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Rusten
02-02-2011, 03:19 PM
Has anyone ever pondered (or actually gone through with) having a retractable hinge made for the ski platform?

If I decide to go with the new boat, I'd like to fit a little more of it under our canopy, and the ski platform costs me 2' of space. Being that I'm pretty good with AutoCAD, I figured I'd whip up some plans and bring to a local welding shop -- but I thought I'd get some initial feedback here first, in case someone had already gone through the process or knows of one that can be purchased.

Thank you in advance!

sandm
02-02-2011, 03:31 PM
there are some that are made, but I believe the primary issue is with the wakeplate. it won't let it fold down all the way.

why not just remove it and store it alongside the boat or at the house? a protective bag to cover it for transport would be much cheaper and easier than what you are suggesting?

Razzman
02-02-2011, 05:50 PM
Is the platform touching the water when on the lift? If not just have a Sunbrella platform cover made for it and solve the problem.

Rusten
02-03-2011, 09:55 AM
Ed-
I'm a software developer, so the AutoCAD is more of a hobby, been working with it since college (pre-Windows version). I gave up on 3D tools like SolidWorks a long time ago -- I stick with the 2D plane for everything I do .. Reason being .. every time I would come back into the app, I would have to re-learn everything. I felt that apps like SolidWorks were just a little beyond the scope of a part-timer/hobbyist (or perhaps I just have a bad memory).

Regarding the folding ski-platform - Even with the protrusion (it will still have the 4" or so supports, and the wake-plate), it still buys me 1' closer to the back of the seawall. It's hard to explain, really .. imagine that we have a cut-out in a seawall, with a canopy over that .. that boat has to back all the way in, but some of the nose protrudes. If we move to an open-bow boat (our current boat is a Kanga), then I'd like to keep it pushed back a bit more .. one foot is worth the effort of fabrication, but not worth taking it off every time.

Going back to the question... Anyone seen anything like this before, or is there a product already on the market (I searched the 'net to no avail)?

mmandley
02-03-2011, 10:02 AM
These are the links people are refering to. Hope this helps out or at least you get the idea of a design. This is at least what i envision listening to you talk about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgKXGSf8uuI

http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=777893

yearround
02-03-2011, 11:34 AM
i had started talking to them about the folding platform for my 08 LSV, i think they sent me some drawings of the current bracket.

i am still interested, i would prefer a bracket that simply replces the current bracket. i think the folding OJ bracket needs to remove the existing bracket from the transom and install new holes in the transom.

good luck, show us what you come up with, if i could park the boat in my garage with folding the platform instead of removing, i would buy it.

wolfeman131
02-03-2011, 11:44 AM
Rusten, since you're just foolin' around with the CAD designs at this point, have you thought of having one that folds up instead of down? That way there wouldn't be an issue with the wakeplate. You could fabricate something that holds it in the up position and/or tie it off to the ski pylon to hold it in the up position.

kaneboats
02-03-2011, 12:28 PM
It would have to slide out away from the hull first or it can't fold up. No clearance going that way.

maxpower220
02-03-2011, 12:38 PM
Folding down is easy on that video when you are on the ground. If you boat is on the lift, you will want it to fold up. No matter which way it folds, it will have to pull away from the boat in it's first movement to assure stability for people walking on it.

snowboardcorey
02-03-2011, 01:31 PM
Sometimes you can remove the bolt in the wakeplate and replace it with a "cotter pin" or quick release piece allowing the plate to fold for better clearance of the platform when folded.

Rusten
02-04-2011, 10:14 AM
Wow, this is awesome information, thanks guys!

I would definitely have it fold up. I hadn't considered folding down, but now that it was mentioned, I better understand the comment about the wake plate. Fortunately that would be an issue in this case.

To get around the "first movement has to be out" concept (similar to frameless cabinetry), I believe that a hinge would be superior to that OJ design.

Simply put... If I were to use a 1/2-thick piece of steel flat-bar to mount to the boat, this would provide 1/2" of clearance before the hinge was mounted. Being that Moomba uses fiberglass platforms that are less than 1/2" thick (at the mounting point), there is no need for any further clearance.

When in lowered-position, the widened beams would butt to the 1/2" transom mounts, giving it the same support as the other designs/stock design. The only problem is that if I did not have a cotter-pin style setup, there would be movement when hitting wakes, etc -- causing excess wear/noise.

The trick is finding a way to lock-in to that position, where it can be locked-in/removed quickly.

With that in mind, the better solution may be to have a grooved transom mount, that simply allows the ski-platform beams to slide-in (rather than a folding setup). Although it would not be removable by a single person, because the uneven lift by a single person would not be sufficient for the tolerances of a tight channel.

Hmm...

Rusten
02-04-2011, 11:16 AM
Ed- Great points, you're absolutely correct!

I'm not exactly sure where to go to fab aluminum parts. I suppose I'd have to upgrade from a welding shop to a machine shop that has a plasma CNC or something?

Oh boy ... I'm not sure where I'll even begin to look for something like that..

sandm
02-04-2011, 11:30 AM
don't see your city(location) in the top, but any major city will have a fab shop. we have several here in a valley of 500,000. just have to poke around. it's not going to be cheap tho if you start talking cnc.

if you are interested in folding up, what about adding a permanent hinge that folds up, and when it is in the down position, it rests on the current blocking? hard to describe, but think of a door. when you close it, the hinge won't allow any further movement in that direction, but you can open it 270deg.

in the bubble
02-04-2011, 12:03 PM
Also. Make brackets so platform sits higher off the water so when you surf the corner does not hit the water to disturb the wake.

Mark

sandm
02-04-2011, 12:31 PM
the tige guy on wakeworld did some tests with this in mind and iirc, the conclusions were that the platform actually helps the wake by dragging in it. removing the platform screwed the surfwake up.

Rusten
02-04-2011, 06:13 PM
I'm down in Palm Beach County. There should be several, I suppose, but I'm not sure how I would evaluate one versus another. I suppose I'll just go through the Internet yellow pages and start calling / emailing my plans.

@sandm - what you're describing is exactly what I was proposing. I only problem with this approach is that it can flap up. In other words, the intrinsic stops (transom mount) will support it from going down -- but when hitting a wake/etc -- it would flap up. Perhaps that's not such a big deal. If not, I think we've got it licked!

Rusten
02-05-2011, 09:06 PM
Ed, I had no idea you did this stuff professionally, that's awesome!

I'll take you up on that offer for sure, once I've got a design I'm happy with.

Thanks so much!