Flow Guards efficiency in surf?

[JamesG]

Either Rickter Flow Guards or home made ones... How effective are they in surf? I have heard from multiple people that flow guards aren't great in the surf and that they are not worth the trouble. But why?

Will somebody with some knowledge hit us with the facts?

 

[Matt_E]

The only thing I know about flowguards: they seem to be for sale almost new quite a bit.

 

[sportfish258]

I hear they are worth a 3 to 4 foot improvement in vertical air.

 

[Matt_E]

^^ Yah I've heard that before.
Question is how that's possible considering the flowguard doesn't provide any additional thrust.

 

[deftons56]

^^ Yah I've heard that before.
Question is how that's possible considering the flowguard doesn't provide any additional thrust.

It "guards" the thrust your ski already makes. Water can get into the stream from the front of the turning nozzle and disrupt the flow. That is my understanding anyways.. I made some high tech drawings somewhere, lol.

 

[baxt3r]

Totally effective at removing a few hundred dollars from your wallet.

 

[Matt_E]

It "guards" the thrust your ski already makes. Water can get into the stream from the front of the turning nozzle and disrupt the flow. That is my understanding anyways.. I made some high tech drawings somewhere, lol.

I understand that. But the water that it prevents from escaping isn't going back into the reduction nozzle for thrust. It would just come out the flowguard without adding any extra thrust.

 

[sportfish258]

I take back my post. That claim was flat water..... Who knows with regard to surf. All joking and performance claims aside , some sort of shield around the reduction nozzle to fill the gap of the turn nozzle would probably be beneficial turning .I do think it would add some level of protection landing tail first in shallow water . My 2 cents

 

[deftons56]

I understand that. But the water that it prevents from escaping isn't going back into the reduction nozzle for thrust. It would just come out the flowguard without adding any extra thrust.

You got it all wrong. it keeps lake water out of disrupting the flow not thrust water from escaping the nozzle. Don't make me find my high tech drawings

I thought the same thing until I was over at Crabs and he told me and it all made sense.

 

[deftons56]

It wasn't really needed until the freestyle skis started having the pump stick out the back.

 

[sportfish258]

It wasn't really needed until the freestyle skis started having the pump stick out the back.

Might bite on that .... Lowering drag is certianly reasoable flat or surf , but 3 to 4 feet sounds VERY optimistic .

 

[deftons56]

Might bite on that .... Lowering drag is certianly reasoable flat or surf , but 3 to 4 feet sounds VERY optimistic .

It's not just drag. Think if you put a bunch of water in a moving stream of water, do you think it would slow down the moving stream?


edit:

experiment you can try:

Hold your hose and pour a cup of water through the stream, see if it slows it down.

 

[deftons56]

I don't have one, but I see how they could work. You would think that RRP could have done a better job telling people the science behind it and not just that it gives you more height. :crazy:

 

[227]

It wasn't really needed until the freestyle skis started having the pump stick out the back.

I thought flow guards were to eliminate the side to side blowby on a notched turning nozel thats been tweaked for extra steering swing. I've never seen a trim that moves the nozel that far, I could be wrong though, I don't use trim.

 

[deftons56]

I thought flow guards were to eliminate the side to side blowby on a notched turning nozel thats been tweaked for extra steering swing. I've never seen a trim that moves the nozel that far, I could be wrong though, I don't use trim.

The picture RRP posted about getting more height was Rok doing a back flip, not someone turning. :silly:

 

[B3IS]

The flow guard is not about the trim.

 

[camojoe]

The only thing I know about flowguards: they seem to be for sale almost new quite a bit.

I believe because they didnt want to go to the trouble of installing it

 

[zimmy]

Cant you just run a ride plate that extends to the where the steering nozzle begins?

 

[Matt_E]

The amount of water entering from the side or bottom compared to the water output of a good sized mag pump is comparable to spitting into a fire hose stream.
I get what you're saying, but I can't see it being significant. I could probably be convinced otherwise if RRP actually explained what it did and maybe backed it up with documented back to back testing.

 

[JamesG]

Are there any cons to using flow guards?