DIY Pipe Booster for improving wake

[ilangtry]

Saw this DIY project posted on Facebook today... looks promising

 

[ibecory]

Hey!.. i know that guy! I haven't been able to test it yet.

 

[Scottintexas]

Hey!.. i know that guy! I haven't been able to test it yet.

Glad to have you on board! what took you so long to find us?
Be sure to check out our FAQ tab (currently being remodeled so it not operating at peak efficiency),

Keep us updated on the water test, very interested,



..

 

[AlphaKap]

Hey!.. i know that guy! I haven't been able to test it yet.

Welcome to the forum Cory! Looks like you have some good maker skills.

 

[Scuba_ref]

Shhhh....hush now...I am trying to concentrate.
View attachment 94107View attachment 94108

It is very pretty!

 

[Scottie]

Any tests or new updates on any diy devices?

 

[Turp]

Starting a separate thread on this. Will be interesting to see what we can up with that is reasonably DIY. Lets please keep this focused on this DIY project without bashing any other for sale products out there. Testing, comparing, and documenting results against references in a scientific way is however encouraged.

For those trying the DIY booster thing here is my DIY pipe booster protoype with $20 in parts. Perhaps someone can improve upon it. I used a long sweep 3 inch 90 degree pvc electrical conduit from big box home improvement store through bolted and 3m 4200 sealed to some left over hdpe (starboard). I used a trim router to cut the slots for the tie down mount and vise deformed pex and through pin to secure. I had to play with the cut angle on the pipe and placement of the mounting slot. I also quickly rounded off all sharp edges with a dremel.

With only 400lbs of underseat ballast and less than 400 lbs of people ballast I got the below result. With a custom swim deck bag and more people pushing the pipe booster further under the water I bet it would be even better. One big key is that the mounting plate has to be tight to the hull or you get spray. The pin and some thin foam to seal against the hull are the improvements I know I need to make at this point. The black parachute cord is a saftey (in case ripped off the hull don’t want it hitting me) and drop lanyard (it could sink when trying to install if dropped) that I attach to the docking cleat. This setup held surprisingly well and less force on this than one might think.

Don’t know how this stacks up with the other options out there and coming but for a few bucks of plastic and bolts it certainly is cost effective, compact, and most people could do this. I do wonder how booster type devices would work with in conjunction with the TV surf or the Gatlin Wedge. Can’t wait for the water near me to warm up and do some more “testing”.

A few ideas to improve upon this that have been mentioned are doubling up the pipe (@Whisky), reinforcing the tie down (@haknslash), trying one on each side for wakeboarding (@Cambo), and possibly a flap for closing one side off (@Cambo) if used on both sides. @swatski has experimented a great deal with different DIY devices and I am sure many will have more ideas to improve upon this.

A quick note on wakeboarding speeds is that much of this is out of the water at wakeboarding speeds with no balls so doubling the pipe by stacking another pipe and enough ballast in the right spot may be that ticket for that.

So is it that the water is funneling thru the pipe? Not just deflecting behind is like the booster? Or both?

 

[buckbuck]

My first project was a failure. The second is showing promise but I am not showing video yet.

 

[NORCAL-GAS]

Saw this DIY project posted on Facebook today... looks promising

View attachment 94215

When will these be for sale, hint....

 

[Benjamin Bailey]

Hey!.. i know that guy! I haven't been able to test it yet.

Howd it go Cory? do you have any dimensions you can share, I was looking to build this.

 

[dadofral]

Saw this DIY project posted on Facebook today... looks promising

View attachment 94215

I hope to be making something similar this spring for my 2015 212x, owning a metal fab shop with lasers and welders going to use the manpower internally to make the best thing we can.....thinking of going stainless steel (.105 thick) that way we get no rust or oxidation.....this looks great so far.

 

[3 green tornados]

There are a few photos earlier in the thread. One just using a pin to take the photo quickly and then another with my rudimentary diy slide bolt lever cam. My mounting options are limited because I added trim tabs and reaching under and around the pipes to slide a pin in and get it both tight and retained was rather difficult. This is what prompted me to make a mechanical mechanism. If the pipes can be in front of the tie down other ways will work without the hassle of building that mechanism. All that said super happy with how quick and easy that makes it.

Did you ever dial in your end cuts and angles on the pipes?
Do you know if anyone tried 4” instead of 3” conduit?
I was thinking about something similar but using my heat blankets to custom bend the pipe to match the lines of the hull/swim step. Curious if anyone has ideas about the effect of how short or long the radius of the pipe and it’s re-directing the water into the jet wash. Would a sharper radius cause more water to just flow under the pipes rather than into the wash? Would a radius to large cause the pocket to slip to far behind the boat?

thanks for all you guys have posted!

 

[RXBoost]

I would love something like this for my 09 212x! Any progress on yours @dadofral ?

 

[pmac]

did your DIY work? what was better PVC?

 

[Robo]

Just finished my trail models .Has any one tried using both side at say time ? Also does the curve angle make a difference?

 

[Robo]

So I lost one right off the bat didn't have it secured enough . But I learned that the water coming out of the pipe over shoots the first jet .I'm going to try to cut the pipe to change the angle of the water .

 

[Robo]

This is no ballast just boat 2007 ar 230 .in the end my 100 lbs daughter did go ropeless with this setup but alot of room for improvement

 

[3 green tornados]

Do you have any pictures of your design or prototypes?

 

[3 green tornados]

I didn’t refresh before I sent. Good picture.
Compared to the wake booster it looks like it needs to be farther out, just past the edge of the boat. It also looks like it needs to be a bit taller. Awesome start and thank you for sharing!!!!

 

[Robo]

It was running a full pipe .I agree it needs to be deeper in water .I'm going to try creating a scoop instead of the tube .if it works I will try to make a aluminum one with a scoop and not the pipe.