Fresh Air Exhaust

[EAGER_BEAVER]

Hey all, I build the internal working components for water treatment plants for a living and I was thinking I would put my stainless welding skills to better use ;) by building a fresh air exhaust system.

I've read that these can be a real benefit for wake surfing and getting the poisonous gases away from the rider.

Of course I'm going to have to build a prototype (which in golf means "expensive") and have it tested and / if needed modified.

So if you're interested in testing this system then chime in here and we'll get some measurements figured out.

If you have some input as to what might make the system work best I'd love to hear from you.


Enjoy your long weekend :cool:

[spyder]

how would the weight be compared to a plastic type material used by FAE?

[EAGER_BEAVER]

Im thinking I would use schedule 10 stainless steel pipe. The piece shouldn't be very large or heavy. Not that weight would hurt the wake any. ;)
I don't expect the weight to be an issue on the bolts unless you made it too long (ie. too far below the hull) and created a lot of drag on it.

With using stainless I can polish it and make it MUCH prettier than PVC.

[EAGER_BEAVER]

Heres a few examples of whats out there. Im thinking of keeping it two seperate pipes and made from stainless.

[Razzman]

Hey we could always use alternatives right? I'm up for testing, i love being a guinea pig! I was going to put a FAE on next season anyway. :)

[pickle311]

Ed is correct, you need to look into the patent. On the other hand, every company needs competition in order to improve. I'm all for cometition, it's always better for the consumer. It drives the prices down and forces the companies to be inovative and make a better product in order to survive.

Ed, if you read his post, Im pretty sure he does not intend to rip off anyone. It appears that he sees a way to possibly improve what is already a great product. If it is done with 2 separate pipes like he describes, I seriously doubt he would run into any patent issues.

[TrickBoardz]

Imitation is the best form of flattery??? Perhaps, except where a patent has been issued!

First, FAE is made from stainless steel, not plastic.

Second, competition does not necessarily lead to innovation. The whole purpose of patent laws is that it allows someone to devote the time and money necessary to develop a new product. No one is going to devote the resources necessary if someone else can come along and STEAL their intellectual property before they ever have a chance to make a profit. Fresh Air Exhaust continues to innovate with improvements and new products. That is of course the American free enterprise system. Profit does lead to innovation.

While I’m on my soapbox, I will add that FAE (and Trick Boardz and several other products we are developing) are made in America, from mostly American made products, and will continue to be made in America. Some may call me naïve; I feel that it is patriotic and makes good economic sense. The absolute quickest and easiest way for America to pull out of the current economic doldrums would be if you, and our fellow citizens, would start looking for the “American Made” label. It is amazing to me how many times I’ve mentioned to someone that I am in manufacturing and the first thing they tell me is they know someone who knows someone in China.

That doesn’t mean that as manufacturers we should gouge the American consumer with higher prices due to our inefficiency. You can look at Detroit and see that business model doesn’t work (Toyota is now the number 1 in car sales). As a manufacturer I am constantly looking at ways to lower my costs so I can reduce (or hold) prices. I have suppliers and vendors in Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas that provide us with quality work and materials at prices competitive with foreign made products. If you want to help us keep our prices down and continue to support ingenuity, buy a Fresh Air Exhaust from the ONLY legitimate source.

By the way, 2 exhaust pipes into the water has already been done and doesn’t even come close to the performance of the FAE.

[EAGER_BEAVER]

By the way, 2 exhaust pipes into the water has already been done and doesn’t even come close to the performance of the FAE.




There you have it folks. Its already been tried and apparently 2 into 1 works better .... much to my surprise.


FTR, I never intended to run this project into a business. Having been there and done that with an entirely different business model in a different sport, I have no desire to lose money doing something else.

[smokedog2]

Ditto on the whole IP supports innovation, it does not hinder it concept. 50 years ago it was 80/20. American industry was 80% bricks & steel – 20% IP. Today, despite the Supreme Court and the Patent office, that number is reversed.
I work in technology transfer (T2). You cannot get a technology developed without at least some patent protection. New product development is often millions of dollars – eventually the investors (read VC firms) want their money back 
Very poorly discussed is the disclosure value of patents. One in 100 patents may be licensed or litigated but the rest represent a wealth of knowledge put out for the public to build upon. The radial guy and the tire guy, 9/10 times find a way to work together and build a product. Remove the patent protection and your VC money will disappear, the tire guy and the radial guy will have no incentive to cooperate but hide their discoveries as trade secrets – and Larry would be telling you titanium, you need to use titanium for an FAE.
That said, you will need to value your time at about $.10/hour to design and build an FAE yourself.

SD2

Oh -- if your engineering skill is so limited that you actually believed the FAE could be built from PVC, you should stop now before you and/or your boat are injured in this experiment.
PVC – that’s a hoot.

[smokedog2]

My bad - you were not the plastic guy
and don't take all this too seriously. If you decide to try & knock off Larry he probably will not sue you right away anyway

[SoTX]

If you decide to try & knock off Larry he probably will not sue you right away anyway

ROFLMMFAO.................................FAE Rules, Larry is a stand up guy with a great product!

[EAGER_BEAVER]

What? Only 3 of you? Come on. Theres gotta be a hundred of you at least that wanna jump on my nads for having (what I thought) might be an origonal idea.

Sheesh, remind me not to offer up free stuff to demo again.


May as well lock this one down. It was a waste of cyber space.

[yearround]

I have been following the thread, i would not say it is a waste of cyber, it has been quite informative. i did not think i would get a mini course on patent law from the site!

[maxpower220]

your in the waste water industry, eh? Mmmmmmm, I miss the smell of hydrogen sulfide in the morning.

I used to be a designer for U.S. Filter/Davis Process in Temecula, Ca working on odor control systems for waste water plants and lift stations.


Oh, I do miss the wine country.