I own a 2009 Malibu 247. To surf, we usually run factory plus 1800-2600lbs on the surf side (1100 in the back locker, plus one to two 750s on the seat depending on passengers). Without intending to start a flame war, the 247 weighted that way produces what most people would consider to be a great surf wake.
Several months ago, I got to surf behind a Surfgate boat (23lsv with two 750’s in the back)(thanks Singleton Marine!). It’s hard to tell from one short riding session, but I felt like when we got it dialed a little more at the end of the day, the regular wake was great, and the goofy wake was really good. I loved the ability to weight the boat evenly, and the ability to switch from side to side quickly.
But what I really wanted to know was whether I was fooling myself in thinking that the Surfgate could produce an elite level wake. How would my traditionally weighted slammed and leaned 247 wake (which I loved) change if we added a fin, and weighted it evenly?
When I couldn’t ride for several months due to eye problems, I decided to make a homemade surf fin for my boat and try to empirically test the issue. We tested height by having the rider try to hold a rod level with the top of the wake, at the same rope length. We tested length by having the rider go back as far on an extended rope as he could without losing the wake. We tested push and how much fun the wake was to ride, subjectively.
Here are the video results:
To our surprise, the fin setup on the same boat produced a taller (maybe 4-6 inches) and longer (approximately 2-3 feet) wake by objective measurements. Subjectively, everyone who has ridden behind it over the last month has made comments reflecting that the fin wake had “more push”, a “smoother transition”, a “bigger area to ride in”, made “tricks/spins easier” and was overall “way more fun to ride”.
I have read numerous reviews of the Surfgate system. I offer this up because I hadn't seen too much testing on bigger boats, with lots of weight. For me, it answered the question of whether it is possible to use a fin to create an elite quality wake.
Rob, go over to themalibucrew.com or over on the centurion site as a few of the guys are building their own systems and are seeing good results. I haven't as of yet read where anyone has slammed his 247 with an OEM surf gate or aftermarket gate post up their results. The 247 MXZ is so new one has had enough time to slam it and surf it with the surf gate. There is one guy on TMC who is an avid surfer in TX who just got a new 247 MXZ w/ s.g. who we are waitng to hear results on other wise anything on the new 247 or 247 MXZs with sg seem to be one time rides and minor inconclusive observations at best.
I did some fairly extensive research with a homemade Surfgate on my Centurion Enzo SV230 and came up with these observations:
- The gate, with even ballast, reduces the lip (not so good for surf style, but great for skim)
- The gate cleans up the wake significantly and makes the pocket longer
- Full ballst in the boat sucks the gas down like it's going out of style
My conclusion is that I'll be installing a Surfgate on my boat, but will still list the boat on the surf side to maintain a good lip and to eliminate having to take out a second mortgage to pay for the gas. At full ballast, I was running 3500lbs and the boat was working way to hard.
In the video above, we were running 10.4 for both the fin and leaned tests. The finned wake had considerably more push both in the middle, and at the back of the wake. The finned wake got flatter when we sped up, but was still surprisingly big at 11mph and 11.6 mph. Here is a link to video comparing the finned wake at various speeds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0UoO7nMncA&feature=plcp
I posted this info up on themalibucrew too. Interesting observation about the gas mileage, I will have to test that and see if I am getting similar issues. The rpm readings with the fin do seem to be a little higher, which I guess makes sense.
The fin is 12 inches wide. Legthwise, it tapers back in at the bottom to match the shape of my particular hull. It is 23 1/4" long at the bottom, and 22 inches long at the top. From the PLATFORM, it angles out at 33 degrees, and angles down at 11 degrees. It is made of 1" thick uhmw plastic, which cost $61 through McMaster Carr
Duffy: Most of us ride skim style, and the wake just seems way more fun to ride on a skim style board. I think a lot of that is the transition at the very bottom of the wave, which is much smoother. And, while the wake is taller overall, it is not as straight up and down as when the boat is leaned. In wakeboard speak, it is "rampier", more like a Malibu wakeboarding wake, and not as "peaky", like a Nautique 230 wakeboard wake. The combination of these two factors make the "playground" area seem much bigger - you can get farther out from the wake and still get push, and you can seem to catch it easier if you are starting to fall back. I try to do some "airs" on the skimboard, and while I can get a little space under the board, I am not very good at it. It is easier for me personally to get air on the rampier wake. On a surf style board, I don't know if a rider would like it better or not. They might prefer the peaky style wake. Any surf style riders want to come to Georgia and give it a try before we put the boat up for the season??
Rob, what part of the lake are you on? We will be out there from Sunday till Wednseday for the Malibu Dealer Meeting on your lake! What is the water temp there right now?
Gerry: Last weekend, we went without wet suits and it was no problem. This week, however, we had several days where the air temp was around 40 at night, so my guess is it will be borderline wetsuits, or wetsuits needed. PM me if you have an interest in riding, and shoot me your e-mail. The only other issue may be wind - it has been 15+ mph here all week. We are on the west side of the lake in Great Waters. Rob
Last edited by surfdoggy; 11-02-2012 at 3:51 PM.
Reason: typo
The fin is 12 inches wide. Legthwise, it tapers back in at the bottom to match the shape of my particular hull. It is 23 1/4" long at the bottom, and 22 inches long at the top. From the PLATFORM, it angles out at 33 degrees, and angles down at 11 degrees. It is made of 1" thick uhmw plastic, which cost $61 through McMaster Carr
I made U shaped brackets that fit over each side of the teak swim platform, drilled a single 3/8" hole through each, and used a single pin to hold the brackets in place. I then made the fin and post to attach via a single pin through fixed hinges, so that I can detach the fin and post and move them to the other side (takes less than a minute). Here is a picture of the components.
I made U shaped brackets that fit over each side of the teak swim platform, drilled a single 3/8" hole through each, and used a single pin to hold the brackets in place. I then made the fin and post to attach via a single pin through fixed hinges, so that I can detach the fin and post and move them to the other side (takes less than a minute). Here is a picture of the components.
If you are building your own, and would like to discuss details, just pm me, and I will get you my contact info.
Cools stuff man, I am starting to lookinto making mine for an 06 23' B52, similar hull to a X30. I have a fiberglass deck, but I do have a 1 1/2" spacer from myy deck mounts. It is a piece of metal stock, but will be switching to an all aluminum bar stock instead. That is how I will be attaching my plate to the deck
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