Aftermarket Surf Gate

[JohnZ3]

After having a few beers at the boat show in Salt Lake, I ended up buying one of the Wake Shapers for my Z3.
If I remember correctly, the sales men said the guy who invented it was trying to mimic the surf gate system that Malibu has.

I'll post the results as soon as the lake melts. I bought it from Marine Products. They said I could try it and get my money back, -$50 stocking fee, if I didn't like it.

[Detonate]

Which one did you buy?

[JohnZ3]

Eight.3 Ronix Wakesurf Shaper

[Coop]

If I remember correctly, the sales men said the guy who invented it was trying to mimic the surf gate system that Malibu has.

Not sure that's what Ronix's lawyers would want the sales guys saying.

Good luck with it -- I'll be interested to see the results.

[Detonate]

Eight.3 Ronix Wakesurf Shaper

Ahhh, definitely interested to hear about how that one works out. They had tons of those for sale at the boat show, but I'm going to let someone else be the demo boy first!

I'm also very interested in this one....

http://wake-shaper.com/

[UNSTUCK]

How were they selling for at the show? Same price?

[Bryan]

A thought about attachment to the guys making their own... Has anybody thought to try magnets? Seems like you could epoxy one on the inside wall of the boat and stick another one inside the shaper piece.. Put a magnet on both sides of the boat and you could almost move it while underway maybe. I don't know what kind of magnet strength you would need but here's a 95lb from home depot... Maybe use two side by side to make it stronger and keep it from spinning

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Crown-Bol...6364/203613147

[BCRider]

I'm interested to see how these DIY ones work. My buddies are always jabbing at me to do something like this or make a gate. I keep telling them as duffy does that listing is still better for making a wave....especially with our fat a$$es. If it can produce and equal or close to wave I will consider it. I'm fine with the boat listing, it doesn't bug me but, would agree that making all my friends cuddle on one side of the boat isn't always as nice as it would be to just let them be where they are.

[IDBoating]

There are patents on this idea, but if you just wanted to try a one-off:

Consider a fin below the waterline back where Malibu mounts their SurfGate tabs, on the side of the hull. Like the fins on the conning tower of a submarine. If the boat is moving, tilting one fin downward would pull that side of the hull down into the water with some impressive force. You could tilt the other side up to help. Switching sides would be simply rotating both fins the opposite direction, would take mere seconds. Tilt them both down and you sink the entire stern for a huge wakeboarding wake. Tilt them up and you get a launch assist function.

With big enough fin surface you might not even need ballast anymore.

[Lamest]

@IDBoating: You are one of the smartest people I've followed on this site. Your description of "fins" was spot on, but I kept imaginging this:
SurfTabs.JPG

So we're going to need some ordinance attachments on the tower to round this out.

I jest - hope to meet you on our Idaho lakes at some point.

Kirk.

[IDBoating]

Awesome! I knew inboards were getting more technically advanced!

However, I did imagine our flaps being toward the rear. Hard to sink the stern with bow flaps!

[JohnnieMo]

@IDBoating: You are one of the smartest people I've followed on this site. Your description of "fins" was spot on, but I kept imaginging this:
[ATTACH]42339[/ATTACH]

So we're going to need some ordinance attachments on the tower to round this out.

I jest - hope to meet you on our Idaho lakes at some point.

Kirk.

I swear I posted this same image last winter. I was thinking the same thing. The only issue is if you hit someone with these, you would cut them in half. They are probably the most efficient design, but also the most dangerous.

[Bryan]

And they would have to be pretty large to have enough surface area to sink the rear end.. Would make docking fun...

[IDBoating]

Yeah, I didn't say it as a well thought out idea. Perhaps hung BELOW the transom on either side? Hinged from the sides of the tabs so the leading edge can engage the water, rather than only push down on it?

Wish I was independently wealthy so I could experiment with wacky ideas like these. You never know what might come out of them.

[NICKYPOO]

A thought about attachment to the guys making their own... Has anybody thought to try magnets? Seems like you could epoxy one on the inside wall of the boat and stick another one inside the shaper piece.. Put a magnet on both sides of the boat and you could almost move it while underway maybe. I don't know what kind of magnet strength you would need but here's a 95lb from home depot... Maybe use two side by side to make it stronger and keep it from spinning

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Crown-Bol...6364/203613147

I've been thinking this exact thing lately. I love magnets. Always have. The only thing wrong with this idea is the weight of it if it does come off. I suppose you could tether it though. I might just go do some testing in the garage today.