Click on boat company logos
above to see evaluation results
2006 WWA BOAT EVALUATION
PROGRAM
The World Wakeboard Association
(WWA), along with supporting boat manufactures, has created an
annual towboat evaluation program. This program is not geared
to be a test but rather a means of providing information to riders
and drivers of all levels. The information, which is compiled
by an elite team of wakeboarders and drivers whose careers and
devotion entail being in or behind a boat, is specific to each
boat make and model and is information that should not be construed
as a pass or fail evaluation. All of the boats will be evaluated
for their handling, time to speed, weight distribution, and overall
user safety. Below you will find detailed explanations of all
areas evaluated and within each manufacturer, you will find the
ratings for each boat listed.
.HANDLING
A double-up course was created
consisting of three different sizes, sixty foot, eighty foot,
and one hundred foot course, while these courses may not be commonly
used in competition there may be some exceptions where an event
organizer may require the use of one of these courses in a contest
format. Markswill give one to five stars to indicate the performance rating in this
part of the evaluation. In assessing the handling responsiveness
of the boats, we have established that the various sizes of the
boats play a considerable role in the handling motion. As an example,
one can compare an overall smaller boat to a sports car while
a boat with a larger hull will handle more like a Cadillac. When reviewing the evaluation in this please take into consideration the size of the boat being rated and that the boats are not being compared to each other, but rather how they stand up to the review.
TIME TO SPEED
The term “Time to Speed,”
means literally time to speed, which in turn translates to, how
long will it take a boat to reach a desired speed? Using a rider
of average size, the boat commenced from a complete stop and was
accelerated until the boat reached the desired speed of twenty-four
miles per hour. The repetition was performed three times in order
to obtain an average time which gave a good perspective of how
long it would take a rider to get in position and ready for a
run through a given course.
WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
Adding weight to boats for wake
enhancement has become a common practice, however adding weights
to boats and overweighing the boats has become a great concern
for the WWA. Overweighing a boat can create situations that can
lead to problems with the boat and its internal components, which
in turn could lead to accidents. During the evaluations, each
boat’s total weight was set just under the legal maximum
Coast Guard (CG) rating, and then the boats were driven through
the douple-up courses. The weight was re-distributed numerous
times until optimum handling and drivability was achieved. In
each evaluation, the optimal weight distribution is illustrated.
*The 2006 WWA Boat Evaluation will continue to be displayed in its entirety on www.thewwa.com which consistently averages 12,000 hits per day.
