A driver can grow accustomed to that and use it to his or her advantage when docking, but there are systems now that make the process easier. Prop torque in reverse means they tend to back up and to the right, or in Nautique’s case, back and to the left. Nautique Integrated Steering Assist Low-Speed Maneuvering Assistance Inboard towboats have some deficiencies in terms of low-speed handling. Lots of boat builders offer similar technology, but Malibu’s take on the concept was so convincing, Chaparral Boats licensed the technology in 2016. The level of adjustability is staggering. It’s another mechanism that shapes wakes and tailors them to a rider’s preference. Malibu also offers SurfGate, a set of hydraulic, transom-mounted foils that directs water trailing off the sides of the boat. Depending on the position, the Power Wedge II can either help the boat get on plane faster-always helpful, but even more so when the boat is loaded with ballast-but it also can be set to create the equivalent downforce of up to 1,500 pounds of water weight. Malibu now offers the Power Wedge II, a hydraulically activated wedge that has seven positions. The result was larger wakes without having to crowd your boat with legions of people or large aftermarket ballast bags. The angle of the Wedge created downforce, pulling the rear of the boat deeper into the water, which created the same effect as added weight. In its earliest and simplest iterations, the Wedge was a manually activated transom-mounted hydrofoil that lowered and locked into place. Malibu SurfGate Wedge and Surfgate Malibu introduced its Wedge decades ago. What we’ve tried to do with this roundup is highlight some of the more unique technological advances in the industry by brand and by innovation, in the hope of helping you hone in on the tow boat that fits your needs. Other bits are unique to a builder here and there. Some of this technology is found on all tow boats. No, what makes boat builders’ use of technology is that those fingertip touch screens control electromechanical devices that greatly alter the character and shape of the wakes the boat leaves behind. Of course, the adoption adaptation of Silicon Valley technology alone wouldn’t be very impressive because we’re all so inundated with it every day. Using the same technology we find on our favorite smartphones and tablets, tow boat builders are putting far greater control right at our fingertips. Currently, the recreational boating market has been adopting new technologies, but it seems watersports boat market has been leading the charge. The arms race was on, and we talked about it in detail in this story from 2013. Correct Craft introduced the tower, which gave riders an upward pull rather than a lateral tug of a tow pylon, and for all intents and purposes, the industry was given a new life that has been building momentum ever since. Then, along came wakeboarding, which took an industry that sought to make as flat a wake as possible, and turned it into one looking to make waves. Water skiing had entered a period of stasis. Water-ski shows, if you remember those, seemed to have lost their magic. Ski boat sales had decreased because there was nothing really new in watersports. About 20 years ago, the watersports industry was looking a bit stodgy.
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