The "Wedge" |
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mdvalant
Grand Poobah Joined: May-06-2009 Location: Bellevue, IA Status: Offline Points: 2059 |
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Posted: June-06-2011 at 8:11pm |
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Hey all,
I know talking about other brands with respect is silly...hehe jk but seriously...I rode behind a friend's response last summer with the wedge, it took 7 seconds to flip down and boom we could wakeboard with a decent size wake. Really was impressed, this weekend I was filling fat sacs in the Sport wishing it could go a lot faster...yea yea more pumps, more tubes all that jazz but it still takes time, not to mention space in the boat. They steal ideas from CC every now and then, are we too proud to take theirs? Am I missing something? Why don't Nautiques use their own version of it? Maybe this have been covered, but this is what daydreaming does! |
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Bri892001
Grand Poobah Joined: September-27-2008 Location: Boston MA Status: Offline Points: 4945 |
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I worked at a summer camp a couple of summers ago. The wakeboarding boat was a Malibu i-Ride (Direct Drive) that had both the Wedge and an underfloor ballast tank that was mounted about where a ski-locker would be on some boats, in front of the engine.
Most of the kids weren't at a level where they really needed either, but I much preferred using the wedge over the ballast tank. You could really feel the weight of the ballast tank, and with a full crew, it seemed like the front rode kind of low. The Wedge really gave the best of both worlds. It made the wake a good deal bigger with-out the boat feeling... well, like it was full of water. |
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bhectus
Platinum Member Joined: July-04-2010 Location: Gator Country! Status: Offline Points: 1809 |
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I'm with ya, but even with the wedge down, the wake isn't that noticeably bigger. My buddy had a bunch of problems with his on his Wakesetter VLX. The first one actually sheared right off. Tige also had something similar. My opinion is nothing produces a good wake like a bunch of weight.
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'02 Ski Nautique 196 w/ 5.7 Apex bowtie - Sold
'87 Barefoot - sold '97 Super Sport Nautique - originally custom built for Walt Meloon '97 Ski Nautique '83 SN 2001 |
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mdvalant
Grand Poobah Joined: May-06-2009 Location: Bellevue, IA Status: Offline Points: 2059 |
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I don't know much about them ie: about how much ballast equivalent they are, but just riding behind that DD Response with the wedge down seemed like a nice quick way of gaining an extra 500+lbs within seconds.
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storm34
Grand Poobah Joined: November-03-2008 Location: Dexter Iowa Status: Offline Points: 4492 |
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Putting a lift kit on a Mustang doesn't make it an off road vehicle.
I've heard horror stories about them pulling out of the transom and the strain they put on the hull. A guy here on our lake has one and has used it once. Said the nose rides way too high to see and you can hardly accelerate or turn the boat. I'd stick to weighting the boat evenly. |
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mdvalant
Grand Poobah Joined: May-06-2009 Location: Bellevue, IA Status: Offline Points: 2059 |
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Well, I'd assume CC would build a boat that can support the wedge. I'm not saying I'd ever be able to get one on the ole sport. But in the future...why not build one that can handle it?!
You're right though Chris, I have seen gaping holes in the back of some Bu's that the thing ripped right off the hull...ouch |
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Bri892001
Grand Poobah Joined: September-27-2008 Location: Boston MA Status: Offline Points: 4945 |
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The boat I drove was a manual version, which deployed very easily. Makes me wonder why they ever bothered with a power version really.
It was definitely important to remember to put it back in the up position before driving the boat any faster than boarding speeds. That would definitely cause problems CC has the hydro gate. I don't know much about how it works though. |
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Riley
Grand Poobah Joined: January-19-2004 Location: Portland, ME Status: Offline Points: 7946 |
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We've got a wedge on our Malibu Sportster. It does make the boat more versatile if you wakeboard, as it substantially increases the size of the wake. My kids are off and on with wakeboarding, so we've gone a number of years without even mounting it on the boat. The older ones used disimilar metals and they corode if you leave the boat in the water.
