Rugger

This project was a 2003 Malibu 23LSV. I created my first surf gate setup in late summer of 2012, right after I saw ads for the concept and before I could see stock versions at my local dealer. My setup evolved multiple times over the last few years, from concepts to a final version. There were plenty of other project guys creating mockups and systems as well -- so it was cool to feed off of each other's ideas over on the Malibu Crew. My first setup involved manual gates. I had leftover composite material from my previous boat projects; the same stuff Malibu uses for its flooring. I threw a few primitive rectangle shapes on a hinge and then added aluminum bimini poles instead of actuators. This actually worked quite well, I used a thumb push button and slid the gate open or closed with a locking point I drilled into the poles. I tried 3 positions, partially open, more open and all the way out. I don't remember which setting worked best, they all seemed to do the job. This was a few years ago so I couldn't find up close pictures. But here's what the composite looked like: I just ran it like that in the water. Ugly for even a concept gate, but at least it was waterproof. Once we saw how well SG was working, I made semi-final gates for my boat. I reshaped the gate and then added fiberglass and blue gel coat that matched my Malibu blue. Here's a shot of that bimini pole I mentioned that worked so well for a while, as a manual option. The idea was I could swap in actuators one day without redoing the system. The biggest issue I ran into on this boat was the transom has a step in it. So it's not flat on the back like most modern v-drives. This made it very difficult to attach hinges where I needed to. So my solution was to make stainless steel bracket and bolt them to the underside of the transom, and use the bracket as the hinge point. Otherwise I would have a funky shaped gate that wasn't really working well when I mocked it up. Many Nautiques and Centurions have a similar shape in the transom, as do Malibu 23LSVs from 2000-2003, as well as the LXI models I believe. Here's a shot of that step in the transom, and the bracket: And here is where the top of the bracket bolted, I was able to access the bolts through the rear compartment. I decided to use a stainless backing plate so that everything was super strong: The gates worked well, it was manual, but at least I could open and close them easily. Here's my first shot of the gates at work in 2012. Was still trying to figure out how big of a gate to make. This one was smaller, all under water, yet worked great: So fast forward to the summer of 2013 . I never like the blue gel coat, I should have done white. My manual bimini style poles broke, and when I went to add power actuators, I realized my brackets would not just allow me to bolt on the actuator the way I originally designed. So I decided to start all over, at least knowing this time the concept already worked well. As for the gates, I wanted the new ones to look stock. Like before, I built them out of fiberglass and composite material, then bought color matched Spectrum gelcoat from iBoats online. Decided to add a little dovetail to the top of the gates to give them a little style and tuck nicely to the modified swim platform. I also countersunk the bolts for the hinges and actuator mounts (did this the first time too). I thought it gave it more of a polished, factory look. This was easy, I drilled larger holes and sunk the bolt heads in the gate and surrounded them with West Systems epoxy for a super strong hold: I also created newer, improved stainless steel brackets, similar to before but better designed for the actuators. Bolted them up right near the same place as before, and again I used backing plates. I went straight for the actuators this time and boy was it nice to have powered gates. There's a whole conversation about this... but I hate manual gates because they don't allow the same control of the boat. I did not yet have a controller (was waiting for MartinArcher to finish his system design, must have bugged him 100 times, but it wasn't done yet), so I hooked the actuators up to simple switches on the dash for a while. That worked ok, and was still better than a manual set up. But by the early winter MartinArcher had the Wake Logic controller ready to test. Even though it was freezing outside, and the water even colder, I was dying to try out the automated controller. It worked great from the first time we used it. That was 2013, and it still hasn't had a problem. There are write-ups on Wake Garage specifically for the Wake Logic controller, but briefly the controller allows us to press the button as to which side we want to surf, and then when the boat gets up to the set speed (about 7 mph using its built in GPS), then the gate on the opposite side deploys. When you stop to pickup a rider, or speed past about 15 mph, it also closes so you have full control of the boat. Automatically! Its like adding PerfectPass to your boat that doesn't have it -- it makes is so nice. Here's the original "prototype" version of the Wake Logic. I still have to dig up pics of it installed, but I ended up screwing it in under the dash. This pic shows me taking the top lid off of the controller, so that we can access the microSD card to change the timing and other settings. When you mount this in the boat, you need to make sure you can still remove the lid to make adjustments. So for the controller switch, I wanted it to look stock. So I chose the Carling Contura switch because it matches the others on my dash. I then painted arrows on a blank one and found a spot in the plastic bezel to mount it. I also had to create a cool "surf control" decal so that it looked OEM (at least I think it did). Domed numbers hooked me up for that. The sticker matched the lettering and metallic ink of my steering wheel Malibu decal. The Wake Logic controller mounted right under my dash. I mounted the GPS under my dash and all the wiring for the Lenco actuators ran down the gunnels, neatly tied up. Originally I didn't want the LCD, but MartinArcher sent a test prototype, and I quickly changed my mind. It's nice to have, but I didn't know where to put it. So my best option ended up being in the lower right corner, just below the dash. The picture shows my final installation of the dash. The LCD in the picture is his shipping production version, not the prototype. Fast forward again a few years to 2016. I am still super happy with the setup. The only problem is I just sold my boat... so now I get to do this all over again in my next project boat.

