I turned off the Max Autowake and couldn't be happier.

[flienlow]

Quick recap:
Max Demo- Go out on the boat with dealer....I thought the best wave looked like we were in a 12ft aluminum boat with a 10hp kicker on it.
I was going to pass on buying the Max.

Forum members and FB groups assure me the Max throws a wave with Midship ballast. -I bite and order the Max.

Dealer sets up boat and I bring it home. The wave is....Umkay sprinkled with disappointment.

I read Matt Brown's post. ( or Most of it.) - lengthy with explanation
but little information on what I should do.

I fiddle with other forum memebers settings. But once again...Ho Humm.

Powered by Coors Light, I make a command decision as the Captain to Simply disengage Autowake.

And then........ It happened.

To my Shock and Awe. I witnessed the North Shore of Hawaii erupt from the back of my boat. "Satan!"I exclaimed. But no.. It was A HUGE playful,lovable wall of water that you just want to pet and give some happy Disney name to that emerged. Let's call him "Pushy" the wave. Pushy was so much fun that I didn't want to get back in the boat. I was Bogartting Pushy to be honest, but its my boat, so eat shit. It was just me and pushy having fun in the sun. After Several minutes of eye rollings and "C'mon Man's!" I had to say goodbye to Pushy and watch him go back into the Lake. -Till we meet again Pushy...Till we meet again.

And Then I knew I was on to something When old Man Jetski-John who typically has something to bitch about came up us bitching that my wave Knocked a lady off her feet while she stood on her floating dock. - I smile internally while humoring him about the misfortune. "Pushy" has a dark side or so it appears.
Anyway. We Just wrapped the weekend up on the lake today, and Me and Pushy were once again reunited.

It is becoming quite simple. Fat Friends on the Surf side and full ballast. So tell me...Why do I want this damn thing draining my ballast and making my wave Smaller again?

Most certainly I am missing something in all fairness, but at least I am finally stoked on my 80k investment. I am sure I didn't have a $180k wave, but I was more than happy with what I had.

[oldsmobiledriver]

Pics or it didn’t happen....


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[FamilyMan]

I also never use autowake. I just fill it up and go. At most I change the plates to clean up the wave based on how many people I have in the boat. Usually, its just me and my wife or buddy so standard plate settings work (and also keep the center plate under 20).

[haknslash]

Glad to hear you're enjoying your Max now.

Anytime I've tried AutoWake it was bleh. I think it's really meant to be used if you actually have a large size crew onboard. Idk. I've tried to fiddle with it and see it try to achieve "green" AutoWake status but so far I haven't had a crew onboard large enough to use it now that I'm done with break-in. I've read the long AutoWake thread and somewhat understand the principles of it but I just don't see it...yet. Maybe one day when I have a ton of people onboard it will be this amazing, consistent wave making feature but for now it seems manual mode if best way to shape a wave. YMMV

Anyways, glad to hear and got any pics lol?

[Matt0520]

Manual for surfing, autowake for wakeboarding [emoji1362]


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[parrothd]

Manual for surfing, autowake for wakeboarding [emoji1362]


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Autowake for the win, like any tool you have to know how to use it. I didn't use it for my first 150hrs cuz I didn't read the posts and apply it. Now 100% autowake.

Next time you have that great wave flip on autowake and record the pitch and roll you like. Then set autowake to those numbers for the next time. Helps if you fill all ballast, then do a test run, turn on autowake then move ballast poeple to achieve the pitch roll you want. That way you get max ballast. It'll keep the pitch roll even when people move or as you burn fuel. :)

[dakota4ce]

I don’t understand sitting and watching autowake drain ballast and not doing something about it. It’s clearly trying to raise that side up so throw more weight in the opposite side and beat it to the punch. And keep all your ballast. It tells you what to do.


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[larry_arizona]

Don’t give up on autowake, it works great and probably the best system out there.

As others have said, fill ballast first to maximize weight, then move people to surf side or bow.

It’s an impressive system once you understand it.

And if you find a set up you like, save it in autowake.


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[flienlow]

I don’t understand sitting and watching autowake drain ballast and not doing something about it. It’s clearly trying to raise that side up so throw more weight in the opposite side and beat it to the punch. And keep all your ballast. It tells you what to do.

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Well...I am keeping all my ballast by not using it? Do I need to add more roll to the boat?

[larry_arizona]

Well...I am keeping all my ballast by not using it? Do I need to add more roll to the boat?

Example....... fill ballast 100%, move your passengers to slightly bias the surf side, turn autowake on and let her eat.

