My design for a TAPS3-VX

[bsreid]

Come out to the island. We will get you dialed in with some sort of funky gate like I showed earlier.

[JohnnieMo]

Okay a couple results to share. The small gate was a bust. I took a video but didn't even bother posting it. It was basically the same as the lower deflection of the larger gate I did before.

What's odd is Ewok and I built a small gate like it last year and it seemingly mimicked the Suck Gate. However I was still listing at that time.....

Anyways I've pretty much ruled out any way to create a gate. On my hull the gate needs to be forward of the transom to work. Not sure why but that's how it is.

So on elevated's urging I made a NSS implementation. I couldn't get it right on the transom so I thought I would try it on the Vx. I wasn't expecting much.





In this video I test the NSS and the suck gate. For those using a suck gate now pay close attention to the end of the video

https://youtu.be/Ef0Db_l9OdE

Basically the suck gate with a slight downward angle really does the best. My previous theory seems to hold true here. Speed also seems to play little impact with 10.6 up to 11.4 being very comparable waves.

At this point I am getting very close to just giving up this quest. The wave I get off the Vx with the cutting board suck gate is just so amazing I can't ever see getting it any better. I could roll the dice and go with TAPS3 and find that I prefer the Vx wave. Who knows. At this stage I can pay zero and have a wave I love or I could pay $4k and take a risk on TAPS3. I know which way I'm leaning.

I think any further testing will only be in tweaking the suck gate itself.

I really didn't expect to end up here.....

[JohnnieMo]

My design for a TAPS3-VX

Okay, so the NSS test is going to be more difficult than I planned. The trailer bunks extend beyond the back of the boat, so I need to trim those back before I can do a proper implementation. Even then it would be pretty tight to fit a NSS style in that location. The gap between the Vx and the boat is only about 3/16". That could be altered, however there is only about 12" in that location in which to fit the actuator. That is barely enough. It would be a challenge.





For now I am going to just try a smaller tab and try and extend it fully to 90 degrees. I'm starting to think smaller could be better.



The more I think about it, it's the water you don't see that is affecting the wave. It's easy to think that the water spray going over top is the primary culprit, however all it does is make the wave a touchy frothy. It's the water underneath that gives the wave it's volume. In my fifth video I talk about the "strange void" behind the suck gate. I think that void is what causes the water inside the wave to shift. (obviously working in tandem with the angle of incidence of the boat) So I am altering my approach somewhat. I'm starting to see why TAPS3 works as well as it does....

[JohnnieMo]

I've got a way I think I can rig up a NSS test this week. I'll try to build it tonight and test with Killerbren's loaner 1235 propeller. Maybe kill two birds.... Testing on Thursday!

I really really don't want to lose the Vx. It makes such a clean and nicely shaped wave - I just don't want to give it up. It also helps extend the running surface of my Z1, which I believe adds some length to the wave. Any attempts to remove the Vx have resulted in a very short, steep and frothy wave.

If anyone needs a reminder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_JvMRa85iI

If there's anyone in Alberta with a TAPS3 Z1, please speak up!! I'll bring the beer.

[jmoore15]

One thing I know for sure, I LOVE the Vx wave with a suck gate. It is pretty much exactly what I like to surf and is the best wave I've surfed on any boat.[/QUOTE]

Completely agree. Sucked gate on my loaded up my Z3 is easily my favorite wave I have surfed.

[Germaine Marine]

An nss style system with vx I think would still be the bomb. I've said it since thinking about it some time back. Those two system would work so perfectly together


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[Chugh2o]

I think an NSS with the vx would work great. Would love to see something like that


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[JohnnieMo]

So I got some pictures for my buddies crazy gate.
[ATTACH]46689[/ATTACH][ATTACH]46690[/ATTACH][ATTACH]46691[/ATTACH]

Well who knows.... The more testing I do, it seems there are two criteria that have to be met for a gate to work. The gate has to disturb the flow of water moving around the far side of the boat (which your buddy's gate does) and the gate has to ensure no water gets "thrown" in to the wave (which this also does). If the gate stays low in the water, it usually doesn't make a mess and works just fine. I don't believe the shape of the gate has as much impact. Case and point - everyone who builds a home made suck gate gets basically the same result. The only variation is where on the hull they stick it to. So his ramp may just be doing the same thing as any other suck gate. Try mounting any other gate in that same spot and compare. I'd like to see.

This takes me to my 5th video in the series:

https://youtu.be/Py1ij-TfZQQ

These results are becoming a crapshoot. I did this same test back in video #2, but then I was still listing the boat. The results were pretty good, and almost mimic'd the suck gate. However with the even weighting the spray off any type of gate seems to destroy the wave. Near as I can figure the water rushing around the gate is going where it shouldn't. When using a suck gate, it is mounted far enough forward that any spray deflects off the hull and out of the way.

I am running out of ideas on how to create an automated gate solution to work in tandem with my Vx. I need to find a way to control the spray without building a Frankenstein boat. I am going to try making the gate taller and not as long. I may also try a much smaller gate all together. One other crazy idea is going to more of a NSS style. However TAPS3 is starting to look pretty good too. I'd still want to surf a TAPS3 Z1 before dropping all that coin though. One thing I know for sure, I LOVE the Vx wave with a suck gate. It is pretty much exactly what I like to surf and is the best wave I've surfed on any boat.

[.NOBODY]

Nice write up. I subscribed too. Love engineer bubble heads.

[bsreid]

So I got some pictures for my buddies crazy gate.
E463B669-32C2-4119-A126-FA78FC9C951A.jpg0840FC51-666E-4672-B2D7-FD0B1E2CC445.jpg2B555192-B2B8-40F3-BE8E-0F5D52F77568.jpg

[JohnnieMo]

So I did test this gate quickly and it wasn't very good. The spray jumped up and over it and messed up the wave. The suck gate "spray" tends to deflect off the hull since it is further forward and doesn't hurt anything.

I'm still going to run a bit more testing and get video evidence. My test last year showed that the surf gate was identical to the suck gate. I clearly have something amiss.

[bsreid]

I don’t think it was anything special. He initially built one like that and then put it backwards on the starboard side and was amazed.

[JohnnieMo]

My design for a TAPS3-VX

Yeah. So the left side of the tab is towards the back. Theoretically it shouldn't work but it sure did.

What happens when you install it on the port side and have the ramp going the other way? In that case it should be the same as my test.

I honestly think my surf ramp may have worked better except the water was coming over the top and then "launching" off the inside of the triangle box. It resulted in a terrific amount of spray. I did review the GoPro footage and it showed periods where the wave was forming nicely on the proper side. The theory might still be partially true.

[bsreid]

So this is opposite of mine. It ramps the other direction and will sink the off side of the boat. Backwards thinking to what I thought. Of course my theory proved garbage anyways, so he may be on to something!

Yeah. So the left side of the tab is towards the back. Theoretically it shouldn't work but it sure did.

[JohnnieMo]

I built a gate similar to the one you have attached to your swim platform on the Malibu I used to own. It didn't stick quite as far out and it was very hard to turn to the opposite side, even at slow speeds.


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I find steering is affected by any of the gates I've tried. However none have made turning impossible. It's just something we give up in the pursuit of the ultimate surf wave!

I did intentionally make this one a bit big as it's easier to cut it down than make a bigger one. Knowing me I'll just take my battery operated reciprocating saw on the boat....