This project was one of my favorites because I love creating modifications that boats were never intended for. Pretty sure in 1987 nobody could foresee a wedge device to create a BIGGER wake on a ski boat. Needless to say, the transom simply wasn't designed for it. But this Sunsetter was sweet, and very capable at wake boarding, and now wake surfing. It needed a wedge because there was less room for ballast as well. I made the decision to build one after the boat was rebuilt (due to wood rot). While replacing the stringers, transom and floor, I decided to make the transom roughly 3x stronger. I doubled the transom thickness, and used extra biaxial fiberglass with vinyl ester resin to help tie the stringers and transom together in a way that made the transom stronger than ever intended. "Overbuilt" is a favorable term on Wake Garage and applies here. So keep in mind, even though the project is about the wedge, it was made possible because of a stronger transom. I would not put this wedge on another boat of this era without additional reinforcement brackets. The Challenge: As for the wedge, I decided to use similar dimensions as Malibu's Stainless Manual, AKA "Floating" wedge, but the exhaust ports were closer together to the OEM bracket system would not work. So the bracket itself had to be narrower in between the exhaust ports, and then spread out above the ports to help spread the load on the transom. The wedge foil was the same size as OEM, but the arms had to be narrower because of the exhaust locations. I needed the downforce to be spread throughout the transom, stringers and hull as one unit. Process: All of the stainless was purchased from a simple metal fabrication supply store, and I used 3/16" for the bracket, 1/4"for the wedge foil, and 1.5" bar stock for the arms. I used cardboard/posterboard to make the templates, then had a CNC machine place cut out the general shapes. Stainless is very difficult to cut. Luckily, my brother had a TIG welder, which saved time and money. So assembling the bracket was fairly easy. The bolts between the bracket and the transom were 1/2" stainless. But I used a pin instead of bolts to affix the arms to the bracket. I liked the way that worked better, and also made it easier to remove. Once the wedge was completed, it needed to be polished. This was a serious of sanding from low to high, then polishing using a heavy polisher. Took hours and hours but eventually became shiny! Additions: In addition to the reinforced transom, I wanted the downforce to be shared between transom, stringers and hull as a single unit. So I created an extra bracket on the inside that stretched across and bolted to the stringers. For the stringers (which are wood), I epoxied stainless connecting nuts inside and used anti-seize paste before screwing the new brackets down, so the wood would never be exposed. Also, I added a stainless position sensor to the wedge with an indicator light on the dash. Even though we know the boat drives differently with the wedge deployed, it's nice having an indicator on the dash to know its down before shooting back to the marine. And finally, I drilled a few extra stop points in the wedge bracket (not pictured). The "floating" wedge does not float, it simply pushes down to the farthest point allowed, which is where the stop bolts lie. So by adding holes, you can move the stop points up, using a pin to adjust it. This give it sort of a manual "adjusting" wedge so that it stops at a more aggressive angle. Of course this yields mixed results depending on ballast and usage. Results: Loved having the wedge on this boat. Same results as Malibu's OEM wedge, however I always felt that the narrower beam and hull design of the retro Sunsetter meant that the wedge had an even greater effect on the wake. Same concept as a wide body 24' boat requiring even more ballast to sink, this one displaces significant water with mild ballast and in this case, wedge. Still one of my all time favorite projects for a sweet classic boat. Read some of the projects by MartinArcher to see how much further this boat has been built. It's become famous in the Malibu community, largely due to MartinArcher's Wake Logic surf system and "TeakGate".

