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Okay, last year I tried building a Surfgate-style system for my Ski Nautique. It was fun building and testing it, but in the end, it didn’t work. This year I am building an NSS style system and thought I would share my results. Things are pretty basic right now, but I believe in incremental testingand development due to the costs and time required.
My testing setup is made from ½ plywood attached to 2x4’s. (see pics) The 2x4’s then attach to the swim platform. It’s the easiest thing to use and I can cut various shapes in about five minutes. I started off with just a demo day with no surfing involved. I wanted to test the proof of concept as well as downselect a few options for behind the boat testing. I tried various horizontal displacements as well as vertical displacements and came away thinking an approximate 2" horizontal and 1" vertical displacement were the optimal setup. I then began to vary the weight. It appears that weight is going to play a pretty big factor in this as well. The optimal setup would be to have even weighting and allow the “plate” (or wooden cutout in this case) to enhance the surf wave on either side. This did not happen. It’s a real bummer because that is one of the huge advantages of the NSS or SurfGate systems. The 1999 Ski Nautique hull appears to be one that just needs to be leaned over in order to get a good wave. I was able to get some nice waves but like most people I want a bit more. I went back to my jigsaw and cut another NSS “plate” which had even more surface area exposed to the water. While the actual displacement was the same, more surface area was exposed because it was longer (in the horizontal plane) as well as higher (in the vertical). It seemed like a good idea at the time, but that didn’t work as planned. Too much displacement actually created a worse wave. In the end, I went back to a fairly modest displacement option. This is the same problem that I had with the Surfgate design. It actually delayed the convergence TOO much.
Setup: 2.25"horizontal displacement; 1" vertical displacement
Weight: Driver 145, front sac 260, surf side ~400, rear 800+ (for the picture). When I surfed, there was 105 lbs in the drivers seat.
Overall,I am pleased so far. I can remove the NSS system in less than it takes to fill/empty a 350lb sac. The delayed convergence seems to help shape the wave quite nicely. When I actually surfed it, the sweet spot was further back which was nice. Push was good but not great. There was a little crossover spray from the NSS side that I didn’t like but that could be eliminated. Next week I will test some different configuration plus the “regular” side. That should be a challenge as the prop rotation makes a HUGE difference with this boat. In the future I hope to make a slightly larger plate but use less displacement. (3/4 vertical, 1 ¾ horizontal) I will be interested to see the results.
Please let me know what you think. BTW…I don’t care if you think I am ruining a perfectly good ski boat. I personally love skiing the course and do so every week (sometimes every day). I also like to drink beer and hang out with my family and friends….and surfing is perfect for that. -Marc
My testing setup is made from ½ plywood attached to 2x4’s. (see pics) The 2x4’s then attach to the swim platform. It’s the easiest thing to use and I can cut various shapes in about five minutes. I started off with just a demo day with no surfing involved. I wanted to test the proof of concept as well as downselect a few options for behind the boat testing. I tried various horizontal displacements as well as vertical displacements and came away thinking an approximate 2" horizontal and 1" vertical displacement were the optimal setup. I then began to vary the weight. It appears that weight is going to play a pretty big factor in this as well. The optimal setup would be to have even weighting and allow the “plate” (or wooden cutout in this case) to enhance the surf wave on either side. This did not happen. It’s a real bummer because that is one of the huge advantages of the NSS or SurfGate systems. The 1999 Ski Nautique hull appears to be one that just needs to be leaned over in order to get a good wave. I was able to get some nice waves but like most people I want a bit more. I went back to my jigsaw and cut another NSS “plate” which had even more surface area exposed to the water. While the actual displacement was the same, more surface area was exposed because it was longer (in the horizontal plane) as well as higher (in the vertical). It seemed like a good idea at the time, but that didn’t work as planned. Too much displacement actually created a worse wave. In the end, I went back to a fairly modest displacement option. This is the same problem that I had with the Surfgate design. It actually delayed the convergence TOO much.
Setup: 2.25"horizontal displacement; 1" vertical displacement
Weight: Driver 145, front sac 260, surf side ~400, rear 800+ (for the picture). When I surfed, there was 105 lbs in the drivers seat.
Overall,I am pleased so far. I can remove the NSS system in less than it takes to fill/empty a 350lb sac. The delayed convergence seems to help shape the wave quite nicely. When I actually surfed it, the sweet spot was further back which was nice. Push was good but not great. There was a little crossover spray from the NSS side that I didn’t like but that could be eliminated. Next week I will test some different configuration plus the “regular” side. That should be a challenge as the prop rotation makes a HUGE difference with this boat. In the future I hope to make a slightly larger plate but use less displacement. (3/4 vertical, 1 ¾ horizontal) I will be interested to see the results.
Please let me know what you think. BTW…I don’t care if you think I am ruining a perfectly good ski boat. I personally love skiing the course and do so every week (sometimes every day). I also like to drink beer and hang out with my family and friends….and surfing is perfect for that. -Marc
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