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What the Multi-Sport Wakeplate Can Do For You
Posted by on Sunday, May 23, 2010 Under: Wake Plate
The Multi-Sport Wakeplate is actually a multi- “use” wakeplate. Unfortunately, the marketing guys wouldn’t let us name it that. What do they know anyway? The idea for a wakeplate on an inboard boat originated with Supra back in the early ‘80’s. Of course, most people back then were more concerned about flat wakes for watersking.
Early versions of the plate had manual twist adjustments on the rams that allowed a user with some effort to dial in their slalom wakes. Later versions had hydraulic rams which automated the adjusting but introduced hydraulic fluid into engine compartments or storage areas. Today’s version has an electric ram that responds faster, is more durable, and provides clean operations.
Towed water sports today have expanded into many different disciplines – each with their own requirements for wake sizes and shapes. A wakeplate, when combined with ballast tanks, allows a rider to modify and optimize the wake for each discipline by controlling the boat and the running surface on two planes – front-to-back and side-to-side – along with boat depth and displacement.
There are 3 main functions of the Multi-Sport Wakeplate on a Supra or Moomba boat.
1) Changing the attitude of the boat aka raising or lowering the bow The driver can adjust bow rise with adjustments to the wakeplate. In turn, this means fine tuning the ride to the optimal levels in a variety of water conditions and boat loads. For instance, the driver may want to run the bow higher, cruising above the waves. Or…at times, the driver may elect to drive the bow down lower to slice through the waves with the deep drop keel designed into the hull. Neither method is suitable to all conditions, but with the wakeplate, the driver can choose the best position.
2) Getting on plane quickly When the driver wants to get on plane quickly, the wakeplate can be set in down position at full deflection. Setting the plate all the way down will drive the bow of the boat down while coming out of the hole. When combined with the thrust power of an inboard drive train, this means less bow rise and greater visibility for the driver. This can be an important safety consideration. Quicker plane also helps the rider to begin riding sooner, because the boat can attain the set speed faster. At slower running speeds, setting the plate in a lower position will cause boat to run flatter. This can help with pulling a young rider or new rider at speeds below 15 mph.
3) Changing wake shapes In general, if the plate is lower in the water, the bow will tend to also be lower, and wake becomes flattened and soft. If the plate is set higher with little or no deflection, the bow will raise and the transom will drop and cause the wakes to grow. Keep in mind that the plate itself does not make the wakes bigger. A level plate only allows the wakes to gain their full size potential with a particular hull design. Obviously, boat load and speed greatly affects wake size and shape too.
Somewhere between low flat wakes and full crisp wakes is a wake shape that works for each rider. Slalom skiers and less experienced wakeboarders will like a lower and flatter wake. Wakeboarders who like to charge the wake, and land tricks way out in the flats tend to like a wake with a nice ramp shape to launch them up and out. Riders who like to spin often run the wake plate up a little higher to get steeper wakes that kick them up, without so much cut at the wake. Too much line tension on spins can pull the rope out of a rider’s hands, so a steep wake allows the rider to cut less, and still get the height needed for spin tricks. Most wake surfers will run the wake plate all the way, or most of the way up.
The single greatest advantage of the Multi-Sport Wakeplate is providing the rider and the driver ultimate flexibility and control of the ride, boat attitude, and wake shapes. Multi-Sport Wakeplates are standard on all Supra models and optional on all Moomba models. Skier’s Choice highly recommends a wakeplate on all V-drive model boats. This multi-useful device will enhance the functionality of the boat and provide users greater enjoyment and value.