This project was done around 2008, and seemed necessary after having to gut the 1987 Sunsetter due to rotten stringers and floors. Once that structural project was completed with modern materials (new stringers, fiberglass and composite flooring), I couldn't just reinstall the 80's era interior or it wouldn't be right. Plus the seat backs were also made of wood, were soft, and needed rebuilding. I've come to believe outside of the hull, those boats had no protection against water. So I took each one apart one by one, and replicated the seat bases one by one. Also rebuilt the bow so that every part of that interior was new. Unlike when the boat was built, this time the seat backs were reproduced but received multiple layers of fiberglass and resins to waterproof them and provide structural integrity. This was fairly painstaking, and it shows hand constructed boats of this era were not very symmetrical in their construction. If I were to do it today, I'd have done all composite, but this update will still last a lifetime. The rotten wood and vinyl were removed. New seat bases were constructed and waterproofed based on the original templates. But when it came time to replace the seat vinyl, we had some decisions to make. I figured it was a blank canvas at this point. I also had new carpet installed over the new floors. I sketched up some drawings of what I thought would look good -- more modern, but still fitting for that era boat hull and accents. In fact I went through all the current (2008) boat brochures and picked out my favorite schemes. After talking to a few people at the Malibu factory about materials, I was referred to one of their own interior specialists at the time when the Merced factory was still there. He made some suggestions (and improvements) to the designs to work better with these sizes and layouts, I gladly took them, and we made it happen. New skins were made using Malibu's 2008 vinyl with newer styling and more robust materials. We also decided to replace all the foam with the latest and greatest. Essentially I ended up with a 2008 interior in a 1987 boat. Could not have been happier with the way the boat turned out! I loved the classic look of the original interior, but I would not have traded it for anything after the project was complete. Hats off to the good folks at Malibu who helped with the materials. They were very supportive, and that experience probably steered me to buy another Malibu later. This boat is a one of a kind (see the other projects re: stringers, transom, dash, custom fabricated wedge) and then went to an even better project guru (MartinArcher), who gave it a custom-fitted Titan III tower, ballast, surf gate and his world renowned Wake Logic custom controller for wake devices and more.

After starting my homemade surf gate project, I realized quickly that the swim platform would need to be modified for a few reasons. The beauty of a teak platform is that it is more easily modified for surfing!! Plus it always looks great refinished. 1) The gates need to retract/close all the way in at an angle, or they "drag" in the water and tarnish the wake. I watched this occur many time while surfing with our test gates. 2) The wave itself runs right through the platform, I think is why many manufacturers, even without gates, have cut the corners on the platform to follow a better low speed, surf wake line. But because I needed to fit the gates, it was a no brainer. On this particular project I actually added length to the original swim platform. So it is one board length longer. Teak is actually very easy to work with, as long as you have a good skill saw blade and cut slowly. The angles were determined by watching the wake, and honestly just by how far the gates needed to retract into the platform. I will come back and add to this project with the steps involved. It's also important to look at the bottom corners of the gates to ensure they don't run through the wake when stowed/closed. Some with SG have had success without modifying the platform, while others have had issues (like me).

This project was easy... I needed to swap the decals from a boat 13 years old, which means years of sun exposure to the gel coat will contrast with the virgin gel coat beneath the decals. If you replace decals with the exact same one, you'll be fine. But for an updated look, in this case stainless emblems with a different size, you have a problem if you don't restore the gel coat properly. A couple things... This project on the 2003 was not extreme, because the gel coat looked new, until we pulled the decals. (I did this once on a 80s Sunsetter, red, and it was much harder because there were more years of exposure that created a chalky red.) A quick polish will make the contrast go away briefly, but trust me it will not last. It's best to clean, wet sand and then polish. This project was for decal swap, but the same steps work for restoring color regardless. In this case the gelcoat was in great shape, because it gets polished and waxed regularly. So it's really not the best example for demonstration. These pictures are not very good, but you can see not only the outline but the gelcoat has a different gray then the grey thats been exposed to the sun. Polishing is just a temporary solution, but you don't want to put new decals on until you make a permanent adjustment. 1) So I first washed the boat so there was no dirt in the area I was working on. I used acetone to remove the decal residue completely. 2) Before starting the wet sanding process, tape off a section off the area you are working on. You have to be patient with this process, when you wet sand from lower to higher grit paper, you cannot skip a step and its easy to get lost even on a small section. Tape helps you keep track. 3) Only use a sanding block, do not use a rotary or try to wetland with your hand. It's also best to get good wetsand paper, and let it soak in a bucket first. For this project I started with 600 grit, the 800, then 1000, then 1200, then 1500, then 2000. Had to clean in between every step, and keep the sanding block/paper wet the entire time. Also, it helps to move the tape out with each step. I found a little car wash soap in my water-dunking bucket was helpful because it made it a little slick as well. 4) When it was clean and dry, I taped off the next section and repeated the process. 5) At the end, I removed all tape and polished the entire area with a rotary buffer using a wool cut pad and Maguiers 105 (heavy cut) polish. Although not needed, I then went to 3M's Finesse it polish for a final finish. I almost waxed it before realizing I should put the new decals on first so they stick better. Not sure if I needed it, but I used a little more acetone to clean the gelcoat again before the decals. Once they were on, I added the wax to the whole thing. It's best to cover your trailer too, I did not and it got pretty mucky from the wet sanding you can see in the picture. It does wash right off though. A few boat trips and sun exposure, and the gel coat contrast is still completely gone. Permanently fixed, until I decide to change decals years down the road. I'm a hack, so I'm sure professional detailers can jump in here and improve the process. But this works very well. EDIT: I found pictures of a previous project I had to do to the 87 Sunsetter. It too received new decals, but the gel was in much worse shape to start with and was a better example of before and after. Check it out... I hope it's helpful for anyone who shies away from an older boat because it was chalky!