Random AutoWake Tip of the Day – Advanced Users (part 4 – When to adjust Pitch and Roll)

The last adjustment you need to understand is when to adjust pitch and roll. Unfortunately many people that don’t understand AutoWake immediately adjust pitch and roll. In the classic example of if 1 is good, 2 must be better, many people have adjusted pitch and or roll to extreme amounts before learning how the system works or even trying the factory defaults. Again, the thought process is if -3 roll is good, then -6 roll has to be better. Or if 9 pitch is good, then 11 pitch has to make the wave taller. Hopefully by now everyone understands that these are NOT good ideas. As we have discussed many times, only wave shape is dictated by pitch and roll. Wave size or push is always dictated by displacement. So, the answer to the original question is you should only adjust pitch and roll if you truly want to maximize ballast IF you are running more displacement than factory ballast. So the next question is how or when would you do that?

Let’s say you want to experiment with more displacement than factory ballast. You have already experimented with factory defaults, experimented with flow plates and understand how they work, experimented with the wakeplate and understand how that works. You have tried different boards, different speeds, and now you want to try and maximize what the boat can do. So, you get a couple extra friends, a couple extra fat sacks and head to the lake. My first recommendation would be to try and add any additional weight as centrally located as possible. Granted, you might surf on the port side all the time and the logical thought would be to add all additional weight on the port side, but we have learned better than that and we understand that overall displacement is more important than just displacing water on one side of the boat. So, if you have a couple extra fat sacks, fill them in the middle of the cockpit. Depending on the size and shape, you might want to fill one in the middle and the other closer to the walkthrough area at the dash. Remember, if you add all the additional weight in the back, then you will need something in the front, or you will be drastically changing the pitch. Next thing is fill all factory ballast to 100%. Once this is all done, then check the “Amplitude” display on the dash if you are in a 2018 model. If you have maxed the “Amplitude” display, then first make sure you have not exceeded the capacity of the boat. Obviously, that would be a big safety issue. Once you have made sure you have NOT exceeded the capacity of the boat, then try and run the boat with factory flow settings, wakeplate settings, and keep it in manual mode. Once you get the surf speed, check the shape of the wave. If the wave is not clean, then you could adjust passengers to the side you are surfing on. If the wave is very smooth with not a good defined “zone”, then try moving passengers to the non surf side. If the wave is rather short, then try moving passengers to the bow of the boat. If the wave seems extra long, then try moving passengers to the rear of the boat. By experimenting with different passenger locations in manual mode, then you can see what the maximum potential is of the wave with maximum displacement. Ok, you might be confused at this point because what does that have to do with AutoWake, but stay tuned…

The next thing you should do is hit the left button and engage AutoWake. As soon as it comes on, note the actual pitch and roll of the boat. With your extra ballast and optimized seating locations, you can now see what your actual pitch and roll are. If you had a good wave, then I would imagine that pitch and roll would likely be close to factory defaults. You might find that the pitch or roll is actually a degree or more off. As we have said many times, displacement trumps everything. With enough displacement, you can actually get good results even if the pitch is at 8 degrees or 11 degress. With enough displacement, you can actually get good results on port side even if the roll is at -2 degress or -4 degrees. So, for that day, you can now see where you are with pitch and roll. If you want to try and maintain that for that day, then you can now adjust pitch and roll to the new settings and as long as you have the extra ballast, then you should have a consistent wave throughout the day as you change riders with minimum ballast draining. Keep in mind that as passengers move, it will obviously have to drain some ballast to keep the pitch and roll, but this would be one example of when you might want to adjust pitch and roll from factory settings. One very important thing to remember is just because those pitch and roll values work that day, does NOT mean the same settings will be optimal when you reduce displacement. In fact, it will very likely NOT work as good and let me try and explain that.......