malibus new surf gate wave

[Wickedcummins]

first transfer my ***.. Ive done that on my tige many tiges.. Always on accident but have done it.. And ridden it longer than him.. Weak wave not very immpressive

[Duncan]

Was on a Bu 23 LSV with SurfGate on Friday morning, stock ballast plus 500 sacks in each locker and a 400 bow sack. Did not get in the water as it was 51 air, 58 water, and light rain.

Pretty wave in person, not much height and little wall. But the switch side to side is amazing to see in person. Wave also forms very quickly.

One thing I have not read is how SLOW the SurfGate wave is. On the setup I saw, max speed range was about 9.4 to 10.8 mph. Anything above 10.8 flattened the wave to be unridable. Below 9.4 was mush with short pocket.

The wedge helped create some wall. Best looking wave was 10.6 mph, full wedge, and the bow stock ballast empty (still had 400 sack in bow). I think maxing out the rear locker sacks would give a little more height and maybe some wall.

But it will not fix the speed issue by much. Mid 10 mph may be fine for a skim style board, but that seems slow for a faster glass surf-style board.

All in all, it was a neat system and probably great for wakeboarders and/or casual skim-style or wb manuf board surfers.

EDIT: I should add I was not much impressed with the Diamond hull wakeboard wake. While it would be nice to have a froth-free wake at low speeds (18-20), the wake had little definition even with full stock plus the sacks. I have ridden quite a bit behind a friend's Bu with a wake hull -- I am really surprised at how different the Diamond hull is.

[IDBoating]

Pretty wave in person, not much height and little wall... One thing I have not read is how SLOWthe SurfGate wave is. On the setup I saw, max speed range was about 9.4 to 10.8 mph. Anything above 10.8 flattened the wave to be unridable.

My first reaction to this is "Playing clever tricks with the hull's yaw axis is no substitute for proper displacement". I'm interested to know what the SurfGate does with a properly ballasted hull (i.e. 1000+ pounds). I'm wondering if sinking the hull that much will offset the effect of the SurfGate, require larger trimtabs, etc.

[Timmy!]

That diamond hull probably had something to do with the surf wave as well, wouldn't it?

[turbonine]

The diamond hull on a Malibu is like the early production Z3. The wake hull on a Malibu is like the improved hull on a Z3.

I don't know why anyone would get surf gate with a diamond hull. Doesn't make any sense.

[Bruizza]

I am sure the diamond hull didn't help. One of my really good friends demoed a 22 MXZ last wednesday with the stock 1250lbs plus the plug in play 400lb bags in the back of the boat. He said the wave lacked push. He said he was all the way at the front of the board in order to get any push at all. He is a bigger guy 6'2 240lbs so that might be part of it. I think the surfgate is going to be good for what was mentioned above. Wakeboarders who dabble in surfing and families that just want to have fun on the water and aren't concerned with top level waves.

[adamsjstt]

Was on a Bu 23 LSV with SurfGate on Friday morning, stock ballast plus 500 sacks in each locker and a 400 bow sack. Did not get in the water as it was 51 air, 58 water, and light rain.

Pretty wave in person, not much height and little wall. But the switch side to side is amazing to see in person. Wave also forms very quickly.

One thing I have not read is how SLOW the SurfGate wave is. On the setup I saw, max speed range was about 9.4 to 10.8 mph. Anything above 10.8 flattened the wave to be unridable. Below 9.4 was mush with short pocket.

The wedge helped create some wall. Best looking wave was 10.6 mph, full wedge, and the bow stock ballast empty (still had 400 sack in bow). I think maxing out the rear locker sacks would give a little more height and maybe some wall.

But it will not fix the speed issue by much. Mid 10 mph may be fine for a skim style board, but that seems slow for a faster glass surf-style board.


All in all, it was a neat system and probably great for wakeboarders and/or casual skim-style or wb manuf board surfers.

EDIT: I should add I was not much impressed with the Diamond hull wakeboard wake. While it would be nice to have a froth-free wake at low speeds (18-20), the wake had little definition even with full stock plus the sacks. I have ridden quite a bit behind a friend's Bu with a wake hull -- I am really surprised at how different the Diamond hull is.

Interesting review. I can tell you that on my RZ2 with 600# in each rear locker and 600# up front my wave doesn't start to take shape till 11mph anything below that and it is just wash. Actually my best wave with the gate is the same speed we surfed at when we would list the boat which is 12mph. Maybe bu's surf at a slower speed? My wave with the gate is easier to ride and has a longer pocket, is the same height but is a little rampier (not as steep) . I will be adding more weight , around 1000# in each locker and around 1000# in the front, next season and expect the wave to be bigger and longer than when I list the boat.

[adamsjstt]

Here is a pic with 600 in the front and both rear lockers.