Quote Originally Posted by dakota4ce View Post
Let me get this straight: you would pay $1500 to have manual flow installed on a boat right now in 2017? Okay....by "bolting something" I unequivocally meant manual flow.

If that is a yes, I guess that is what I was referring to, and I disagree. I would never do that in 4000 risings of the sun. I would fabricate a fully automated goose slapper system (fake surfgate) for around $1000-1500 (check out MB forums), I would buy Wavecontrol on a 20% discount for $3200, or I would save 15 tanks of gas worth of money and use a good suckgate. Not sure what the $5000 system you reference is.

Manual flow to me is roughly akin to a suckgate, except less versatile and functional--even less "clean." The fact that manual flow is "factory" and "dealer installed" means little to me, because it is the 2013 attempt at a surf system when leaps have been made since then. Think: iPhone 4. Factory systems from then are obsolete for the most part--every major manufacturer has changed them significantly or even drastically. And don't get me started about dealer installed. In my adventures I have learned that 90% of dealers don't know sh*t about surfing, surf systems, ballast, wave creation, surfboards, etc etc etc. The expertise is almost all out here in the user community. In fact, many factory cues for changes are derived from user engineering. And recipes for dialing are 1000% out here in the minds of the users.

Did manual flow do the trick back then? Yes, it pretty much did with enough weight and dialing. It was a good iPhone 4. Now we are on to the X and not looking back.

AND TO CLARIFY, I WOULD NOT REMOVE A FUNCTIONING MANUAL FLOW FROM A BOAT WHERE I HAVE IT DIALED AND IT IS WORKING FOR ME. It clearly works well on many boats and gets lots of people great waves. I just would not seek one out for lots more money than a suckgate.
Yes - yes I believe he best bang for your buck is manual flow. I’ve had it for four years now. Curious to know what your experience with it is?

Who’s installing your wave control? I also have first hand experience how well that fits up without any extra parts. Also curious to know how your factory hull warranty is going to hold up after you’ve lagged a bunch of aftermarket components from your “surf gate” you plan to design, fab and install over what I could only guess might take 6 months if done correctly.

Your anolgy about the iPhone doesn’t apply. The suck gate is like putting a plastic phone case from a kiosk at the mall on a iPhone 4 and calling it better. I’m not sure you understand that the suck gate is using the exact same tech as manual flow, surfgate and others. It’s slowing the flow around one side of the boat and delaying the convergence of the water allowing the wave to form. Hardly a breakthrough in hydrodynamics.

You say back then but nothing in the physics has changed from ‘12 or whenever SG debut- just fancier contol systems.