Originally Posted by
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!!