I get autowake telling me where to add weight. I tend to get the alarm to add bow weight. The beauty of autowake is it tells you what to do.

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[flienlow]

Example....... fill ballast 100%, move your passengers to slightly bias the surf side, turn autowake on and let her eat.

I get autowake telling me where to add weight. I tend to get the alarm to add bow weight. The beauty of autowake is it tells you what to do.

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Question. What if Autowake is not setup correctly? I don't know what the stock Autowake settings are, my boat was "Tuned" by the dealer. In the past Autowake wanted more Port weight, when all passengers were on the Port side. It drained the starboard tank, our wake was shit. I am sure these are issue that can be figured out though.

It seems like I should just keep all my ballast and roll the boat with the surf plates?

[larry_arizona]

I can’t speak to the MAX autowake settings, but out of the box my SA autowake settings rock.

I know the SC engineers spent a lot of time dialing in the factory presets.

But I understand the urge to go old school when a factory preset doesn’t produce what you want.

I do think SC needs to provide a Autowake tutorial manual and or videos. It’s an incredible tech tool, but most don’t understand it.

SC needs to dedicate and Engineering intern to write the manual


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[dakota4ce]

Question. What if Autowake is not setup correctly? I don't know what the stock Autowake settings are, my boat was "Tuned" by the dealer. In the past Autowake wanted more Port weight, when all passengers were on the Port side. It drained the starboard tank, our wake was shit. I am sure these are issue that can be figured out though.

It seems like I should just keep all my ballast and roll the boat with the surf plates?

You should need roughly 9 degrees nose up and 3.5 roll to regular and around 5 goofy. That’s a pretty decent setup for this running surface. Even if Autowake doesn’t have those angles inputted, just change them to that. Those are the basic ideal angles.

Rolling with plate tends to lift the boat a bit....but that’s one way to work toward it. I like to get the angles correct, be sunk as far as possible, and use as little plate as it takes to form a wave.

Auto awake itself is a pretty darn cool system even if you don’t use it all the time. But it’s definitely not useless.


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[dakota4ce]

You would definitely want to calibrate the system properly.


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[jason1973]

I really wish there was more info on how to use it. I will admit i am complete unfamiliar with how to use it but tried it for the first time this past week. I have a mondo with upgraded 750s in the back lockers, along with the 500 front bag and 500 centertank. I could not get a wave with any push. The wave looked great but when i surfed it, it was soft and couldn't vacate the rope. i think the center plate was hurting the wave. it was at 75 or higher for most of the session.

[Matt0520]

I really wish there was more info on how to use it. I will admit i am complete unfamiliar with how to use it but tried it for the first time this past week. I have a mondo with upgraded 750s in the back lockers, along with the 500 front bag and 500 centertank. I could not get a wave with any push. The wave looked great but when i surfed it, it was soft and couldn't vacate the rope. i think the center plate was hurting the wave. it was at 75 or higher for most of the session.

That is for sure. WP 0-15 is how you'll get most of the push. 10.8-11. Over 11 if you want to try to length a little bit has worked for me.

Wakeplate at over 15 is 'lifting' the back of the boat out of the water too much and not letting that lower edge cut into the water to start the wave.

[BlueMoombaMax]

I did the same thing this weekend and finally got a good wave. I read through all of Matts comments about the autowake, but there is no replacement for displacement and that is part of what I was missing. I had full ballast, with #200 lead weight on surf side, #100 on starboard and #100 in front most storage area. Surf plate at 65, smartplate at 25 and speed at 11 mph, and I didnt have to pump my freaking face off to stay in the pocket. I did feel like the bow was stilling pretty low in the water and when it got real choppy I was concerned that it might take on some water. Whats your weight set up like?

[csm]

Autowake for the win, like any tool you have to know how to use it. I didn't use it for my first 150hrs cuz I didn't read the posts and apply it. Now 100% autowake.

Next time you have that great wave flip on autowake and record the pitch and roll you like. Then set autowake to those numbers for the next time. Helps if you fill all ballast, then do a test run, turn on autowake then move ballast poeple to achieve the pitch roll you want. That way you get max ballast. It'll keep the pitch roll even when people move or as you burn fuel. :)

I think this hits the nail on the head. If you have a wave that you love, flip on AW and note your actual pitch and roll, and make those your default settings. Then it’s repeatable, which I think is AW’s main purpose.


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[flienlow]

I think this hits the nail on the head. If you have a wave that you love, flip on AW and note your actual pitch and roll, and make those your default settings. Then it’s repeatable, which I think is AW’s main purpose.