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storm34
Grand Poobah Joined: November-03-2008 Location: Dexter Iowa Status: Offline Points: 4492 |
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Supposedly they fixed this....but here ya go...
Looks like they just slapped them on there and didn't reinforce them at all. |
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mdvalant
Grand Poobah Joined: May-06-2009 Location: Bellevue, IA Status: Offline Points: 2059 |
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That's the one Chris! hahaha good lord...
There's a power automatic wedge that is all the way down to plane the boat better, then it moves to make the wake bigger after planing...seems like an OK idea I guess |
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Riley
Grand Poobah Joined: January-19-2004 Location: Portland, ME Status: Offline Points: 7946 |
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Those pics are old. The damage to those boats was caused by driver error, not the wedge. No doubt there wouldn't be a hole in the transom if the wedge wasn't mounted to it, but the transom, wedge, prop and rudder wouldn't have been damage without a serios hit caused by the driver.
I actually drove our Sporster which will do 50 mph, WOT last summer with the wedge down for a little bit. It porpoised quite a bit, but that was about it. The boat had never porpoised before and I was blaming it on the 2 fat guys in the back seat, but finally checked it out and someone had forgot to put it up after using the boat. |
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bhectus
Platinum Member Joined: July-04-2010 Location: Gator Country! Status: Offline Points: 1809 |
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excellent point Riley
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'02 Ski Nautique 196 w/ 5.7 Apex bowtie - Sold
'87 Barefoot - sold '97 Super Sport Nautique - originally custom built for Walt Meloon '97 Ski Nautique '83 SN 2001 |
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mdvalant
Grand Poobah Joined: May-06-2009 Location: Bellevue, IA Status: Offline Points: 2059 |
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+1 I still say it'd be fun to own a boat with one, or at least demo one for a while. |
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storm34
Grand Poobah Joined: November-03-2008 Location: Dexter Iowa Status: Offline Points: 4492 |
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Don't want to start an argument of any kind...but how is it considered driver error? Wouldn't any damage to underwater gear be driver error...if thats their argument? Not trying to pick an argument, but I guess I see the drive assembly and rudder still in tact (aka not torn off the boat) and the wedge completely torn off as an assembly error?
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Riley
Grand Poobah Joined: January-19-2004 Location: Portland, ME Status: Offline Points: 7946 |
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Chris, if the boat driver did not hit something significant with the wedge down, that would not have happened. Rudder and props in those pictures are pretty damaged as well and who knows what else on the boat. The old boats that had through bolt tracking fins used to put a hole in the hull before they changed to screws. Did having the wedge cause more damage to the boat, yeah, but it took the driver to hit something to make it happen. I don't think it's an assembly error. The transom is just a bad place to take a hit. If you backed into a pier pylon really hard and sent your swim platform through your transom, it wouldn't be the platforms fault.
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BFNSport
Senior Member Joined: March-06-2010 Location: Lowell Michigan Status: Offline Points: 211 |
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http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?p=6392&sid=aa9f5f24a8b1717c9d35435f97277552
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2002 CC Ski Nautique
1988 CC Barefoot Nautique |
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wakeboardin2k4
Platinum Member Joined: December-14-2006 Location: Hopatcong, NJ Status: Offline Points: 1117 |
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Like Bruce said in regards to the other picture. Most issues with the wedge are operator error. People leaving the wedge down while under high speeds will cause it to seperate the "wing" of the wedge from the "arms".
The power wedge is awesome. The demo boat where I work has it and it enables you to make the wake more Super Air 210ish. You can tweak it to make it much more steep and less rampy like a typical malibu wake would be. |
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"I'm planning to bring my girl that rides on a trailer with me and leave my girl that complains about camping at home"
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Nevergrew
Groupie Joined: March-22-2010 Location: Australia, NSW Status: Offline Points: 74 |
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For many years CC has had push button ballast fill and empty, so to compare manually filling fatties in your older Sport to a new wedge just isn't fair. Yes, the auto ballast takes time to fill but no longer than it takes for a rider to get ready for a set.
