Today's Poll: Dragging Device

Is TAPS really a dragging device for making bigger wakes? I thought it either pushed the transom up for flatter wakes or raised up out of the way to let the transom sit naturally deeper in the water. I did not think it actually drags the hull into the water like the wedge does.

Your correct

I could be wrong, but the only "dragging device" that makes the wake bigger than what the boat naturally creates is the Wedge. TAPS just allows for a decreased wake.

Daniel

Same as the hydrolic wakeplate on the Supras and Moombas, wakeplate down pushes the back end up, lowering the bow and getting on a plane faster, wakeplate all the way up sits the boat in the water same way it would with no wakeplate at all. No real drag factor like the wedge, but more wake shaping ability and easier to get on a plane...

My SSV has the wakeplate, and I wasn't really thinking much of it when I got the boat. Now, I can't imagine not having it. It makes a huge difference in usability of the boat, especially in rough water.

At wakeboard speeds it changes the shape of the wake, round or peaky, and makes a huge difference in how the boat planes out. I think TAPS basically does the same thing.

With a little creativity you can have the best of both worlds. I added a "wing" to the bottom of my TAPS plate on my old Tige. It helped quite a bit in pulling the hull lower into the water. The boat was a 20' comp, so it needed a lot of help. The nice part was you could lower the plate and make the wing run parallel to the boat, creating no drag, on the fly.

I'm surprised the wakeplate hasn't ripped off by now, I wouldn't think it would be able to withstand the downward pressure...

Just a comment, but isn't that wakeplate designed for compressive type loads? It appears that by making a "wedge" out of it, you would be reverse loading the mounting points---therefore opening the door for some serious damage.

I made this over three years ago. I did reinforce the mounting point on the hinge after the first year and I never had a problem after that. If you notice the angle is very slight on the plate, so the drag wasn't severe like a wedge. The risers were only 3" long. It worked really well with ballast. I'm just showing an idea that worked for me. The theory can be criticized, but the reality worked.

Damn, that is pretty interesting and innovative John. That would be pretty incredible if Tige could build some sort of TAPS/Wedge combination.

Patent Law 101

They created the frst ever Convex V hull. Everyone should read up on that and find out how incredible it is. Taps is technology is worthless on any boat except a Tige because it uses the convex hull design technology which is truly state of the art. No other boat company has done anything like it. Seriously guys, read about it, it is amazing!

Tige's Convex V is better than any of the other brands so they are ahead of the game. Other boats use a hook hull designed for slalom skiing that is why they need wedges and such. TAPS gives you the option to do any sport, and it adjusts electronically. Its pretty cool stuff once you get into it.

You can read all the marketing material you want, you can listen to theory after theory, and you can be wowed and amazed at how it works. But eventually you will have to put the boat in the water and ride behind it!

They are good at Marketing
When the market caught on to the fact that the
ONLY thing that a bennet trim tab could do
is make the wake smaller then we got a new angel
CONVEX V.

Look I like the bennet trim tab on my Centurion
but when push comes to shove or like Tony says when you put the boat in the water all you can do is make the wake smaller


(Message edited by krbaugh on July 29, 2004)

TAPS is more for changing the shape of your wake, you can tweak it from a long transition wake(X-star) to more of a ramp wake(SANTE). It really won't change the size too much in the wakeboard range but it can really only serve to lift the back of your boat after that. John's device is GRREEEEEAT though. You should get a patent on that thing, you could possibly work with Bennet on a new offering (I have the card for the development guy somewhere, if you would like me to look for it). T.A.C.O. (the rub-rail people) are working coming out with a BIG ol WHALE fin for the transom. Sessions is testing it but...It is just HUGE. It has to weight 800lbs and it extends like 3 feet from the rear of the boat and at least a foot below the prop??? Kinda cool though, it moves with the boat and is said to help steering??? I'll try to scan a pic if anyone is interested in furthering this little thread

Chris - I want to see a pic. Sounds kinda ridiculous, but still worth looking.

The reverse foil is going to be an easy way to pull a boat lower in water. The ability to hydraulically adjust it would be nice (hint Malibu, put an actuater on)