216 Slalom Wake

[FMSKI]

The hull creates lift as it planes, so any weight reduction will reduce the wake. This is better than weighting the bow. Nautiques also have that center V that will generate lift as well.

Now inside Nautique the furniture, interior panels, teak grid you name are all quite heavy. Go to a composite grid and panels - I ditched my stock furniture too - and made Carbon fiber seating. I am going to make a trim plate - as a result have the best slalom wake you can get..

http://twitpic.com/2yx3hf

[TRBenj]

The hull creates lift as it planes. Nautiques also have that center V that will generate lift as well.

Obviously a lighter boat will leave less of a wake behind than a larger one, but these statements make no sense to me. Perhaps you could explain them? Besides the lifting strakes that were on the aft portion of the TSC2 hull, I cant think of any features on a pre-200 SN hull that create lift. Perhaps you could make the argument that the hydrogate "lifts" the stern (same goes for the TSC2 glass lip at the trailing edge of the keel), but I dont think thats what youre describing with your statement. While CC did a lot of things to their hulls to manage water flow (which impacts wake shape and size), not much of it seemed to "lift" the hull out of the water. There are many ski boats (95-97 Prostar 190, most Malibus) that ride very high in the water, but thats not the approach CC has ever taken- which I think improves the planted feel of the boat, the handling and the tracking.

If CC hulls created more lift as speed increased, then it would take fewer extra hp to get the last few mph out of a hull. In my experience, the exact opposite is true.

[FMSKI]

the CC Vee

The hydrogate - which is a crude trim tab!.. changes the trim and does add transom lift of course.

I am going to add twin electrically actuated Trim Tabs to my boat in the next month or two. I did this way back with my SN2001 made a real difference in the rooster/wake. That boat (SN2001) had a big wake! Twin tabs, driver adjustable with LED indication will help to balance the boat as well.

OK the Vee I am talking about it is visible in this pix. http://twitpic.com/2mwexd/full

That V channel will raise the whole boat up and out of the water, as the speed increases. You reduce the draft of the boat, the higher the boat comes up and out. Every 1/2 inch makes a noticeable difference in the wake hollow, height, rooster and chine spray. The less weight the less pressure is under the hull, the less spray.

The other factor for a wake is trim. This is where the trim tabs help. I also moved my gas tank forward to form a bench seat for putting on gear/liners/boots etc.

The inboard shaft angle will drive the back end up and front down as the prop spins faster. this of course drives the bow in and saps energy and speed. If you went to the Cobalt boat site they would compare features of a trim adjustable stern drive to an inboard and they are right - stern drive is a far more efficient way to zip across water.

A year ago I had to pile on RPM's to keep speed. I got lazy and didn't scrub the boat bottom (I leave it docked) After I scrubbed the bottom i dropped at least 200 rpm. With weight reduction and a new prop I dropped another 200. Saving lots of fuel now.

[TRBenj]

I am familar with the hull feature that you are calling a "vee". Correct Craft calls it a "padded keel". I believe its main function is to clean the wake and improve the tracking of the boat, as well as the rough water ride. It has been on every Ski Nautique since 1982 with the introduction of the 2001 hull (which had a fairly large slalom wake, despite weighing significantly less than the outgoing 196, 2300 vs. 2650 lbs). I do not believe it "lifts" the hull one iota.

Obviously lightening the boat helps the wake- but that is not the same as manipulating the hull to affect lift and flow.

Yes, the hydrogate lifts the stern somewhat- and it also pushes the nose of the boat down, increasing the amount of surface area the hull can distribute its weight over. This is why the wake improves so much when the hydrogate is down.

If youve ever looked at the attitude of the TSC1 vs. TSC2/TSC3 (ie, how bow-high they ride at skiing speeds) you'll notice that they are very similar. Both ride very "flat", or nose down. This is because the hook is already built into the hull. The TSC1 and TSC2, in addition to having the last few feet of the hull "hooked" at a slight angle, also have the pocket (TSC1) or trailing lip of the padded keel (TSC2) helping push the nose down. Similarly, the TSC3 has the hydrogate that when in the down position, does the same thing.

The 2001 hull rides very bow high in comparison to the TSC+ boats. By adding trim tabs and forcing the bow down, you improved the slalom wake. I dont think you have nearly the same potential on the TSC hull to bring the bow down more to improve the wake, as it already runs in that position. You may find that extending the tabs too far down will cause the boat to bow-steer dangerously, without much (if any) improvement to the wake.

I guess we'll find out!