2017 Malibu trick wake

[dchristman]

I got to ride in Regina's newly delivered blue Bu while she tricked yesterday. The wake looked pretty good. She thinks it's a bit better than the older model - she described it as like a "harder speed bump". It looks pretty symmetrical with a smooth table. Malibu will be my preferred boat for tournaments. Nice Boat!

[MopedMedicks]

Excellent. How was the curl on the wake? Compared to an SN200?

[dchristman]

@MopedMedicks reference my crude drawing below. I think Regina's "speed bump" description of the wake is apt. Think about driving over a low, wide speed bump and then a narrower one that throws you up at the same speed. By curl, do you mean like how I perceive the wake of my 2000 PS190 - not symmetrical at all with a bit of curl on the outside? I don't think the SN200 wake is anything like that. It seems to me the wake of all the newer boats could be described as a speed bump with no real, functional-for-tricks crest at least at my speed and line length. The 2017 Bu did appear to have a wisp of white water at the top of the bump, non-functional, but at least a nice visual of where the wake crest is. I wish I still had my old American Skier. That trick wake was perfect.

 

 

@eleeski how am I off of my own topic?

[eleeski]

The American skier wake rocks. The MC from 2010 is almost as good. Your drawing of the 2016 looks pretty close to my experience. I like your drawing of the new Malibu - I'm looking forward to trying it.

 

Eric

[escmanaze]

Interesting analysis. I'm always wondering about "trick wake" because that soon becomes my "wakeskate wake". I still don't understand why the rules won't let the manufacturers put ballast in there. It sure seems to me that 300-500 pounds of ballast toward the back of the boat would really perk up that wake and make it look a lot more like the american skier diagram.

[dchristman]

@escmanaze More weight can help, but bigger isn't necessarily better. A trick skier doesn't want a huge wake. A smaller wake means less time between tricks. Wakes have become more rounded and softer over the years to appeal to the bigger market of slalom skiing. The American Skier wake was small, but symmetrical with a well-defined crest. I never had to add weight to that boat to get a good wake, not even for balance. Because the boat was narrower, shifting passengers easily achieved balance.

 

Wake shape is important. Imagine going over a jump shaped like this

 

 

- where do you pop? There's got to be an optimal spot, but probably not the top edge. Trick skiers have adjusted to the way wakes are shaped and put up fantastic scores, but I can't help but think they would enjoy skiing and perform that much better given crisper wakes. Sort of like the big guys wanting ZO trick mode for slalom skiing.

 

@eleeski now I am really off my original topic. The bottom line is that the new Malibu wake appears to be a step in the right direction for trickers.

 

 

[ozski]

How many skiers would make buying decisions based on the trick wake these days?

[h2onhk]

@ozski probably not many but I was one of them. our portable course is on public water. Like many, slalom is best in the morning before it gets busy. We pretty much trick the rest of the day when the water is not as ideal. Its fun playing around on a trick having fun vs. sitting on the dock watching everyone else until the water calms down. When we bought our used 07' 196, tricking was the sole reason I had a dealer add the hydro-gate feature.

 

Glad to hear the new Malibu wake still works for trickers.

[elr]

Well, at speed, slalom wakes are comparable across the brands. Because we are a 3 event family, trick wakes are a differentiator. Also, if practice sets are limited before a big tournament trick takes priority as the boat/lake makes the biggest difference in trick.