The Reveal: AutoWake and WakeTouch!

[jslayde1]

I think you should put "Industry Disrupter" in your signature/avatar.

ha ha. That would be awesome!

[Z1Fan]

I don't think it's as profound as you might think, it's us as consumers that drive the market, and if you do voice a complaint as well as many more, the manufacturers do listen, for example we want a better wake etc.. They listen, but something such a breaker put in a stupid Area, has to be addressed as well, cause for them to move it to a place were we don't get a shock is for the better, as for the warranty and maintenance, I could argue that as well, just like a BMW it's built into the price, and U are paying for it doesn't mean the product is any better...but a good marketing ploy., other manufacturers have 5 years and soon I am sure somebody will shoot for 7 or more years, but in all cases in General, and I have found this in out industry, thanks don't generally fail in the first 3 years it's when they hit 5 years it's really starts to happen specially if you've don't take care of things...... As for a few oil changes etc.. It's relativly cheap... But your paying for it.. The moral is just make it better, how hard would it be?

[IDBoating]

The moral is just make it better, how hard would it be?

I'll step into this subthread a bit. It's not that it's "hard" to make things better. In fact, it's usually easy for Engineers to make things better. The challenge is to make them "as good as possible given all other constraints". Engineers are practitioners of technical compromise.

To illustrate, there is an old Engineering adage: "Sooner, Better, Cheaper: Pick Any Two." You can have it sooner and better, but it won't be cheap. You can have it better and cheaper, but it will take a long time. You get the idea.

Here's an on-topic example from the inboard industry. MasterCraft uses formal seacocks for their ballast thruhulls in everything but their low-end NXT model. AFAIK the entire rest of the industry uses those well-known threaded thruhulls and some sort of screw-on valve. Guess what: Formal seacocks are the reference standard solution for NMMA and ABYC H-27 certification (there's an illustration right in the spec). Seacocks are much more rugged. They're much more reliable. They're also much more expensive to purchase AND install.

I'm not saying MC is the only one doing the right thing here, nor am I saying they're stupid for making their boats more expensive, nor am I saying that everyone else is ill-advised for not using seacocks. I'm passing no judgement whatsoever. However, you asked "how hard would it be to make it better?". The answer is it's not HARD, but it may be IMPRACTICAL based on other considerations. Everyone agrees that seacocks are superior, but not everyone agrees that they are superior enough to justify the added expense. Multiply that by all the design choices that go into a semi-custom product like an inboard boat and it becomes obvious pretty quickly that seemingly little decisions can have huge implications and multiplicative effects.

(To be clear: The threaded thruhulls and ball valves used by most manufacturers DO qualify under NMMA and ABYC, so you don't have any problems with certification. Seacocks are just better. Everything is a tradeoff.)

[Z1Fan]

I agree with you WA, I am not talking so much on the materials as I am on making it easier, for example that resettable breaker, why is it bolted where you can only access it from a cup holder, why not closer to the battery where a few of them are already mounted, and theoretically all fuses/breakers should be mounted as close to the battery as possible.. This what I meant, not the best of components possible, cause the cost will be ridiculous.... But just being smart that's all we ask....

[IDBoating]

I think you should put "Industry Disrupter" in your signature/avatar.

Great one, but would it be perceived as a positive or a negative?

[Duncan]

Great one, but would it be perceived as a positive or a negative?

Your licensee/assignee thinks it is great. Their competition not so much

[Captainkurk72]

Any updates?

With recent 2016 boat announcements and new/different surf systems I am surprised to not hear anything about integrating this tech.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[IDBoating]

We're not being quiet without good reason.

What we can share: By the time boat companies are announcing this year's models, they've pretty much locked down the feature sets for NEXT year's models. They need the next 6-8 months to incorporate those changes, then test things, debug, and get them ready for next year's announcements 12 months from now.

When you're talking about something like AutoWake, you're also involving more than just the boat manufacturer - they have to schedule and work with their chosen helm manufacturer (most likely Medallion or Murphy). This is more than just the boat builder experimenting with different shapes of hulls or trim tabs, which can be done rather swiftly by employees the boat builder directly controls. They can play with fiberglass, metal, etc. in their own shops at their own pace, so changes to those things are fast and easy. But the feedback we've gotten from the boat makers is that the helm company's development schedules are booked months in advance. By the time we announced this technology, that window had closed for model year 2016.

Keep your eyes open for next year... or possibly a mid-year release. Those do happen occasionally. {hint}

Thanks for checking back!

[tigeidaho]

Keep your eyes open for next year... or possibly a mid-year release. Those do happen occasionally. {hint}

Thanks for checking back!

I hear Malibu has a mid year release coming. Maybe a coincidence? I wish you guys the best!

[Z3CO23]

Sounds pretty exciting, congrats!

[jmhatchett]

I hope for the absolute best for you WA and you were so great in helping me get mine fixed. I want a new boat and am very anxious to start shopping, but ever since seeing AutoWake I have had my mind set that it will be the 'wave' of the future and i am skeptical to go forward shopping until it is released somewhere and i can go after it! It is the best innovation I have seen as to the perfect wave and that is what we are all after.

Taps 3 and Autowake would be a match made in heaven! The only tweek would be programming AutoWake to allow for the side to side switch instantly (which i presume to be one of the more simple functions since it already will have a perfect wave programmed for each side)

[IDBoating]

The only tweek would be programming AutoWake to allow for the side to side switch instantly (which i presume to be one of the more simple functions since it already will have a perfect wave programmed for each side)

You're right, very simple indeed. Basically you (or the factory, with presets) tell AutoWake what you consider to be your "ideal" wave on both sides. Once that data is stored, you can switch sides with any system from any manufacturer - and AutoWake will put it right where it belongs, regardless of changing conditions, and KEEP it there. AutoWake takes whatever system your boat already has and adds intelligence and closed-loop control to it. It's the only way to be sure you're going to get the same wave that you love, every time.

Thank you for the very kind comments, they mean a lot!

[mdephillips]

Hi, has been a couple of months and wanted to see if you had struck a deal yet. Can you publicly share? Think it is an outstanding product!

[IDBoating]

Thanks for checking back!

Yes, the AutoWake technology and intellectual property have been acquired by a well known company in the industry. That is all we can say. We are under a non-disclosure and unable to comment further, as I'm sure everyone will understand. When the new owners make a public announcement, we'll post a link here. But we must respect their wishes to control the timing and content of everything associated with AutoWake from this point forward.

We have retained WakeTouch, the tablet helm portion of the technology, and are continuing to explore our options with that technology and IP. Some very interesting opportunities have revealed themselves in the past few months, and we're excited about pursuing those. We will keep folks updated as we are able to.

Again, thanks for checking back!

[Thegerman618]

What letter does the company start with?????? just kidding, just kidding. Congrats I am sure we are all looking forward to the big reveal on this. I thinks its awesome what you guys have done and hope the best for you.