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So you are telling me that If I am running the boat with Cruise Control ON with all my 2 sandwich eating friends on the Surf side. I can then switch on Autowake and it will be display the Current pitch and roll of the boat??

[LAwake]

I don’t understand sitting and watching autowake drain ballast and not doing something about it. It’s clearly trying to raise that side up so throw more weight in the opposite side and beat it to the punch. And keep all your ballast. It tells you what to do.


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THIS........
This isn't directed any any one person, just a general statement. It's really quite simple when you actually take the time to learn how to use the tool. Matt Brown spent a considerable amount of time explaining AW and how to use it so there's very little excuse to not understand it. Can you create your wave manually, absolutely. But AW is also useful when you actually take the time to understand how it works and why it does what it does. If you let it drain your ballast then you clearly don't understand the system.

Do I think Skier's Choice dropped the ball on letting consumers know how to use it properly, absolutely. Do I think that the most useful info from the AW thread needs to be in a printed format and included in all future SC boat sales, absolutely..

[LAwake]

So you are telling me that If I am running the boat with Cruise Control ON with all my 2 sandwich eating friends on the Surf side. I can then switch on Autowake and it will be display the Current pitch and roll of the boat??

Yes it sure will. While in cruise, hit the bottom left button, it will activate AW and the symbol will go from ON to the AW symbol. It will then display your set points and your actual current values. I think you have like 10 seconds maybe before AW ACTUALLY engages and starts making changes. All you have to do is flip any of your ballast fill/drain toggle switches and it automatically takes you back to CRUISE ON. AW never has a chance to activate. This allows you to manually check your values and see where you can make moves to achieve your desired PITCH and ROLL without AW changing anything.

[NewbFam5]

I was talking to my local dealer about this and was told the biggest issue with AW is that many of the dealers don't know how to train the customer on it. He said it is fantastic when it is working properly but if the dealer doesn't calibrate the inclinometer and the walk the owner through the process, train with them on the water and make sure there are not outstanding questions then a lot of people turn if off because it is frustrating. It sounds like SC is working on tightening the dealer network a bit so more reputable dealers are selling more boats and the 1's and 2's boat sellers per year will be phased out. I think this helps the consumer. Ultimately if you are not using it I would suggest going back to the dealer and asking them to spend time with you on your boat on the water training you. This should be the case with any boat in my opinion. That is one reason I have ruled out Centurion, the dealer just wants to sell me a boat, any boat. The Malibu/Axis and Supra/Moomba dealer, same store, guys have all said they will spend a day or two on the boat with me to help me learn how to set it up to get a great wake for us.

[flienlow]

I would advise caution on ruling out Centurion. They throw a Savage wake.

[larry_arizona]

I would advise caution on ruling out Centurion. They throw a Savage wake.

Centurion Ri’s are badass. But our local dealer struggles moving them.

I think part of the problem is a 38” draft compared to 28” on a Supra.

I know the lake that our centurion dealer is on has a shallow ramp and it’s a short cement pad.

I know I have to put my Supra trailer right at the rear of the pad to get it off, I honestly don’t know how they put Centurions in.




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[jason1973]

Centurion Ri’s are badass. But our local dealer struggles moving them.

I think part of the problem is a 38” draft compared to 28” on a Supra.

I know the lake that our centurion dealer is on has a shallow ramp and it’s a short cement pad.

I know I have to put my Supra trailer right at the rear of the pad to get it off, I honestly don’t know how they put Centurions in.




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i would agree with this. Especially in some wisc lakes. 36" or higher draft is just not possible. I looked at Supreme when i was buying a new boat. Liked the styling of it, but draft is way too much.

[parrothd]

Yes it sure will. While in cruise, hit the bottom left button, it will activate AW and the symbol will go from ON to the AW symbol. It will then display your set points and your actual current values. I think you have like 10 seconds maybe before AW ACTUALLY engages and starts making changes. All you have to do is flip any of your ballast fill/drain toggle switches and it automatically takes you back to CRUISE ON. AW never has a chance to activate. This allows you to manually check your values and see where you can make moves to achieve your desired PITCH and ROLL without AW changing anything.

This....Then take those numbers and set Autowake to use them then leave it on, it'll keep that wave.. :)

[goose]

Hey guys. I read most of this post and just wanted to let you know that I put the "printable" tips of the day on the sticky AutoWake post in the Sales forum.

