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locking wedge break away mod.


ChainSetter

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Hey guys new to the board. Just bought a used 2002 Wakesetter it has a old style locking wedge with the pins on either side. We boat on some extremely shallow lakes (chain o lakes, illinois) and I have heard horror stories about people tearing a hole in the back of their hulls by hitting something with their wedge in the locked down position..I was thinking about trying to replace the stock pins with some sort of break away pin just in case we hit something to save a catastrophe. Has any one done anything like this before. Any info would appreciated.

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If you need a break-away wedge, you're gonna need a break-away prop and rudder too!

:plus1:

I think I've heard that enough for it to qualify as an "old wives tale". All your running gear is in front of the wedge, so in all honesty, odds are your wedge will be fine and never hit anything hard enough to affect the transom. Your prop, rudder, shaft, and shaft housing, will take the hit.

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I've been on this board for a few days now and I've never, ever heard of anyone tearing a hole in their transom due to a wedge hit.

Trust me, the mounting bolts of the wedge wings to the arms are your weak spot. (You'll find out what I'm talking about eventually :innocent:)

Like others have said, you'll hit a lot more stuff before you hit the wedge.

IMG_0157.jpg

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I can confirm the running gear issue: In 2001 I was on a boat that took out its prop, bent the prop shaft and strut, snapped the rudder (which put a sizeable dent in the underside) and taco'ed the wedge on a piece of debris. It happened in an are of the ICW where stuff falls off barges every now and then. The wedge did not completely tear out of the transom but did delaminate the glass around the mounting plate. bilge pump was busy as the boat was swimmed to the bank. I would worry that a break-away pin would not be up to the forces placed on it by wedge in normal use.

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I've been on this board for a few days now and I've never, ever heard of anyone tearing a hole in their transom due to a wedge hit.

Trust me, the mounting bolts of the wedge wings to the arms are your weak spot. (You'll find out what I'm talking about eventually :innocent:)

Like others have said, you'll hit a lot more stuff before you hit the wedge.

IMG_0157.jpg

Damn, that is one clean hull !!!

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Here's the only transom damage incident I've ever seen or heard of. The details were debated heavily in the thread. I would certainly say something like this happening is a 1 in a million chance. I'm with Pete - the hardware has a much better chance of giving way than the transom.
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Damn, that is one clean hull !!!

Thanks.

That boat is 10 yrs. old when I took the pic. and I've never cleaned the bottom, ever.

Guess it's good to live in CA with our super clean lake water.

Oh yeah, I stay out of the delta with my baby. The delta turns a white boat brown.

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Hey guys new to the board. Just bought a used 2002 Wakesetter it has a old style locking wedge with the pins on either side. We boat on some extremely shallow lakes (chain o lakes, illinois) and I have heard horror stories about people tearing a hole in the back of their hulls by hitting something with their wedge in the locked down position..I was thinking about trying to replace the stock pins with some sort of break away pin just in case we hit something to save a catastrophe. Has any one done anything like this before. Any info would appreciated.

Welcome to the crew, and to the Chain.

We're out there all the time and you just have to get to know the lakes. Most of the lakes are plenty deep that you wont have a problem. You're not going to want to board in any areas that are less than 7 or 8 feet anyway because the wake starts to wash when you get any shallower.

Drop me a PM if you need any specific info on the chain or if you ever need a 3rd.

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Hey guys new to the board. Just bought a used 2002 Wakesetter it has a old style locking wedge with the pins on either side. We boat on some extremely shallow lakes (chain o lakes, illinois) and I have heard horror stories about people tearing a hole in the back of their hulls by hitting something with their wedge in the locked down position..I was thinking about trying to replace the stock pins with some sort of break away pin just in case we hit something to save a catastrophe. Has any one done anything like this before. Any info would appreciated.

Hit a tree stump while boarding with the manual wedge down. Wedge was fine - not a scratch on it but I had to have the whole underwater gear replaced - drive shaft, rudder and prop. I was just glad it was the last day of the season. Insurance covered it!

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  • 2 months later...

If you need a break-away wedge, you're gonna need a break-away prop and rudder too!

it is all fun and games until someone looses a prop.......ROFL.gifROFL.gifROFL.gif

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