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Floating wedge vs Solid wedge ...


BigbearXTI

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Has anyone done the conversion ? Seems like a pain to get done, but it is very hard to find a non floating wedge out there. I was told that we have to install a plate on the inside on the boat and will have to remove the fuel tank.... 

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I've done it.  It is a piece of cake job (FYI, what you refer to as a "solid wedge" is the manual wedge).

Steps:

- Remove old wedge from bracket
- Pull the 4 bolts out
- Here is the hard part - getting the old bracket off, as typically it is on there pretty good with some sealant.  Plastic putty knives and some yanking will do it
- The other hard part, getting the old sealant off.
 

Install is reverse of removal with the new unit.  Same backing plate, same bolts, so you just need to toss the new bracket on, put on the new marine sealant (3M 4200 is my pick) and put the new bracket on.  Not a big deal.

I did mine because I wanted the benefits of the floater and actually sold my manual wedge as there wasn't anything wrong with it.  I figured something would eventually happen with it; might as well be proactive and make some money on it in the process.

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Replacing the wedge on a DD is a much bigger job than replacing it on a VD.  Wedge and Strut are about the only things that are easier on VD than DD.

On an XTI, your back seat has to come out and the fuel tank at least needs to be slid forward, possibly removed completely.

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I replaced the fixed wedge on my XTI with a floating wedge.    Hit a small log with the fixed and it was slightly bent.    Picked the bracket up from the dealer and bought the wedge from Bakes during a sale.    
 

A few obstacles I encountered:

Bolt pattern was the same but the bracket hung about a half inch below the transom. Had to relocate the holes on the bracket.   Drilling stainless is fun. 
 

The transom on my boat is stepped and the lower half is not perfectly vertical.  This causes the wedge to sit low enough to catch the water when in the stowed position.  I had to fabricate some “steps” to hold it in a higher position closer to the swim deck to keep from dragging while under way.  
 

Definitely not a simple bolt on upgrade, at least for my boat.   
 

However, the improvement in the surf wave was without a question worth it.   

Edited by ROFF
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If anyone does this job, I need to purchase a manual wedge, or 1 leg and the wedge (bottom part).  Let me know if you want to offset the cost of your Floating Wedge.

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