I also appreciate the feedback and the support on this forum. The truth is we love the feedback even if it isn't the best news. A LOT of our improvements and changes come directly from customer feedback so if you are not telling us what you don't like, we may not know. In regards to AutoWake, I think if you read my tips of the day in consecutive order and read the last post I made about it, it might change your expectations of AutoWake and how we think you should use it or learn to use it. And as with everything in our boats, we know every design is NOT intended for everyone. We know that no matter what, some people are just not going to use or like AutoWake. And that's fine. And then on the other end, there are those that will love it and use it all the time. And then of course, you have the middle group that uses it some, uses it some for just pitch and roll display, and all of that is exactly what we expect. My hope with the tips of the day was mainly to educate EVERYONE about what all it can do. Then, once you understand that, use it how you like. We are trying our best to design it so that you can use it in multiple ways. I have also said this many times, but while I do think AutoWake is awesome, I also think it is still in the infant stage. Most people have no clue about how much technology we are actually putting in the boat and the potential this system has. Our hope is to develop a little more every year and in 10 years from now there is no telling what it will do. But, between now and then, just keep giving us your input. And we will try our best to listen.

[LAwake]

Hey guys. I read most of this post and just wanted to let you know that I put the "printable" tips of the day on the sticky AutoWake post in the Sales forum.

I also appreciate the feedback and the support on this forum. The truth is we love the feedback even if it isn't the best news. A LOT of our improvements and changes come directly from customer feedback so if you are not telling us what you don't like, we may not know. In regards to AutoWake, I think if you read my tips of the day in consecutive order and read the last post I made about it, it might change your expectations of AutoWake and how we think you should use it or learn to use it. And as with everything in our boats, we know every design is NOT intended for everyone. We know that no matter what, some people are just not going to use or like AutoWake. And that's fine. And then on the other end, there are those that will love it and use it all the time. And then of course, you have the middle group that uses it some, uses it some for just pitch and roll display, and all of that is exactly what we expect. My hope with the tips of the day was mainly to educate EVERYONE about what all it can do. Then, once you understand that, use it how you like. We are trying our best to design it so that you can use it in multiple ways. I have also said this many times, but while I do think AutoWake is awesome, I also think it is still in the infant stage. Most people have no clue about how much technology we are actually putting in the boat and the potential this system has. Our hope is to develop a little more every year and in 10 years from now there is no telling what it will do. But, between now and then, just keep giving us your input. And we will try our best to listen.

Matt, I appreciate the fact that you are part of the discussion on here and you engage in the dialogue. The biggest impression I've had from SC is that you're on here and you're taking the feed"back" to the company and trying to improve on an already great product. I have to be honest and say that I was given zero information on AW when I bought my boat so I didn't use it or buy into the program until I came across the AW post. I spent a considerable amount of time reading and trying to understand the technology. Now the people in my boat get tired of me moving them around trying to dial things in a little better while I anticipate how AW will react. It's actually quick fun working with the AW system instead of fighting it. It's a tool and just has to be used properly to get the best results.

It may already be in the works and I'm sure it's already been suggested but a booklet containing the main points and *TIPS* you've posted before would be an excellent addition to an owner's package and would educate new owners as well as eliminate a lot of the misconceptions about AW.

[jason1973]

i agree, more "how to" is needed. A road map to setting up the system up. My dealer said, just fill the ballast and turn on autowake. He said its the best advice he can give.

[KnoxMojo]

Hey guys. I read most of this post and just wanted to let you know that I put the "printable" tips of the day on the sticky AutoWake post in the Sales forum.

I also appreciate the feedback and the support on this forum. The truth is we love the feedback even if it isn't the best news. A LOT of our improvements and changes come directly from customer feedback so if you are not telling us what you don't like, we may not know. In regards to AutoWake, I think if you read my tips of the day in consecutive order and read the last post I made about it, it might change your expectations of AutoWake and how we think you should use it or learn to use it. And as with everything in our boats, we know every design is NOT intended for everyone. We know that no matter what, some people are just not going to use or like AutoWake. And that's fine. And then on the other end, there are those that will love it and use it all the time. And then of course, you have the middle group that uses it some, uses it some for just pitch and roll display, and all of that is exactly what we expect. My hope with the tips of the day was mainly to educate EVERYONE about what all it can do. Then, once you understand that, use it how you like. We are trying our best to design it so that you can use it in multiple ways. I have also said this many times, but while I do think AutoWake is awesome, I also think it is still in the infant stage. Most people have no clue about how much technology we are actually putting in the boat and the potential this system has. Our hope is to develop a little more every year and in 10 years from now there is no telling what it will do. But, between now and then, just keep giving us your input. And we will try our best to listen.

