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Go Back   WakeWorld > >> Boats, Accessories & Tow Vehicles Archive > Archive through February 21, 2008

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Old     (ghostrider_2)      Join Date: Aug 2004       02-18-2008, 2:28 AM Reply   
Just curious has anybody installed this after market product on thier boat, if so pros and cons?
Old     (sailing216)      Join Date: Oct 2007       02-18-2008, 3:36 AM Reply   
We talk alot about it in the wakesurf thread, or most topics about Centurion boats.

I have it on my Centurion Avalanche as it's an option and it's great for tournament size wake for boarding without having to sac out the boat. Also evens the boat out if weight isn't distributed evenly. If your lake bans ballast, get the switchblade or look into bu's wedge.

Most people do not engage it for surfing. If all you are doing is surfing the I'd say pass on it.

I'm even going to move around my plumbing for an out-of-sight ballast system for surfing since the switchblade does such a great job when wakeboarding. With just my center tank filled and the blade engaged, I can get an advanced wake. If I left the stock tanks the way they are, again now I can get a wakeboarding wake the size they use for tournaments.
Old     (bill_airjunky)      Join Date: Apr 2002       02-18-2008, 8:57 AM Reply   
I went to the boat show last year & asked the local Centurian dealer about the Switchblade. He didn't have a clue. So I showed him a picture of it in their boat literature.
Putz......
Old     (lknboarder)      Join Date: Jan 2008       02-18-2008, 9:00 AM Reply   
Our dealer doesn't like it at all and will not order a boat with it unless you custom order it they say they have had 3 people come in who have ripped the thing off
Old     (towboat_222)      Join Date: Feb 2007       02-18-2008, 9:15 AM Reply   
We installed one on a boat that was already built. It is a job and a adventure. Its a pain in the butt when trying to dock also
Old     (bigshow)      Join Date: Feb 2005       02-18-2008, 9:18 AM Reply   
We used the SW on an Avalanche at a competition. The wakeboard wake was really big. Kind scared some of the novices. It’s easy to change it on the fly for your wakeboarder. For wakeboarding I think it's a great option.

I hear that backing with the SB is more challenging but I've also heard that an experienced driver can use it to his advantage. That's the old inboard thing all over again. You have to learn to use it.

The review on the SB for wakesurfing have been mixed. Some like it some do not.

They are coming out with a new SB for surfing but it hasn't been released. It's not clear if the new Surf Blade will work well for wakeboarding.

If I had the $ I’d buy the Surf Blade and hopefully have room left in the boat for storage.

When you say people have “come in and have ripped it off”, you mean 1) they hit something under the water line and it came off or 2) They didn’t like it and so they removed it, or 3) it was stolen? The way you phrased your statement is not clear to me.
Old     (ghostrider_2)      Join Date: Aug 2004       02-18-2008, 9:29 AM Reply   
Not to mention "come in and ripped off", correct me if I am not wrong that happens to the BU Wedge, just something you will have to deal with.

Ken
How hard/long was the adventure? and how much do these things cost? any pics of the wake before and after?
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       02-18-2008, 10:19 AM Reply   
is this aftermarket equipment?is there a website?
Old     (siuski)      Join Date: Feb 2003       02-18-2008, 12:13 PM Reply   
I've installed two in the last six months on older boats. One was a 86 MC 190, one was a 89 Supra comp. Both were pretty easy, the hardest part was getting the tank out of the way. The MC was a piece of cake, the Supra was a little more difficult due to the transome design (transome wan't perpendicular to the keel). Haven't water tested the Supra yet, but the MC's wake was pretty decent, especially for a 2000 pound boat. It liked a little weight in the bow for riding (50lb up under the bow), and I was actually able to surf both sides with no additional ballast.

They have a new user interface that is pretty slick and have hired some new people to improve customer service. Like Ed said, once you get used to it, docking is actually easier, especially in tight areas.

Here is the new site: http://www.wakeco.net/
Old     (enzostyle)      Join Date: Aug 2006       02-18-2008, 2:32 PM Reply   
Ripped off!? I doubt it, the bottom bolt is made of bronze and shears when blade strikes something while in forward motion, wrecks the rams if you back into something :-( Don't ask how I know! Great product all around, but not for everyone. Mine is one of the first ones and has needed some tweaking, but we get along fine now.

They don't call it the switchblade for nothing! My buddy was not thinking and kicked it while swimming away from the boat, 8 stitches! No worries though you can do that behind an I/O too!
Old     (trx1noob)      Join Date: Sep 2006       02-19-2008, 8:06 PM Reply   
I've got the switch blade on my enzo. My take on it, is it's great for wakeboarding. it shapes and changes the wake awesome. for surfing, we get an incredible wake without it. I have added the enzo sack and other weighting options to achieve this. so it's kind of a toss up. we havent' dicked around enough with the switch blade to determine if i like it or not, but with the wake we've created without it, i dont' really want to mess around with it. If i ordered another boat, it would be with the trim tab.

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