SN 200 hydro gate vs 22 off bump

[jnicol]

I read elsewhere on this forum in an older post about a loose or too high hydro gate on the SN 200 causing a bump at the shorter line lengths.

 

My ski partner has a SN 200. Yesterday I went out at 22 off and was shocked at the firm and vertical bump at 22. I don't remember that being there before, but I don't usually ski that long. When I got out of the water I checked the switch and he had it on 'slalom'.

 

I checked the screws to make sure they were tight, as per suggestions in that previous post and found they were.

 

Can anyone give some beta on how to adjust the gate to remove the bump. There is so much hype about how great this boat is, this cannot be the normal wake.

 

Thanks!

 

(Comments on adjusting the hydro gate very much appreciated. Comments on flat skis and non existent bumps on SN 200 not so much appreciated.)

[mwetskier]

per mapples advice we slightly elongated the slots in the hydrogate to allow it to come down farther. didn't help.

[jnicol]

After playing around with the gate: up and down, up and down, and with the screws, the bump is significantly better today. I don't think we actually 'did' anything, but maybe it was stuck not fully down. Boat load was different though - only a driver today vs. two light 'spotters' when bump was present.

 

Any more input still appreciated....

[skinut]

It's got a bump at 22, I think it is the worst of the current big three. I can't decide if it's bigger or the wake is wider at that length than the 196 and so you feel it more at the second wake.

[mastercraftdrew]

I agree with jnicol. I have a 200 with a not pleasant bump at 22 and even a uncomfortable bump at 28. I also tried elongating the slots on the gate and made sure that the gate was going all the way down, with no big improvement. I have skied other 200's that have a much better wake in these areas. I would think there would have to be some type of measurement on the gate to make sure all the boats are in the same spot?

[Andre]

Different mold?

The ones i have skied were all great with no bump at 22,even less 28.

[Horton]

@Andre engines and props are also a factor. I think as a rule the 6L 200s are all very good. Many of the 5.7s are also good but are turning more rpms so perhaps the prop turbulence is the factor? Speculation. ..

[rodltg2]

Ski behind an infinity , then you will have a whole new perspective on " bump @22". In fact I would call it a fire hydrant open full blast

[TallSkinnyGuy]

@rodltg2 I started periodically skiing behind a friend's 1980s Malibu Skier this season and it is also like a fire hydrant blasting your shins at 15 off and blasting all the way up to the knees at 28 off. But I would imagine if you pay the price of a 200 you expect to have modern wake perfection.

[ForrestGump]

Some of the 200 hulls need 1/8 to 3/16 hook added with bondo to the passenger side flat spot. Bubba Powell turned me onto this a couple of years ago. A telltale is if the boat needs weight added to the drivers side to level it out at speed. This will make them ski like butter.

 

 

 

Due to wind in a tournament yesterday I went out at 22 off behind a '15 200 6.0L. Holy cow, the 22 off bump almost sent me into orbit through the gates! lol. But at 32 off, it was sweeeeeet.

[skiboat38]

I have had 8 200's and only had one with a bad bump....at 22 and 28 off it would knock the daylights out of you. I ended up measuring the placement of the hydro-gate and found it to be about an1/8" higher than 2 others onsite. I removed the entire gate and flipped it over and drilled new holes in the mounting plate of the gate. I also had to spend some time getting the linkage adjusted correctly. 1/8" made a huge difference. When I had noticed the problem I had thought it was just my skiing, however after pulling a couple of pro's right after their opening 28 they both asked the position of the gate.

[jnicol]

@skiboat38... do you know what the target measurement should be? Sounds like a do-able adjustment... but how do we know if we need 1/8" or more/less?

[skiboat38]

The plate is the same shape as the bottom of the boat, on the boat I had problems with there was visible gel coat (about an1/8) below where the plate was placed. I just measured how much was visible and moved the holes enough to make it even with the bottom of the boat. Take your time breaking the adhesive loose between the plate and boat. I marked the plate and used a drill press to get the holes perfect.

[LeonL]

@rodltg2, ha, I agree on the Infinity comment. I wonder how many on BOS ever skied behind an Infinity?

[Jody_Seal]

All timeTop 5 worst 22 off boats!

