WakeMakers wave control

[dakota4ce]

I think there is a little more design sophistication inside those GSA tabs with regard to both listing and delaying convergence rather than just one or the other, however you likely could find 80% success with huge plain tabs. Components may run up to 700-900 bucks depending on how you decide to control them. Oh and the time involved of course.

[duffymahoney]

I am still not a fan of tab systems unless you are a skimmer or beginning

[Wakeman22]

I would Guinea Pig my boat if someone provided them.

[dakota4ce]

I am still not a fan of tab systems unless you are a skimmer or beginning

For sure agree with Duffy here based on my experience. Ideally you have a boat that does both . Thats a clue, maybe....?

[ragboy]

For sure agree with Duffy here based on my experience. Ideally you have a boat that does both . Thats a clue, maybe....?

I think it depends on the boat/hull. I would agree with your statement on most that I have tried. I want to spend more time on the Z3 with TAPS3 to decide for myself with that hull, and I would say with the RZX, it works great with TAPS3.

I guess my point would be, is that a person should be careful to spend 4k unless they know it will work well with THEIR OWN hull. Many people get a boat with a quick surf system and then end up listing it for the best wake. I don't think you would want to spend this $$ and then figure you may as well list it.

[ragboy]

One more thing. If it was me, I would spend the money to completely automate my ballast system and add cross over pumps to make switching within a few mins. This year at the godzilla event we did NOT separate groups into all regular or all goofy as we have done in years past. We did this so that the boats would switch BETWEEN groups, not slowing things down. Since the boats were almost all "switching system" boats, we just put people in groups that were both regular and goofy. It is important to note that each session was 90 mins and each rider only had 15 mins to surf so everyone was ready to go and got in the water fast. RJ drove the Z3 with our 3 min crossover system and said no one ever had to wait. Worked great.

The only thing this Z3 lacks is the transition tricks from side to side.

Again, all of this is JUST my opinion, but I would only spend that money on my boat if I was DYING to do transitions and continue to do them, or if I knew the wake would be better with this system. If one of those 2 things was not true, I would just use the $$ to automate my ballast system.

[Greeko]

The GSA wave is pretty good. Not as sharp as a listed boat but it still had a ton of push. I was happy riding it on an 2015 MB Sports B52 23

[dakota4ce]

One more thing. If it was me, I would spend the money to completely automate my ballast system and add cross over pumps to make switching within a few mins. This year at the godzilla event we did NOT separate groups into all regular or all goofy as we have done in years past. We did this so that the boats would switch BETWEEN groups, not slowing things down. Since the boats were almost all "switching system" boats, we just put people in groups that were both regular and goofy. It is important to note that each session was 90 mins and each rider only had 15 mins to surf so everyone was ready to go and got in the water fast. RJ drove the Z3 with our 3 min crossover system and said no one ever had to wait. Worked great.

The only thing this Z3 lacks is the transition tricks from side to side.

Again, all of this is JUST my opinion, but I would only spend that money on my boat if I was DYING to do transitions and continue to do them, or if I knew the wake would be better with this system. If one of those 2 things was not true, I would just use the $$ to automate my ballast system.

Great point, you have to have a plan. They're expensive. They seem to have proven themselves to be pretty effective on a variety of hulls, which is intriguing. Granted, this valuing others' opinions/videos/testimonials. The waves I have seen come off of MB, Mastercraft, Malibu hulls are quite nice looking. Which is interesting given the vast differences between those three regarding shape. The claim is made that the adjustability makes up for the hull differences.

On their website I think the most amazing wave comes off of the Moomba direct drive boat--not the biggest or baddest wake but for the boat it is flat out impressive. Check it out.

Again, expensive. No doubt about that. They do have video out of a 22ve with some feeble 450 sacs in the lockers. Wave is good, looks firm and long just not super tall. However, as I have come to appreciate different things, my favorite wave on my 24Ve is not the tallest, rather its the firmest and the longest. Lots of people like big tall waves--and equate that to excellence. There is a lot more to it than that for sure.

For every person, the ideal wave will be unique. If you're serious about it, you go out and tinker till the cows come home developing the best surf wave that your hull is capable of producing--cross pollinated of course with your personal preferences. No matter what you have. That is the fun part to me.

So when someone says "what is the best wave?" Everyone has their own unique version, I reckon?

[hycosurf]

If I do it I will do it this winter. I am going through pros and cons now.

[chpthril]

If I do it I will do it this winter. I am going through pros and cons now.

I was real impressed with what TAPS-3 did for the Z3 that we surfed at the Mead event back in Sept.

[hycosurf]

It would be a great way to retrofit taps 3 system on the older boats just not integrated with the computer.

[ragboy]

It would be a great way to retrofit taps 3 system on the older boats just not integrated with the computer.

I wouldn't count on that, TAPS3 may seem like any other tab based surf system, but if you take a good look at it, it is not.

First, if you notice all of the tab systems out there, they all pivot right at the hull and parallel to the hull. Taps3 doesn't do either of these things, and is unique.





One thing that I notice, is that it only effects the RPM of the engine about 100 rpm when deployed. I have been in others, and it has more of an impact than that. The fulcrum is considerably OUT from the hull, and it is not parallel to the hull.

[rhoadsdj]

I have surfed an EPIC 23V with this system. I had surfed the same boat prior to the installation of the WakeMakers system as well - and the difference was incredible. I don't think the EPIC is a great hull for surfing in general - so that may be why the difference was so great before and after. With the stock tab system on that boat, I really didn't even like to surf it. The pocket was small and steep with a really narrowly defined sweet spot in the wave. It was a ton of work to stay in it and when you fell out of it you had no chance of recovery. This was true no matter the surf configuration on the boat and we worked on it for weeks. After the tabs were installed - it was among the best waves I have surfed. I'm pretty new at this, but have surfed several hours this summer on a 2015 Enzo 244, Mastercraft X2, Nautique 230 TE and my own 22Ve with MLA custom sacks. The EPIC wave with the WakeMakers system was long, tall and had a ton of push. I can't remember how big the factory ballast was - but we filled that plus extra 450's in the lockers and had the factory bow tank about half full. So this might be a great upgrade for the right boat - but to Ragboy's point - that's a pretty big gamble to take if you've not had a chance to test-drive it on your own boat...

[ragboy]

That is a good time to buy something like this, when your hull doesn't surf so hot but maybe it does with this.

[UNSTUCK]

I want to get the best surf wave possible on my 21v without sinking the rear corners to do it. I know I need more ballast when I'm out with just my family. I also want to add something to help change the wave. I was thinking a homemade gate would be the answer, but I like this idea. I don't know a lot about TAPS 3 but am learning.

TAPS 3 Tab 3.jpeg

TAPS 3 Trim Tab 1.jpg

So are both of these styles TAPS 3? Maybe Ragboy's is a newer version? I have the capability to draw, cut and bend the trim tabs any way I want. After that it's buying Lenco actuators and the switch kit. I would design my tabs with the ability to easily modify them to try different configurations.

By biggest concern at this point is the spray pockets on my hull. They will force the tabs to be moved in quite a bit. I could draw up a tab that sticks out through the pocket and stops at the imaginary edge of the hull, but not sure that would do anything to help.
Now there is a lot to the WaveMakers tabs, compared to these two examples. No doubt Ragboy's example is proven and he is very happy with it. I wonder why Wavemakers choose to go their route?

Anyways, it looks like it can be done for under $1000. I could also build a gate for under $100. Wonder which way I should go? Pros and cons of each system?