Surf wake system and method for a watercraft
AssigneeMalibu Boats, LLC
InventorDaniel Lee Gasper
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wake modifying system for modifying a wake produced by a watercraft traveling through water may include a rudder pivotally mounted to the watercraft for steering the watercraft, a fin pivotally mounted to the watercraft substantially along a centerline of the watercraft and forward the rudder, wherein the fin pivots about an upright axis to modify the wake produced by the watercraft traveling through the water, an actuator mounted within the watercraft and operably coupled to the fin for pivoting the fin relative to the centerline, and a controller mounted on the watercraft allowing an operator to control the actuator and selectively pivot the fin to a desired angle θd relative to the centerline.
Claims20
A boat configured to produce a first wake when traveling through water and configured to produce a second wake different from said first wake when a wake surfer is surfing said second wake behind said boat;
- the boat comprising:
- a hull;
- an operator control;
- at least one wake modifier oriented substantially vertically, wherein, when the boat is in said water, said wake modifier is oriented substantially perpendicular to a surface of said water;
- an actuator operably coupled to said wake modifier wherein actuation of said actuator moves said wake modifier between a first position and a second position, wherein one of said first position and said second position comprises said wake modifier being in a neutral position and the other of said first and said second position comprises said wake modifier being in an engaged position to form said second wake, said second wake comprising one of a left side surf wake or a right side surf wake different from said left side surf wake;
- a rudder configured to track said boat in a straight line through said water when said boat is traveling at least at a speed suitable for surfing with said water diverter in said engaged position;
- and
- an electronic controller configured to regulate said actuator responsive to electronic signals received by said electronic controller from said operator control, said electronic signals responsive to input into said operator control by an operator.
A method of producing a surfing wake when a boat is configured for surfing as said boat travels through water, said surfing wake being different from a wake when said boat is configured for not surfing as said boat travels through water, the configuration of said boat from surfing to not surfing responsive to input to an electronic control, said method comprising:
- receiving input responsive to a selection of a right side surf wake;
- and
- actuating an actuator responsive to a controller to move a substantially vertically oriented wake modifier from a first position to a second position, wherein one of said first position and said second position comprises said wake modifier being in a neutral position and the other of said first and said second position comprises said wake modifier being in an engaged position to form said surfing wake, said surfing wake comprising a right side surf wake different from a left side surf wake.
A surf boat comprising:
- a hull;
- a rudder;
- a plurality of wake modifiers oriented substantially perpendicular to a surface of said water when said hull is in said water, said plurality of wake modifiers each having a deployed position and a neutral position, wherein when in said deployed position and said hull is moving through said water, at least one of said plurality of said wake modifiers modifying a wake of said hull to produce either a right side surf wake or a left side surf wake different from said right side surf wake;
- and
- an operator control including a right surf control and a left surf control, wherein selection of said right surf control causes at least one of said plurality of said wake modifiers to produce said right side surf wake and selection of said left surf control causes at least one of said plurality of said wake modifiers to produce said left surf wake.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.