DESIGNER for new boat NEEDS INPUT. thanks!

Hello everyone,

I am a senior in Detroit at a school studying product design called College for creative studies.
I am a avid boater and slalom water skier as well as knee boarder in the summer.

I am designing a new boat for the ski/wake board industry and would like input from you.

My focus is on configuring the boat for optimal storage, comfortable seating (including the bow area) as well as introducing new technology into the boat.

New technology would include oled touch screens for driver and passenger, allowing a multiple range of new features and options to be utilized. This is out there but maybe the possibility of an alternative power supply either fuel cell or energy.

Any ideas, complaints, loves about a boat, getting towed behind it and moving around within the boat would be greatly appreciated. This information is crucial in my research phase for my boat concept.

I will be posting further information on this link with further questions. Thank you for your time.

New technology: ipod inputs/controls for the driver... and the passenger.

Sometimes you want to DJ, sometimes you want to just drive... would be very easy wire-up using two of the Harmon Kardon Drive & Play units, using the master's input jack... I've just been too lazy to do it.

Take one part Malibu Wakesetter...Add nothing and you have the perfect boat!!!!

I want an integrated ballast hose. I have integrated ballast, but I’m always filling up extra sacs for surfing or just to get some extra weight in the boat. So just like the retractable heater vent; I want a retractable, integrated ballast hose. I don’t know if that helps, but I think that would help “optimize” my boating experience.

This thread could get interesting. Start with hiding all the ballast and making the layout simple. A 22 foot boat that is entry level with a direct drive and all ballast hidden could be a sweet boat. Price it under or right at 20k and it could be awesome. And when i say hide ballast im talking about hiding like 2500 to 3000 pounds. Take out the weight and you trully have a crossover boat. People think that only vdrives can throw a wake. say the motor way 800 pounds (just a guess i dont know). Turn it from a vdrive to a direct drive and replace that 800 pounds in the back with more ballast and you now have the vdrive weight in the back and an extra 800 in the middle. In floor ballast through out the boat and youve got a wake machine and no sacks on the floor.

Rocky, my dealer came up with that idea for my boat but I never pulled the trigger. I think it would be an awesome thing to have that cuz no matter how much integrated ballast there is it seems like if you surf you're gonna be filling and extra sack here and there.

An easy folding tower that only takes one person is out there, but I think it's a must for my next boat. Digital ballast meters so that you can balance weight even when not filling completely.

if you want something truly innovative I think It would be cool to do all the engine components out of titanium. Make the propshaft titanium and the gorilla fins. Really when it comes to innovation all you need is the Chapparal Xtreme... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HA!!!!

Epic hull construction, MB ballast filling system, Mastercraft exterior, and Malibu interior

Forget alternative power supply (too expensive) and focus on increased efficiency (or diesel?)

Jason, what about a hydraulic folding tower. I don't know how much "bulk" that would add and it would be one more really expensive thing to break, but it could be pretty sweet.

An easy folding tower that only takes one person is out there, but I think it's a must for my next boat. Digital ballast meters so that you can balance weight even when not filling completely.

diesel is a good point, I know Europe's boats are all diesel. The tower collapsing with 1 person is a must as well. So an integrated ballast hose means just put a high GPM water pump on board. Correct? with retractable hose .

What about a rider/ driver communication system. If this boat were geared towards family, smaller children. release of tow rope alerts driver. Integrated video camera that can be relocated in boat capturing "the experience". Video camera just streams video by blue tooth to boat, where it is stored and can be replayed in the passenger console. with touch screen oled. Footage is removed through mem stick.

one more thing.... what about moving around on a boat. getting in and out of the water. What are the difficult points when it comes to getting back on board. I notice most dive platforms are at waterline, many have no ladder, so young bucks can get up easy but what about older boaters who wanna take a dip.

How about a new style ballast system. Right now you can get hard tanks or bags. How about an bellows style ballast system that would be almost flat when empty (with a hard surface top)- but could be filled up to the top of the rear storage compartment - this would give you the best of both the hard tanks and the additional capacity of the bags.

if you could use the potential energy of the water in your ballast to fold your tower at the end of the day... that would be innovative

What about an auto pilot boat trailer loader? Sensors on the boat and trailer would allow the boat to drive itself on the trailer. It could also latch and lock it to the trailer so the vehicle driver would never have to get out and get his feet wet. Loading your boat for some people can be stressful at times with wind, other boats, etc... Plus it would be very helpful for 1st time boat owners.

ooh i like the self trailering boat idea

here is an easy one -- Integrate GPS into a visual console display (e.g. MaliView). Shows GPS and allows for navigation and marking of dangerous (e.g. shallow) points.

Think Garmin style display integrated into the dash/console display.

Josh, I love the automated trailering concept.

I'll expand upon that. The new Lexus LS460 automatically parks itself. What if your boat could automatically dock itself? Coming into the dock at your favorite bar/restaurant on the water, hit a button and bam, it parks itself while you put your t-shirt and sandals on and get ready to step out.

Pop-up HD TV comes up from the ski locker and folds out with tracvision allows you to watch your favorite baseball/football games live while swimming around behind the boat. Or with a waterproof and floating keyboard, you could surf WW from behind your boat!

http://www.kvh.com/products/Product.asp?id=1


p.s. this is kind of stoopid. but a person could do it.

Sandals?

The intergrated fatsac fill system is available in Axis Boats.

Sounds like you are describing a 210 SANTE with
Titan tower.

