swim platform as a barrier for prop?

i have a 13ft boston whaler and strangly enough it has nice surf wake (for its size) about like 2
ft without any wheight or anything like that. the proplem is that it is an outboard boat and i was wondering if i could make a swim platform or something like that to make it immpossible to hit it (or face plant it)

do you think this would work

Yes and No. Sure it would protect people from the prop, but the platform could wash away the surf wake or change the handling characteristics due to drag. There's only one way to find out....

You could fall and send a leg under the swim platform. I wouldn't do it.

Matt- Just consider the prop part of the excitement of the ride! It may compensate for the limited sized of the wake. Also, I would have a liability release waiver for anyone thinking of riding behind this boat. Otherwise, spend the time, $, energy getting another boat.

Just get a rubber prop.



Lets look at risk and vulnerability:

Vocab: Vulnerability is an event that could happen that is undesirable. Hence: We are all vulnerable to getting hit by an asteroid while walking our doggy in the park. Risk takes into account the probability of such incident happening. The risk of getting pancaked by a asteroid is quite low.

While wakesurfing, we are all vulnerable to a prop strike. The risk is very low on an Inboard (the driver would probably have to nail reverse to make it happen) On an I/O or an Outboard, for obvious reasons, the risk is much higher.

Now lets talk about the loss incurred if the vulnerability occurs. If you secured 2 Million dollars in a bank vault that's sufficient means of protection. Now if you put 2 Million dollars in a chest locked on your door step, is that sufficient?

In sum, I'll agree that a large swim deck will reduce your risk of prop strike. However, it's like putting 2 million dollars on your doorstep. You will have wished you had put the money in the bank - (In other words, hold out until you can get an Inboard.)

If the worse that could happen is someone gets a bump or bruise, then no big deal, build the swim deck. Though the damages would be far greater....the judge would probably say around 2 million for a lost limb....But don't worry, you have many years to work that debt off.

I don't know that I'd necessarily let everyone talk you out of it. This analysis may be lost on anyone over 30 but really the only rational way to evaluate risk is to compare the alleged risky project to what you and your buds would be doing otherwise. If like a lot of young guys its riding sport bikes, or rock climbing, or night diving, or running around town drinking excessively, or messing around with guns, then wakesurfing behind your Whaler project would probably amount to a big reduction in risk rather than the other way around. We've nailed the tips on a couple boards crashing into the back of the boat but probably never had anyone fall in such a way that they would have been chopped up by an outboard prop even without a swim platform. And of course you can get those propguard rings that would make it even safer. I've also never heard of a wakesurfing exclusion on a liability insurance policy so you'd have the same coverage for a prop accident as grandpa grunt does for running over the kids because he can't steer his inboard. Anyway, we've found that this is such a new sport that hardly anyone knows much about it and most of what you'll be told as the conventional wisdom is completely wrong. So think through it for yourself and if you decide to give it a go, definitely spread the word on these boards. Who knows how many sport bikers you might save!

^^^--- Well said.

To presume that engaging in a risky behavior doesn't impact folks in a larger sphere of influence than yourself is certainly a young and selfish man's folly. Let's assume for the moment that in the case of an accident there will be no loved ones, or dependents impacted - the rider was hatched from under a rock and never reproduced. Short of that, an accident would have devestating results on parents, children, spouse or girlfriend.

Wakesurfing's legality has been challenged on numerous occassions. Recently, the NASBLA briefly considered a model law that would have made all activity within 10 feet behind the back of a boat illegal. Effectively making wakesurfing illegal. It is with the efforts of advocates such as Larry Meddock with the WSIA that we aren't faced with our sport already being illegal. Part of the concern that NASBLA is attempting to address is prop hits, the USCG has expressed it's desire to see greater safety in this area - as is their charge. Certainly the sport doesn't need riders making it more difficult to safeguard it's existence.

Taking a position that is so cavalier, IMO, that the only folks impacted are yourself and your buds simply isn't based in fact. Lose a leg or foot while wakesurfing behind an outboard and it's not a big jump to see regulatory agencies giving our sport greater scrutiny. We dodged that bullet not less than 3 months ago while regulators sought ways to avoid accidents caused by prop hits.

Kite tubes were recalled because using them killed and injured people. It wasn't isolated to just the folks that WERE killed and injured. If enough peope are injured surfing behind an outboard, it wil be the same result.