 

#5 late 1970's Ski Nautique

#4 84-88 MasterCraft powerslots

#3 any 80's Centurion

#2 Any inboard Hydrodyne

#1 Marlin Magnum skier

 

 

[rodltg2]

And best would be bubble butt nautique and carbon pro

[Roger]

@Jody_Seal - I owned a Magnum Skier and while I agree it had a stiff 22 wake, it wasn't even in the same class of bad as the 98 Mastercraft which is the boat I would rank as number 1 in that category...

[eleeski]

I owned a Magnum skier. We never had more than 1/4 tank of gas and the wake was fantastic (soft and tiny) for slalom. It had a 40 gallon tank and when I got it in a tournament I was always shocked by how bad the wake was. Light fuel and loading is very important.

 

I will rank the Magnum trick wake as one of the worst - on par with the modern boats. Weight didn't help it. Once I sold that boat, my tricking improved greatly.

 

Eric

[swc5150]

My buddy owns @rodltg2 's old SVOne (Infinity). You will get no argument here:)

[jnicol]

@skiboat38; thanks for the detailed reply - that helps!

[6balls]

The variation within a model of a manufacturer is unacceptable given the prices. I've had butter 200's, and serious bump 200's on the 28 opener.

 

I would be nervous about buying a 200 without skiing it first. I would have serious buyers regret if I paid a bundle and had a stiff wake. It may only be harsh on my opener but early in each season I run that pass a lot as do my ski buddies.

 

[rodltg2]

@swc5150 that's a sweet boat otherwise.

[swc5150]

@rodltg2 For sure! PCM engine, great layout...just a crap wake in some spots.

[LeonL]

As @ShaneH commented about "some 200 hulls" there is a difference apparently among them. That's a real shame considering the price of these boats. For some hulls to be so different as to need bondo applied, we're looking at a serious quality control problem. In this current age of CNC machining other computer controlled manufacturing I see no excuse for there to be differences in molds.

[Horton]

You Infiniti haters are on crack. One of the best boats ever!

[swc5150]

I'm assuming Correct Craft knows about the hull inconsistencies, and is striving to mitigate? I'd be fuming if I had to slap bondo on my hull. Actually there's no chance I'd paste that crap on my hull. I'd have a new boat or a court battle. Too much money not to get their best effort...I drink CC kool aid too.

[dbutcher]

This is really not a big deal, and it's not a new problem. I had a new 1991 promo boat that was a "leaner". Correct Craft fixed it in a matter of days, matched the gel coat perfectly, and no one could tell there had ever been a problem.

[jnicol]

Update: we just noticed the 'handle' for the hydro gate migrates away from full slalom towards jump. Seems like we have to keep pushing it forward, about once a set since we noticed it.

 

Explains why it seemed like suddenly the wake was terrible and just as suddenly it was fixed.

[swc5150]

I get a dislike because I'd refuse to trowel bondo on my new $65k boat? To each their own I guess.

[acmx]

@swc5150 you have to consider the source, Eric drills holes in the bottom of his boat.

[eleeski]

No @swc5150 , you get a dislike because you don't seem to understand manufacturing tolerances. Because the bump on your boat is bigger than other boats does not mean that the bump is too big to ski behind. If you are unhappy with your boat (that others would be perfectly happy with) there are fixes. A common reliable fixes. Fixes that can be done for way less than a couple hours worth of courtroom cost.

 

Eric

[ForrestGump]

Manufacturing tolerances in large fiberglass is a bear to control. Controlling sag in a big mold is very difficult over time. Especially since you have a mold that will get heated repeatedly due to the exothermic reaction as the resin cures. You're lucky they're within 1/8 or so on a flat plane like that over the 20ft running surface of the boat.

[swc5150]

I have no doubt achieving certain tolerances is a very difficult task. I'm just saying if the hull is so out of tolerance that you need to bondo it, I see a problem there. D3 sells skis that are out of tolerance, but at a discount, and they're up front about it. I understand that's probably not an option on a boat, but maybe they could fix the hull at the factory before it goes out? I love CC's, and have never skied behind a bad one (that I know of?), but I would be upset if I had to Jerry rig my new hull to be in line with other new boats out there. Just my opinion.