Malibu’s Power Wedge™ III adds up to 1,500 pounds of simulated ballast to make the perfect wakeboard wake or surf wave on your Malibu. While there have been different versions of the same patented Malibu concept, none can truly compare to the current generation. Malibu’s Power Wedge III is easy to use and deliver unbeatable results for the rider and driver.
Malibu Power Wedge III Adjustment Tips and Tricks
Malibu’s Power Wedge III is the evolution of the Autoset Wedge. The Power Wedge III is adjustable up and down to give you many options to tailor your wakeboard wake or surf wave to your preference. Starting from square one, it can be helpful to adjust your boat settings without towing a wakeboarder to help craft the perfect wake or wave. Fill your ballast tanks to your normal amounts (or leave them empty if that’s how you normally ride), get the boat up to your wakeboard or wakesurf speed, then throw your rope out at the length you usually ride. If you don’t know your normal wakeboard rope length, put the rope on its first loop to make it the shortest. You may not want to fill your ballast all the way if you’re just starting out. Your rope should be dragging in the water behind the boat at a point where the wake looks the cleanest and the most like a ramp for wakeboarding. From here, deploy the Power Wedge and experiment with adjusting it up and down while a friend drives so you can see exactly what it does to the wake. At lower numbers (or closer to stowed), the Power Wedge will make the wake bigger, but more mellow and rampy. A wake like this will send you farther out more than it will straight up. At higher numbers, the Power Wedge will make the wake bigger, but with a more aggressive vertical pop. A wake like this will send you more up than out, and is typically more advanced. Somewhere in the middle is a good place to start unless you know you want the wake to be steeper with a more straight-up pop or more mellow with a pop that sends you farther out and has a longer landing zone. And again, typically the more mellow setting with a shorter line length and less ballast is preferred by beginning wakeboarders.
Another added benefit for both the rider and driver is the Power Wedge III’s lift mode. Each time the boat comes to a stop to pick up a rider, the Wedge automatically moves into the lift position under the boat. Then as the driver throttles down, this position helps quickly get the boat on plane, saving gas and valuable time on the water.
If you’ve been thinking about seeing what the Power Wedge III can really do, we invite you to take a test drive in one of our new Malibu models to see what you’ve been missing. Contact us for a testride.