Wake Plate Question ...

And I feel I must apologize to Sled too for rubbing in the warm water thingie! Just trying to show that going south gives you a Much longer boating season. :D Did you see the daily pic!?

Yep, liken those smiles on the kids faces. Keep up the good work Z :D

So, Sled
that is something I have wondered about.

How long is the season in WI?

Comming in of my sabbatical, I was surprised how many barefoot competitions are up north now. It seems like all the major events are up there too, instead of FL. Really surprised me

Bama,

On the river by my house there is a group of very hard core footers. They don't even invite you out unless your gonna foot. So I can hang with them after the morning sets, but in the morning if I show up with a ski I had better be trying to retrieve someithing valuable from the water with it, cause I obciously didn't show up to go out with them :D

My typical season will start in early to mid May and I can ski comforatably until around end of September. If I go Dry suit I could extend my season by a couple of weeks either way. All n all not bad considering what it was like growing up in North Western Ontario Canada :shock:

Yea, we like it smooth.

Footers and Wakeboards are bound to clash on occasions.

I was spoiled, I was in a group like the one on your river, 15 plus footers, so our sessions lasted a while when everone showed up but we got along with the other skiers. We skied early and late, left the water for everyone else in the middle.


Now my most hated vessel on the water are the JetBees, aka JetSkis. Even if the person is with a group of people that are skiing, or a skier themself, they looooose their mind as soon as they sit down.

I am old enough to remember the standup jet skis, and I knew then they would be the death of calm water then!!!

What I usually do with the wakeplate....

I usually load up my boat with fat sacs so in order to shoot my boat out of the water more easier, I keep the wakeplate down then when the PP gets set, I adjust my wakeplate to the rider's preference. Yes, wakeplate does help shape up the wake. I have played with it many times and have seen it with my own eyes.

Wakeplate down = normal wake (yes, big wake)

Wakeplate up = steeper wake but it requires much more speed to maintain a clean wake.

I usually ride it at 1/4 up or 1/2 up. Never beyond half wtih all of weights. it's little harder on my engine and prop (I have 4 blade stock one, plan to get a wakeboard prop someday soon)

Also not to mention this, wakeplate down = saves gas but wakeplate up = burns more gas

I'm still unclear if it would be worth the time and $'s to install one in hope of a significantly larger/steeper wake... :? I'm kinda leaning to my old analogy of "use what you got till you get what you need"... :wink:
V-DRIVE :lol:

BAMA
-I had 04 Outback and had same splash back issues when fueling! I ended up taking the existing fuel hose off and replacing it. I cut the new one a hair shorter to reduce that 90 degree kink you speak of. Worked MUCH better for me. Maybe something you want to try.

Bob,
I got the feeling when I had my Outback that the wakeplate would not help much for a bigger wake... Where the wakeplate does not do a ton for the outback is because the weight is so center balanced that if you set the wakeplate all the way up, you still will not get the back of the boat further in the water...
The best wake I had in it was with 2 adults in the front and 4 adults in the back of the boat... more weight in the front helps displace more water on the outbacks...

I almost tried the fuel hose fix you mentioned, but I wanted a backup plan. I am all about redundancy! So before I cut the hose I have I need one to put it back like it was.

LOL

Glad to hear it helped, so when my new hose comes in next week, I'll let you know how mine turns out.


On the wakeplate, I am of the opinion that weight makes the wake and the plate fine tunes it. So unless I am planning to add weight (and I am not) then the plate is not going to do much for me.

Now for the question that is going to burn a hole in my head.....

There is a hole in the wake at 100ft, how do I know? becasue I stepped off in it the first time I barefooted longline on my boat.

So would the wakeplate help me shape my barefoot wake and fine tune it?

You'll learn to hate the way I think, just ask my wife, she has been dealing with it for 15 years.... LOL

Wakeplate might help, a prop change might also work