Hydro gate on SN

[SGY]

This was on the Schnitz web site this morning:

"Schnitz -
I talked to our Regional Correct Craft coordinator and was informed that indeed there is a "new gate" for the 2005 Ski Nautique that will give a more favorable wake for trick, jump and slalom. You will be able to switch the gate position depending on what event you are pulling. This device is "retrofittable" on a Nautique if it wasn't installed at the factory initially. I know the SCR promo boats delivered so far didn't have the "gate" but they will be added. Sounds like a great enhancement and I can't wait to try it. "

This sounds really cool. Has anyone else heard about this development? I wonder if you can retrofit the gate on the older 04 and 03 boats? Does the gate affect the handling at all?

[NautiqueJeff]

Yeah, I had heard that it might be coming on the 196. Sounds good to me.

[SGY]

I wonder how much it will help the slalom wake--if at all? I would suspect that it is in place to bolster the trick wake. Refresh my memory. In the slalom mode, is the gate retracted or down?

[icewake]

would that be something similar to the Tige plate?

[TwinTip]

SGY, assuming that the Hydro Gate will be similar to the ones installed on the SV-211 and based on the pictures that I have seen (assuming the lever was not moved between one picture and the other), the retracted position corresponds to slalom mode or cruise mode.

Does anyone have pictures of the hydro gate and shift lever on the '05 196? I wonder why CC would start producing '05 boats that are supposed to come with this feature but don't have it installed yet.

[SGY]

Thanks TwinTip. So, what would the benefit be. With the gate active, the slalom wake supposedly improves. There would be no reason, therefore, to have the gate in aid of the trick wake. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Another point is that the gate can't be the same as the hydro gate on the 211. I think the 211 uses a dispersion tunnel which is closed off in slalom mode. The SN doesn't have the dispersion tunnel--does it?

[TwinTip]

SGY, I agree with your second post. I also think that the gate would improve the trick wake (or give you a different wake for those that wakeboard behind this model) but don't see how it could improve the slalom wake. We'll have to wait and see......

[FatBoy]

I think you are backwards on that TwinTip. On my 211 when the gate is in slalom mode the gate is down forceing the back end of the boat up out of the water and in wakeboard mode the gate is up allowing the water to flow thru the tunnel and the back end to sink down a little.

[skinautique]

I have skied the 196 with the hydro gate. It has the same set up as the 211. Since the 211 and the 196 have a similar design to them, it is a very good idea. On the 196, they have removed the "lip" at the end of the tunnel. The lip is designed to raise the transom of the boat slightly to allow for lower and softer slalom wakes. So what this means is that when the gate is lowered on the 196, it has the same effect that the current 196 has (the same slalom wake). When the gate is raised, the transom sits a little bit deeper (You can really see it when the boat is on the water). With the gate raised, it eliminates the turbulence in the trick wake and also provides more power for jump. The boat is being tested this upcoming week to get approved with USA WaterSki. Unless you are a tricker or jumper, I would not worry about having the gate at all. SGY, I have not seen this or skied with one on a 206 (not sure they have even put one on there) so I can't comment there.

I hope this helps out.

By the way, the 211 will be at the boat tests too so this boat will be the first true v-drive to be passed for certification (If it passes. I think it will but we will just wait till the tests are over for the final verdict)

[TwinTip]

I stand corrected, thank you for the clarification FatBoy. That makes absolute sense!!!!

Skinautique, can you please clarify the following doubt. Does the '05 provide a different slalom wake as compared to the previous models, this while not having the gate installed? If I understand you correctly, you mention that the "lip" has been removed and that in order to get the same wake as the current 196 you need to have the gate lowered, hence raising the transom. If my understanding is correct, then shouldn't someone that mostly slaloms want to have the gate installed?

If the setup on the '05 196 is similar to that of the 211, is the shift lever installed somewhere around the armrest?

[skinautique]

The 196 is the same wake as long as the gate is down. With the gate down, it serves the purpose as the "lip" that is currently on the hull now. If you look at a picture of the hull or see it in person, you can easily see what I am referring to. This gate will do NOTHING to modify the slalom wake on the 196. It only changes it for jump and trick. Someone that purely slaloms will not benefit from this gate at all. The shift lever is installed in the same place that it is on the 211 (on the arm rest)

[Hollywood]

How can they retrofit the gate on boats that already have the lip? Boats with the gate dont' have the lip, that's what the gate is there for, to provide a lip. They'd have to grind the lip off to put the gate on to do anything, retrofitting doesn't make sense if this is the same gate as the 211...

[TwinTip]

Skinautique, sorry but I'm confused. I'm assuming that the gate being down means that the transom will be raised and that this is how you get the same effect of the '04 hull (which has the lip). If this is the case and with the '05s not having the lip, then you would need to have the gate installed to be able to get the same wake as on the '04 hull. With the gate retracted, or not having a gate at all, you will get a different wake which will benefit those who jump/trick.

How is the wake on the '05 boats that don't have the lip and gate? If my assumption above is correct, the wake on these boats should be setup for jump/trick and not slalom and you would have to have the gate installed in order to get the slalom wake.

One more question, where exactly is the lip on these boats, or any other boat for that matter? I would like to compare both hulls.

[skinautique]

If the boat doesn't have the gate installed (regardless of the year), it will have the lip on it. The lip only gets removed from the hull if it has the gate installed.
If you want to find this lip, look at the underside of the hull. Follow the tunnel to the back end of the boat. If you can look at a 211 and a 196, side by side, you will clearly see the difference. I wish I had some pictures to show.
Can anyone take a picture of the hull on the back end of a 211 with the gate raised? Then people will be able to see what I am talking about.

[NautiqueJeff]

Can anyone take a picture of the hull on the back end of a 211 with the gate raised? Then people will be able to see what I am talking about.