Our industry and culture thrives on innovation. Where ideas blend with knowledge and technology is the birthplace of new products, new tricks & original ways to ride. Watching the world's elite riders invent new moves is something we as an industry can't get enough of! Double-flip mobes, w2w 1080s, rewinds, surf transfers... the list increases daily sometimes so it seems. Just pay attention to the Instagram feed and you'll see. Wake sports have exploded with progression over the past 20 years and it's nuts to think about what's next!
Wake shaping technology is the best thing that has happened to wake sports since the tower, speed control or integrated ballast. Trim tabs although effective in vessel stabilization did very little for wake shaping purposes, that is until it was discovered that delayed convergence was what actually produced a wake surf wave. Malibu Boat's chief design engineer, Danny Gasper, made an unprecedented product come to life with the introduction of Surf Gate. The ability to surf either side with a touch of a button literally rewrote the rules for the exponentially growing sport of wake surfing. This wake shaping invention helped massive amounts of people save a lot of time while on the water. It created a "less work more play" environment where riders from the pro-level down to the weekend-warrior were now able to spend more time doing and less time working or waiting on their wave to form.
I like to stay away from buzz-words like "game-changer" but the Surf Gate wake shaping device achieved exactly that. In less than a year we began to see all inboard boat companies follow suit and develop their own delayed convergence devices to help achieve this wake shaping effect for wake surfing. With affordable aftermarket options now available everyone can enjoy a more streamlined wake surfing experience.
This bring us back to the original topic of innovation. We know wake surfing drives the majority of new boat sales these days. That is a fact. However, that doesn't mean we should stop thinking of new ways to enhance the surfing experience and also the wake shaping experiences for wakeboarders, wakeskaters, water skiers, knee boarders, barefooters and everyone who enjoys wake sports or boating.
MGMT
wake PERSPECTIVE
Find balance, FAST!
Systematic weight distribution by WakeMGMT is a wake shaping device that seeks the benefit of everyone who enjoys boating. In fact, the driver and the passenger actually receive most of the benefit because it creates less work for these key wake sport players. Riders will eventually enjoy a clean wake, but only after waiting for folks to adjust their seating position or for the driver to drain tanks accordingly. This typically takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes which is unacceptable and very inconvenient for riders but most importantly for the driver and crew.
Often, crew members move over too much or the driver forgets to turn a pump off and it creates a fiasco onboard that only the experienced know how to manage. Asking someone to move over, then asking them to move over less is very hard to communicate. Being able to systematically control the weight distribution is a LUXURY that all boats should enjoy!
Enhancing the experience for everyone is what our product is all about. It's been suggested that WakeMGMT should be standard on all boats such as speed control, the tower or integrated ballast and we couldn't agree more. Innovating a wake shaping device that appeals to ALL wake sports is something that we are very excited about. Developing a wake support product to help everyone get the most out of the boat's wake props up the industry for continued trick progression and an increased level of overall enjoyment.
Until the next episode, we'll see you crazy kids on the water! Thanks for stopping by.