Still hoping you'll come hop on board one day with me, lol... but I agree, I use the auto wake screen all the time to get the boat how I want. Great tool even if I don't have the system activated.

[Kxmoomba]

Autowake for the win, like any tool you have to know how to use it. I didn't use it for my first 150hrs cuz I didn't read the posts and apply it. Now 100% autowake.

Next time you have that great wave flip on autowake and record the pitch and roll you like. Then set autowake to those numbers for the next time. Helps if you fill all ballast, then do a test run, turn on autowake then move ballast people to achieve the pitch roll you want. That way you get max ballast. It'll keep the pitch roll even when people move or as you burn fuel. :)

Same here, we tired, we failed and just did our own thing.. Got about 70 hours on the boat and I spent a lot of time reading here and thought I finally understood. It got better... but I needed time to play with it.100 hours later I read it again and BAM, we wont go back to not using it now. Even reading through this thread I learned a couple little new things and understand even more. Now onto the tips of the day thread!

[flienlow]

Hey guys. I read most of this post and just wanted to let you know that I put the "printable" tips of the day on the sticky AutoWake post in the Sales forum......

Goose- First a big thanks for all your help and contributions.

I do have a question. From what I can tell the only way to adjust roll access in autowake is in the user menu autowake settings. Why is this? Speed control and pitch are both simplistic, however the roll access adjustment is very cumbersome especially while driving. Is it not meant to be "tweaked" while underway?

It seems I have a "better looking" wave it AW on. However, the best surfing wave at least to me has been with it off. I tend to like a shorter, taller wave. AW seems to drain a lot of the ballast. Perhaps we should keep the boat more center balanced??
I am guilty of my trying new roll settings too.

a few vids.


Here is what I consider to be the best wave I have had. We had about 10 people on board.
AW-OFF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oebNFZm6VBE

- This wave is bigger than it looks, the water was a little choppy so it ts not all that clean looking.


This is a different day. We had AW-ON.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuKGmKmo5yU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V5TFQbAaUU

The wave seems a little smaller

[parrothd]

Goose- First a big thanks for all your help and contributions.

I do have a question. From what I can tell the only way to adjust roll access in autowake is in the user menu autowake settings. Why is this? Speed control and pitch are both simplistic, however the roll access adjustment is very cumbersome especially while driving. Is it not meant to be "tweaked" while underway?

It seems I have a "better looking" wave it AW on. However, the best surfing wave at least to me has been with it off. I tend to like a shorter, taller wave. AW seems to drain a lot of the ballast. Perhaps we should keep the boat more center balanced??
I am guilty of my trying new roll settings too.

a few vids.


Here is what I consider to be the best wave I have had. We had about 10 people on board.
AW-OFF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oebNFZm6VBE

- This wave is bigger than it looks, the water was a little choppy so it ts not all that clean looking.


This is a different day. We had AW-ON.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuKGmKmo5yU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V5TFQbAaUU

The wave seems a little smaller

Re-read this thread, especially the tips.

[haknslash]

Those a nice vids flienlow and thanks for sharing your settings. Going to give them a try. I can’t remember or keep up with everyone’s setup but did you add midship ballast in those videos or still stock?

BTW you gotta update your sig homie ;)

[flienlow]

Those a nice vids flienlow and thanks for sharing your settings. Going to give them a try. I can’t remember or keep up with everyone’s setup but did you add midship ballast in those videos or still stock?

BTW you gotta update your sig homie ;)

I managed to squeeze in My wakemaker's 1100lb bags from my LSV in the midship lockers. They do not fill all the way, but I think I am getting around 800 a side.
I find it so strange how one day you have a boat load of people and the wake is unreal. Then the next you have just about the same crew and it's just not there. We went out yesterday and had a great time, but the wave was not quite there. I do love this boat a LOT more than my lsv. I just need to figure out the consistency. The max is very capable.

[goose]

Hey man. If you want you can email me at work for more details, but on first glance I see a few things that might can answer some of your questions.

First of all, on the home screen, the actual pitch is the numbers on the outside. The numbers on the inside are the "set" numbers. That means the boat is trying to get to that, but if that inside number is orange, that means it hasn't gotten there yet, if it is green it has gotten there and ballast is holding steady, and if red then it doesn't think it can get there. Again, I know we haven't been great about explaining that, but that alone answers some of the questions in the videos.

