2000 SAN Ghetto Gate Build & Testing

[glp86]

This is our first summer with this 2000 SAN and also our first year trying to wakesurf so there has been a lot of experimenting. We tried listing the boat to either side with about 500 lbs in the vdrive locker on the surf side and 400 lbs on the surf side seat. This would give no push on the port side:



Next we added a 500 lbs bag to the ski locker (also had 500 lbs in the surf side vdrive locker) and had 8 people in the boat. The starboard side wave was okay looking:

[glp86]

I decided the hard tanks needed to come out of the boat, so made an order with Wakemakers. Current setup is 800 lbs in each vdrive locker, 500 lbs in the ski locker and 500 lbs under the seats in the bow. I also added an ACME 1616 prop. Without listing the boat the surfwave was rather unimpressive so we decided to build a surfgate.

I had a large RAM mount laying around so this seemed like a good solution to allow us to adjust the gate and use it on both sides. Here is what we come up with in an evening:





Adjusted to a different angle:

[glp86]

The testing consisted of 3 small to average sized guys in the boat, 800 lbs in each vdrive locker (evenly weighted), 500 lbs in the ski locker, 500 lbs in the bow under the seats and an ACME 1616 prop. Here are the results:

I was able to go ropeless (for the first time!) and on the port side but the wave was still nothing to get excited about:


Here are some more pics of the port side wave and my buddy learning to surf:




Next we switched the gate to the port side for starboard surfing and the wave was huge and clean!




I think this next weekend we will listing the boat to the port side and using the gate to see if we can get the port wave to be more like the starboard.

All this to say, the surf gate theory does work but I think we've still got some R&D to do this summer before I make anything permanent!

[jtryon]

you need to list it slightly towards the surf side for it to work optimally. in my supra with a gate i run two 800lb bags full and an extra 500lb or so on the surf side and get a nice clean wake. your gate setup is....weird looking though, no offense. it looks like it angles up rather than following the lines of the hull (even with the bottom of the hull)--is that how you ran it? any chance you just had it angled better when you switched sides?

[glp86]

you need to list it slightly towards the surf side for it to work optimally. in my supra with a gate i run two 800lb bags full and an extra 500lb or so on the surf side and get a nice clean wake. your gate setup is....weird looking though, no offense. it looks like it angles up rather than following the lines of the hull (even with the bottom of the hull)--is that how you ran it? any chance you just had it angled better when you switched sides?

No offense taken. We just cobbled this together late Friday night so we could try it out the next day. We kept everything symmetrical so we could switch sides easily and the RAM mount allowed us to play with different angles. I may try moving it down so that the top of the gate is flush with the bottom of the swim deck.

Thanks for the tip on listing the boat. I think next time out I will drain the non surf side 800 lbs vdrive bag.

[Chexi]

Here is what I run (without a surf gate) on my 2000 SAN (and I surf port side).

750 in port side rear
580 in belly
350 in bow to port side
400 on port side interior seat

Run at 10.3 mph. The speed is extremely important. Anything else, and the push disappears. At 10.3, there is a healthy push. You can get a better, longer wave with a bit more weight in the bow (i.e., some pop bags under the port seat). I took my pop bags (80 pounds under each of the 2 bow side seats) out for trailering purposes and have not put them back in, but with them in, the wave is a little cleaner / longer.

Keep experimenting with the ghetto gate though. I am interested to see the results at 10.3 mph.