IDBoating]

We are definitely having some meaningful conversations with multiple parties. But since most buyers want to control the timing of announcements and such, and discussions like these are considered very confidential, I'm sure you'll understand that we can't reveal the whos and whats and whens.

I can say that the reception is universally positive, but some are struggling with how to position it with their previous marketing messages. Think of it like this: If you've been telling the market that "angle doesn't matter", it's a little delicate to suddenly admit that it DOES matter.

We will keep folks here within the TO family updated as we are able to. Thanks!

[IDBoating]

BTW, here's the link to the press release on Wakeworld.

[robert theisen]

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't aware of how long it might take in the negotiation process. I think all of us here at TO are excited about future innovations that make the sport easier and more enjoyable.

[IDBoating]

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't aware of how long it might take in the negotiation process. I think all of us here at TO are excited about future innovations that make the sport easier and more enjoyable.

Negotiations like this typically take 2-4 weeks after the initial contact. Implementation afterwards can take a while more, depending upon what you're doing. In the case of AutoWake, implementation can actually be quite fast because the software can be implemented on existing helm instrumentation - it can basically be added to the software they already have. The systems are already controlling all of the equipment on the boats (ballast, plates, gates, etc.), just not as well as AutoWake. AutoWake connects everything together in a more advanced way.

We estimate that a certain one of the helm instrumentation vendors could prototype AutoWake on their existing platform in about four weeks. Frankly, if they prioritized it they could do it even faster. So allowing for the time to "make the deal" and the time to prototype, someone could have this running on a test boat in under two months.

[IDBoating]

Since our announcement, we've been getting a lot of behind-the-scenes questions about draft sensors. Bottom line: Boat manufacturers think marine industrial draft sensors cost too much. So just like we solved the over-expensive helm instrumentation problem, we have developed a robust and economical wakeboat draft sensor and we thought folks here might appreciate seeing it. (Note: We're cross-posting this to a few places.)

Our draft sensor design consists of a section of one inch PVC pipe with a male threaded fitting on its bottom end and a cap with a small hole on its top end. The pipe screws into a standard thruhull+ball valve just like a ballast pump, and stands roughly vertically in the hull (it does not have to be perfectly vertical). This allows water to fill the pipe from the bottom, seeking a common level with the water surrounding the hull.

On either side of the pipe on the left you can see two strips of metal foil. The tops of the foils connect to a small, waterproof module attached to the top of the pipe. Those of you familiar with electronic components will recognize that the foils act as two plates of a capacitor. The module at the top measures that capacitance and reports it as an analog voltage on one of the three wires at the top (the other two power the module).

The capacitance between those two foils changes as the material between them – known as the dielectric – changes. We use the water rising up and down within the pipe to cause a huge change in the capacitance, which we can then measure and report.

When the tube is completely empty (hull out of water), the output voltage is 1.0VDC. When the tube is completely full (hull deep in water), the output voltage is 5.0VDC. And as the water levels varies up and down, so does the output – a nice voltage indication of hull draft!

Our draft sensor is essentially bombproof. It has no moving parts and requires zero maintenance. Nothing electrical touches the water. It can be built to virtually any height (the one in the photo is 24 inches tall) so it is compatible with hulls of any draft and freeboard. It is rugged; the production version on the right is covered in heat shrink (we left it off the one on the left so you could see the details). The components are off-the-shelf and available today in production quantities. Best of all, cost to build is under $40 and it can be assembled by traditional employees in a boat factory.

Can you tell we enjoy solving problems with technology?

[Stingreye]

Pretty Cool WA!

Couple questions:
1) Does a mushroom thru hull create any vacume while underway pulling water out of the tube?
2) Does the accuracy vary at all with the speed of the hull? Is wakeboard speed vs wakesurf speed equally accurate?

[Travism]

This may sound dumb, but does that mean these would be sticking up into the floor area or would they install into the gunwale's ?

[IDBoating]

1) Does a mushroom thru hull create any vacume while underway pulling water out of the tube?
2) Does the accuracy vary at all with the speed of the hull? Is wakeboard speed vs wakesurf speed equally accurate?

Excellent questions! That's what I LOVE about this site - TigeOwners has seriously smart members.

Yes, the thruhull experiences a venturi effect that (obviously) varies with speed. We easily compensate for that in software. It is different for each hull shape so when a manufacturer chooses to use this sensor they will need to test it to obtain the data for that hull. It only has to be measured once per model.

Once characterized like that, the sensor doesn't care what activity you're doing, so yes - it works fine for any sport.

[IDBoating]

This may sound dumb, but does that mean these would be sticking up into the floor area or would they install into the gunwale's ?

There will be a single one of these, likely mounted back in the engine compartment out of the way somewhere. Could be back by the transom, just behind the rear seat back, etc. Closer to the keel (centerline of the hull) is better but it doesn't have to be on-center.

There is an optional way to configure AutoWake using multiple draft sensors instead of inclinometers/accelerometers, but even then there'd be no reason to have them visible. They're just another under-deck component like the triducer, ballast pumps, TAPS pump on a Tige, etc.

So no, there wouldn't be one sticking up into the passenger area . Unless you were going for some sort of style statement, I guess!

[IDBoating]

Edit: Added a photo of the production version with the heavy protective heat shrink.

[Travism]

Thanks for clarification. I assumed you needed one n either side for sensing lift.

Appreciate you answering questions.

Are you getting close to having a buyer ? Would love to see this in a production boat !