Again, I can't see everything in the video, but it appears in the first video, you are actually running about 8.5 pitch on first glance at screen and looks like close to 9 before you switch AW off. When you turn AW off, you can see that you are running 100, 100, 100, so in the first video you have maximized ballast in all 3 compartments and obviously you have dialed in the passenger location because you are running close to the desired pitch and roll that matches the set numbers of 9 and -3.5. The reason the wave is so good is because you really have everything as optimized as much as possible and that is the goal of AutoWake.

On the second video, on the first glance at screen, you are actually running 7.5 pitch and -2.5 roll. With the lower pitch, that means the wave will be longer. With the less roll, that means you will have a less steep wave. So, in just pitch and roll alone, I can see why you think the second wave might not be as good from a shape standpoint.

On the third video, it looks like you are back to about 9 and -3.5 so the shape should be back to about where it should be, but I noticed on that screen that you are running 65% on the port plate and 25% on the center plate. The 65% is another factor throwing you off. The default would be 60% so the 5% is not far off, but like someone said if you read in the tips of the day, you would probably find that a much lower % would give you the shape I think you are looking for. Again, read the tips, but someday run the same setup, turn off AW, and adjust that plate up and down. You will find that if you moved that plate to 50 or maybe even 40, the steepness would greatly improve and if you looking for a shorter taller wave, then less plate might be more preferred for you.

The last thing is I can tell you don't have GPS. On the first video you can see it says "paddlewheel cruise". Not sure if you know, but paddlewheels are extremely inconsistent. You really need to make sure your speed is correct. I doubt you are actually doing 9.8mph in the first video and 10.6 in the second. But once you get it dialed, speed also makes a huge difference. The faster you go, the longer and smaller the wave. The slower you go, the taller and shorted the wave. Another thing that probably no one has picked up on is with a paddlewheel, at surf speeds, because of the location of the pickup, surfing port or surfing stbd actually changes the accuracy of the paddlewheel. If you don't believe me, try it. When you surf port, I think it actually displays the speed faster and surfing stbd is displays slower. The point is, doublecheck the accuracy of your speed if you have paddlewheel and check it port and stbd. It really doesn't matter if it isn't accurate because it is relative to what you like, but if all your friends are surfing at 11.2 and you are surfing at 9.8, that doesn't really mean you are surfing slower, it just means you speedo is showing a slower speed. I bet in those videos you are really going closer to 10.7-11. At a true 9.8 you would probably not have a wave that long...

Last thing that ALWAYS is most critical is displacement. On one of the videos, you can see the amplitude display is maxed. But you can't trust that when the boat is moving. You have to check amplitude when the boat is sitting still and not rocking. Also, you might doublecheck that the draft sensor is not too high. That is not in the tips, but if you are in a boat with only 1 passenger, no ballast, and the amplitude is much higher than the very bottom, then that means you draft sensor might be mounted a bit low. If you find that to be a problem, let me know and I can help. But when the amplitude is dialed in, that is typically the major factor in wave shape and size. Trust me, it is not a linear thing. Once you get to a certain point in displacement, adding 500-700 lbs can almost double the wave "feel" and "push". And without the amplitude display, it is hard to really know if you are 500 heavier or 500 lighter. If you are not running the exact same amount of fuel, passengers, gear, etc, you really don't know how much weight you have. In one of the videos you are almost out of gas. In another you are full. That is the equivalent of having one extra adult on board. That stuff adds up quick.

Ok, that is just some of the things I noticed. Again, I think if you go back and read all the tips, experiment with flow plate location, and watch amplitude displacement, I think you will find that even if you don't love AutoWake, it can help you understand why things are different such as wave shape and size. And hopefully as you learn how all that works, you can get to where you are duplicating the exact same wave in the first video everytime....

Hope that makes sense.

The last thing I will comment on is it appears the girl in the video is having a blast. And that is the main thing. As with anything, I think sometimes we as adults try and make everything perfect, but that girl seems to be having a blast with the rollers, not perfect conditions, and really that is the best part. Glad to see you are having a great time in your boat. Hopefully some of these tips will keep you happy and entertained everytime!!

[parrothd]

Hey man. If you want you can email me at work for more details, but on first glance I see a few things that might can answer some of your questions.

First of all, on the home screen, the actual pitch is the numbers on the outside. The numbers on the inside are the "set" numbers. That means the boat is trying to get to that, but if that inside number is orange, that means it hasn't gotten there yet, if it is green it has gotten there and ballast is holding steady, and if red then it doesn't think it can get there. Again, I know we haven't been great about explaining that, but that alone answers some of the questions in the videos.