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wakeboardin2k4
Platinum Member Joined: December-14-2006 Location: Hopatcong, NJ Status: Offline Points: 1117 |
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Great point! The wedge is convenient and perfect for people learning to jump the wake but many riders with malibus don't use the wedge. Many people like conventional ballast over the wedge. You can only sac a boat out so much and use the wedge before it becomes an anchor |
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"I'm planning to bring my girl that rides on a trailer with me and leave my girl that complains about camping at home"
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mdvalant
Grand Poobah Joined: May-06-2009 Location: Bellevue, IA Status: Offline Points: 2059 |
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Interesting.
That Response I rode behind seemed pretty cool with the wedge flopped. Not sure how they drive with them down but sure was fun riding that day! |
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MI-nick
Gold Member Joined: January-12-2009 Location: Ypsilanti, MI Status: Offline Points: 809 |
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my neihgbor down the lake has a response with the wedge...never been impressed with it...but that may or may not have more to do with it being the diamond (slalom) hull. either way, the 2001 wake is WAY better.
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As far as I can tell, I'm not quite sure...
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Riley
Grand Poobah Joined: January-19-2004 Location: Portland, ME Status: Offline Points: 7946 |
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They don't steer too well. On our boat which has a very little wake, it creates a significantly bigger wake relative to its small slalom wake, but it is by no means a great wakeboarding wake. I've been told the ramp is kind of steep. |
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mdvalant
Grand Poobah Joined: May-06-2009 Location: Bellevue, IA Status: Offline Points: 2059 |
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Has anything opposite the wedge been done to improve the slalom ski wake? Thinking this would be a great slalom boat:
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IAughtNaut
Grand Poobah Joined: August-22-2010 Location: TN Status: Offline Points: 2568 |
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Don't know what a "Wedge" is, is it a Malibu thing? Can anyone provide a link to some pics somewhere online? My google search is turning up nothing, and I can't believe the pics in this thread are what the manufacturer intended...
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mdvalant
Grand Poobah Joined: May-06-2009 Location: Bellevue, IA Status: Offline Points: 2059 |
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IAughtNaut
Grand Poobah Joined: August-22-2010 Location: TN Status: Offline Points: 2568 |
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wow, that's quite an idea at least. also just read the thread Jeff posted, it said it was a barefoot nautique they put the homemade one on, has anyone on here ever tried anything like that? Or maybe even know the guy that did that? Now I'm curious, I kinda want to see it in action.
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BFNSport
Senior Member Joined: March-06-2010 Location: Lowell Michigan Status: Offline Points: 211 |
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Are you aware that Switch Blade makes an aftermarket
Centerion uses them I belive. |
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2002 CC Ski Nautique
1988 CC Barefoot Nautique |
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BFNSport
Senior Member Joined: March-06-2010 Location: Lowell Michigan Status: Offline Points: 211 |
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switchbladewake.com
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2002 CC Ski Nautique
1988 CC Barefoot Nautique |
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Swatkinz
Platinum Member Joined: December-03-2003 Location: Lexington, SC Status: Offline Points: 1307 |
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Both of my Malibus had the wedge. My 07 had the power wedge and my 09 had an auto wedge which was pretty awesome, but seemed like it would be stupid expensive if there were electronic issues. For me and my setup, the biggest advantage the wedge offered was with the surf wake. I wakeboarded some and used it then too, but have never been a great wakeboarder.
The Supra dealer tried to tell me that no "good" riders used the wedge until he also became the Malibu dealer. Then it became "must have" equipment. My opinion is it's nice to have. |
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Steve
2011 Sport/Air 200 Excalibur 343 2017 Boatmate Tandem Axle Trailer Former CC owner (77, 80, 95, 88, all SNs) Former Malibu owner (07, 09) |
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kapla
Grand Poobah Joined: March-27-2008 Location: BA, Argentina Status: Offline Points: 6148 |
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Couple of bu´s here have them..I think I wakeboarded on one..but with the internal tanks and some fat sac..so I can´t really tell if the wedge help or not...
Comments I´ve heards of the owner is when the thing is down...the gas gauge starts to move down really fast...LOL |
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<a href="">1992 ski nautique
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