Switchblades or wedges for each side of the transom, so that the boat leans for surfing!

find a way to move everything to the outside of the tower and it still look really good... head room is a must (i'm 6'3'') and i get tired of ducking under the tower

Lowend - sandals are something we wear on our feet here in America when we get out of the boat.

these are the ones i wear.

http://www1.reef.com/guys/productdetail/guys/footwear/sandals/RF-002457

The lexus you have to program what it does for the autopark if I remember correctly.
I wonder how diesel over hydraulic or diesel over electric for the drive system. That way you could run twin screws and have instant torque.
Wonder how much of a smaller motor you could run or the fact that you could place the motor in a out of the way position and the elec/ hyd motors would easily fit under the floor. Think of how easy it would be to dock/load a twin screw 20-23ft boat.

you don't have to program, it uses radar, but you do have to hit a button. it would be more complicated on water for sure...

twin screws would be neat for docking. what implications do you think twin screws would have on the wake?

I guess check out the x80. It's twin screw.

Or even setup a das like a small plc with to pull a multitude of data points along with controlling the ballast and speed.
Think of it full display/loggin of temps, of various places on the block, water inlet, after the trans cooler, inlet of raw water pump, outlet of pump, head temps, or exhaust temps. Program the amount of ballast for each rider along with speed and wedge angle. Think how nice it would be, touch "daniel" then under it touch wakeboard or surf and it fills or empties the ballast sets the wedge and waits for you to take off to set the correct speed.

(Message edited by cowwboy on February 02, 2009)

I really appreciate the input from everyone, I will be posting regularly.

daniel...yeah thats what I was thinking about, settings, features, temps, gps, everything. Its gonna be pretty dope when I get done with the details of the interface for the screen.

Will you be creating everything on your own or will you be using existing systems? I have been contemplating creating a small system for my old supra using A slc 500 and a medium sized panelview. But can't afford the cards new so having to lurk ebay. That and figuring out either how to get a inexpensive 4-20ma actuator for the speed control or get a converter to drive a servo motor.
Programming won't be to bad as I do some myself but work with I&C engineers and programmers all day.

One sec

I like the price point idea, making a v drive boat with all the essintials in the 20 to 30 range would be the biggest seller. Meaning perfect pass, ballast, speakers, tower,racks,everything that is on your supras,malibus, mastercraft etcetc.

make the boat self bailing for the nose dives.

what about a wedge type device for the bow? something that would pull the middle/front of the boat down in the water rather than just the back...

Make it out of aluminum, so that the hull will look great in ten years and I can beach it without fear. Deep V hull and lots of freeboard.

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quote:

make the boat self bailing for the nose dives.

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Those nose dives were one of the big reasons my dad sold our no-name-brand (Aztec) wake boat and the reason he will not look at a wake boat again. and we never ever put on extra ballast either. i could never convince him to put on extra ballast (on any boat) for that matter .

it would be nice if wake boats were more friendly to rough water and such. It would be nice to make them more resistant to taking on water rather than a self bailing. the only thing i can think of though would be to drastically change the appearance of the boats. the walls would have to extend higher, especially the nose, and then the captains seat and helm would have to be raised to see over the raised walls...... and then people would probably just start adding more weight (because they could) and we'd find ourselves back where we started ;)

(Message edited by wakerider111 on February 02, 2009)

oh ok.
in australia only gay men wear sandles.
we wear flip flops (although we call them thongs)

^^^^^ hahahhahahhaha.... whats the difference?

Make a boat without all the computer, chrome, and pro-audio that actually makes a decent wake without either breaking or having to add a bunch of sacs.

Or just copy an Epic.

ok, so I have what everyone wants out of a boat, what in a boat can be improved, besides ride quality..I know thats everyting there is when it comes to the sport, but think of the boat as more than an object to perform your sport, but as the center piece. How you INTERACT with the boat. moving around in the boat and accessing equipment is a huge factor as to how the boat will be designed. I am aware of water over the bow as it has happend plenty with me as I live on lake Michigan we get some big waves. How many of boaters experience water over the bow? How many live on a great lake or a lake that gets 2-4 footers and still wakeboard.

on 99-00 i believe the super air nautique had hand rails on the the side of the engine housing. I saw a pic of one with board racks mounted to these. This way you could get your board while on the back of the boat and put your board up while getting back in the boat.

Tower winch with built in speed control or stereo control! That would be sick. I hate yelling at the driver from 80 feet back.

I meant stereo control or speed control from the tow handle.

Yelling?

What about hand signals - thumb up = faster, thumb down = slower, cup ear then thumb up = stereo up, cup ear then thumb down = stereo down.

For those times when my crew is just not that into me I also have the H2Owaves remote that can control the stereo from 75' out.

How about a lead sled under the floor that moves left to right on a worm drive to balance the boat up.

Or another idea:
Super quick fill ballast that integrates to PP, dumps every time the rider falls so the boat can plane up using lower power, then fills rapidly once at riding speed.

Or this:
Exhaust exits through the bottom of the boat not the transom for quietness and monoxide poisoning.

What about a telescopic tower. You have your tower made with two titanium rods one inside the other, the outside is scalloped. when storing you you lower the inner one. Picture a jack on both sides of the boat, inclosed by an armidillo's armor. Cheaper way is to have somebody invent a way to replace the need of having a second person. Oh I got it, sorry off to the patent attorney.

sandle

thong

(Message edited by lowend on February 03, 2009)

other thong

I believe i have read a few posts in my WW history of people who wish the bow was better for puting sacs in and that they rarely use it for seating.

if the bow seats were removable i think this would help. Or even an integrated sac/ballast that fits in the cavety behind and under the seats instead of making it storage space. i think something along this line would improve both the ride and the interior? or maybe someone with ACTUAL EXPERIENCE (never weighted a boat before. I just know some basics) could elaborate and make this idea better?