Again, I can't see everything in the video, but it appears in the first video, you are actually running about 8.5 pitch on first glance at screen and looks like close to 9 before you switch AW off. When you turn AW off, you can see that you are running 100, 100, 100, so in the first video you have maximized ballast in all 3 compartments and obviously you have dialed in the passenger location because you are running close to the desired pitch and roll that matches the set numbers of 9 and -3.5. The reason the wave is so good is because you really have everything as optimized as much as possible and that is the goal of AutoWake.

On the second video, on the first glance at screen, you are actually running 7.5 pitch and -2.5 roll. With the lower pitch, that means the wave will be longer. With the less roll, that means you will have a less steep wave. So, in just pitch and roll alone, I can see why you think the second wave might not be as good from a shape standpoint.

On the third video, it looks like you are back to about 9 and -3.5 so the shape should be back to about where it should be, but I noticed on that screen that you are running 65% on the port plate and 25% on the center plate. The 65% is another factor throwing you off. The default would be 60% so the 5% is not far off, but like someone said if you read in the tips of the day, you would probably find that a much lower % would give you the shape I think you are looking for. Again, read the tips, but someday run the same setup, turn off AW, and adjust that plate up and down. You will find that if you moved that plate to 50 or maybe even 40, the steepness would greatly improve and if you looking for a shorter taller wave, then less plate might be more preferred for you.

The last thing is I can tell you don't have GPS. On the first video you can see it says "paddlewheel cruise". Not sure if you know, but paddlewheels are extremely inconsistent. You really need to make sure your speed is correct. I doubt you are actually doing 9.8mph in the first video and 10.6 in the second. But once you get it dialed, speed also makes a huge difference. The faster you go, the longer and smaller the wave. The slower you go, the taller and shorted the wave. Another thing that probably no one has picked up on is with a paddlewheel, at surf speeds, because of the location of the pickup, surfing port or surfing stbd actually changes the accuracy of the paddlewheel. If you don't believe me, try it. When you surf port, I think it actually displays the speed faster and surfing stbd is displays slower. The point is, doublecheck the accuracy of your speed if you have paddlewheel and check it port and stbd. It really doesn't matter if it isn't accurate because it is relative to what you like, but if all your friends are surfing at 11.2 and you are surfing at 9.8, that doesn't really mean you are surfing slower, it just means you speedo is showing a slower speed. I bet in those videos you are really going closer to 10.7-11. At a true 9.8 you would probably not have a wave that long...

Last thing that ALWAYS is most critical is displacement. On one of the videos, you can see the amplitude display is maxed. But you can't trust that when the boat is moving. You have to check amplitude when the boat is sitting still and not rocking. Also, you might doublecheck that the draft sensor is not too high. That is not in the tips, but if you are in a boat with only 1 passenger, no ballast, and the amplitude is much higher than the very bottom, then that means you draft sensor might be mounted a bit low. If you find that to be a problem, let me know and I can help. But when the amplitude is dialed in, that is typically the major factor in wave shape and size. Trust me, it is not a linear thing. Once you get to a certain point in displacement, adding 500-700 lbs can almost double the wave "feel" and "push". And without the amplitude display, it is hard to really know if you are 500 heavier or 500 lighter. If you are not running the exact same amount of fuel, passengers, gear, etc, you really don't know how much weight you have. In one of the videos you are almost out of gas. In another you are full. That is the equivalent of having one extra adult on board. That stuff adds up quick.

Ok, that is just some of the things I noticed. Again, I think if you go back and read all the tips, experiment with flow plate location, and watch amplitude displacement, I think you will find that even if you don't love AutoWake, it can help you understand why things are different such as wave shape and size. And hopefully as you learn how all that works, you can get to where you are duplicating the exact same wave in the first video everytime....

Hope that makes sense.

The last thing I will comment on is it appears the girl in the video is having a blast. And that is the main thing. As with anything, I think sometimes we as adults try and make everything perfect, but that girl seems to be having a blast with the rollers, not perfect conditions, and really that is the best part. Glad to see you are having a great time in your boat. Hopefully some of these tips will keep you happy and entertained everytime!!

Think one big missing point is water depth, needs to over 10feet.

[flienlow]

Think one big missing point is water depth, needs to over 10feet.

@Parrothd- YES! We change course to avoid the shallow areas.

@Goose. Thank you so much for your time. I did read all of your tips of the days the day, and your last post here helps a bunch too.