We also aren't talking about ignorant or uninformed people recommending against NOT wakesurfing behind an outboard, as Sunset Bay would seem to intimate. Virtually every wakesurf specific manufacturer posts such a warning, (flip over an Inland Surfer or Trick Boardz and you can read the warnings) folks involved in the sport, in many instances, for more than 10 years. The now defunct World Wakesurfing Association, comprised of the most knowledgable people in the sport specifically recommend against it. You can see those recommendations on Howtowakesurf.com. These were leaders in industry from boat manufacturers, board manufacturers and various organizing bodies. Sunset Bay's supposition that folks making this recommendation don't know enough because the sport is so new is ignorant, at best, and IMO irresponsible.

The swimdeck offers some protection behind an inboard, but further protection is offered by the prop being significantly forward of the transom. I can't honestly give an evaluation of the relative risk, but why take that risk? Why risk the sport for others? Other than you just don't care about anyone but yourself and apparently the potential for losing a body part would make that statement questionable. There are alternatives available for anyone to wakesurf and those of us that enjoy the sport would certainly prefer that you NOT ignore the potential impact upon us by this risky behavior.

Be a 'bro, give the rest of us in this small and tight activity some consideration, engage in risky behavior where there are huge manufacturer dollars that can fight legislation that might attempt to ban the specific activity. Wakesurf behind an inboard only, please.

Jeff,

well put. i have yet to understand why "anyone" would chance injury to attempt to surf behind a outboard or io.

db

I was sort of joking but I guess it really is true about risk analysis being completely lost on the over 30 crowd. We're not comparing wakesurfing to basketweaving. And its not even fair to compare wakesurfing behind a swim platform outdrive to wakesurfing behind some hypothetical inboard that no kid's going to afford.

I'd love to see someone do some testing and try to chop up a dummy on a swim platform outdrive with a propguard ring on it. My fairly educated guess is that it would be very hard to do, and if that's the case, people will eventually figure it out and wakesurfing behind outdrive boats with swim platforms will become standard practice.

Jeff Walker, I'd do the testing myself but then I'd have to ask for a cut of the future Inland Surfer profits when sales go through the roof once people figure out that all they need is a new board not a new boat.

Are you confusing me with Jeff Page of Inland? Inaccuracy seems to be the flavor of the day. Flippant and unsubstantiated assertions aside, it would seem, you are in the vast minority. I can't imagine that the folks that currently sell wakesurfboards wouldn't want to increase market share by doing just what you propose, if, in their opinion, it would increase sales without risk of harm.

Maybe I'm too old to understand market forces too? Or the manufacturers are just too slow to think of this? Too funny.

If I were wakesurfing behind an I/O or an Outboard, it wouldn't be long before I'm trimming up (and bring the prop closer to the surface) in an attempt to force the rear down to get a better wake.

it could be done... however, it would most likely drag in the water (my swim step does on my v-drive) and you would more than likely have to weigh it down to compensate.. do you have enough hp ?

wether it would help the wake or not depends on the shape...if you got the money to burn on a custom glass or teak deck depends on you..

i really thinking about it... it would be really hard to surf without perfect pass (surprised no one caught this)...

whatever you do... be careful...

as noted above there are obvious safety hazards

If I were doing it I'd use a piece of 1 1/8th inch plywood, router the edges nice and round, then lay some glass mat and gelcoat over it. Won't cost you hardly anything and should be a strong and fairly non-slip surface. I'd mount the platform to your boat with big ass hinges then use some auto coil-over shock absorbers as struts on each side to keep it right on the water. That way it can move up and down when it drags and won't get ripped off the back of your boat. You're going to want it dragging right down at water level for maximum protection. Might want to mount the hinges to your boat on a couple pieces of channel so you can experiment with different elevations. If you get this all dialed in just right with a propguard on your motor and find it a nice safe setup, I'll bet you could go around on the lakes and sell the heck out of this package. Tons of people would love to wake surf but hardly anyone has the boat.

matt. my advice to you is to drink heavily.

Hi surfers. We did wakesurf behind a 16 footer with 80 HP outboarder, the wake is largely big enough and a good driver has no problem keeping the speed constant... BUT: we do have hydrofoils between prop and surface and we are developping a cage that will be put around the prop. on the other hand we are thinking of changeing the prop to a jet. we assume that with a jet we could get a much more glassy wake... we'll see.

I don't believe the prop affects the side of the wake you're surfing.

Curtis, what do you mean the prop doesn't effect the side of the wake your surfing on?