Some take aways.
1 you guys did the research, defaults are probably best, deltas from that should be minimal.
2 the challenge for the driver seems to be keeping AW from dumping ballast. - Fill ballast full, arrange crew and gear evenly, set surfing to manual and adjust pitch, speed, and people, until wave is looking favorable. Once achieved, flip on AW to get real time settings and then use those setting in AW. If they are far off default settings something may be a miss. Hence try to set the attitude up so ballast dumping will be minimal.
3. I need to look at the draft sensors. - where do I find more information? what it looks like, where its located, how to adjust.
4. I Need to burn some gas in a manual mode and simply get more accustom to adjusting the display and wake settings.


Question- Whether I have 1000lbs of ballast, or 10,000lbs is the best shape of the wave achieve by that -3.5 roll setting? In other words If you were to magically roll the boat 90 degrees left. The Prop be half out of the water, and the starboard hull would be straight up in the air. Obviously this wont work, so by rolling it back down to -3.5 +/- is that what we are after? How does more ballast relate to that?


and yes, you are correct. The daughter just loves the boat and going surfing, and this is something we enjoy together. I tell her all the time "not everybody gets this."

[LAwake]

Question- Whether I have 1000lbs of ballast, or 10,000lbs is the best shape of the wave achieve by that -3.5 roll setting? In other words If you were to magically roll the boat 90 degrees left. The Prop be half out of the water, and the starboard hull would be straight up in the air. Obviously this wont work, so by rolling it back down to -3.5 +/- is that what we are after? How does more ballast relate to that?

This is the same question I have. I'm running a small crew so I have a good bit of additional ballast.
I've always wondered:
1) if the stock roll setting would still apply
2) Is a higher roll, say 4-5, "more optimal" when you have more displacement?

The reason I ask is because once I get out of the boat to surf, whatever AW is set to, that's all I'm getting. My wife, bless her heart, does an excellent job of driving, picking up riders, and even docking but when it comes to altering settings based on how the wave looks or what I tell her I'm experiencing, FORGET it. So, in my case, AW is a tool that allows me to at least have some sort of a decent wave once I get my chance to get out of the driver's seat and into the water. I've just always wondered what the correlation is between maxed out ballast (bags, lead, fuel, crew, ect) and roll numbers.

[Prospersigman]

I would think that Goose and the Skiers Choice folks should have a "Ideal or Optimum" Pitch and Roll for each hull from the Moomba and Supra lineups. Surely the "ideal or optimum" pitch and roll cannot be the same for say a Craz to a SL or SE.

[parrothd]

I would think that Goose and the Skiers Choice folks should have a "Ideal or Optimum" Pitch and Roll for each hull from the Moomba and Supra lineups. Surely the "ideal or optimum" pitch and roll cannot be the same for say a Craz to a SL or SE.

The problem is user preference, skim vs surf, beginner vs advanced, everyone has different styles and setups. The defaults are good starting place..

[Prospersigman]

I might be wrong, but I thought all the defaults values were all set the to the same pitch and roll no matter which boat you had?

[dakota4ce]

To answer the earlier question, more displacement still really keeps the same default values as ideal. I use those numbers at all levels of displacement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LAwake]

To answer the earlier question, more displacement still really keeps the same default values as ideal. I use those numbers at all levels of displacement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! That's what I was wanting to get some feedback on.

[Frank C]

I emailed goose back and forth about adjusting pitch and roll since I added 1280lb rear and 720lb mids. Goose said 3.5 port and 5.0 starboard are to allow best general wave both sides AND allow a fast transfer if you like to cross from regular to goofy surfing. Goose said if we only surf regular we might benefit using 4.5 roll port (regular style) He also said since I complained about a tall, short wave, I could drop the pitch to lengthen the wave. Best to move people upfront rather than sacrifice rear ballast to drop the nose. Anyway, a litlle more roll by moving more people to the port side did increase the wave height and push. I think I need to add 500lb of lead to the front. Anyway, just what I heard from Matt and it helped.

[LAwake]

I emailed goose back and forth about adjusting pitch and roll since I added 1280lb rear and 720lb mids. Goose said 3.5 port and 5.0 starboard are to allow best general wave both sides AND allow a fast transfer if you like to cross from regular to goofy surfing. Goose said if we only surf regular we might benefit using 4.5 roll port (regular style) He also said since I complained about a tall, short wave, I could drop the pitch to lengthen the wave. Best to move people upfront rather than sacrifice rear ballast to drop the nose. Anyway, a litlle more roll by moving more people to the port side did increase the wave height and push. I think I need to add 500lb of lead to the front. Anyway, just what I heard from Matt and it helped.
Great info there, thanks for sharing that.