Tow-Rope Retriever equals a remote controlled winch
Why would a wakeboarder need a motorized winch?
Since it’s inception after World War II and rise to popularity during the early 1980’s, the sport of wakeboarding has been an entertaining extreme water sport that has successfully grown a relatively small but loyal fan base. Much like surfing or skateboarding, one measures their skill level in wake boarding by their ability to successfully complete difficult and often risky stunts. The danger of getting injured during wake boarding does not deter these extreme athletes. However, after a day of wake boarding, all too often the tow rope is retrieved and resides on the floor of the boat. Not only is this bad for the rope, but after the long day of defying injury, tripping on the tow rope and getting injured seems a ridiculous way to end the day, when it could have been easily avoided if someone just stowed the rope. An investor approached Adept with an idea for a device that would attach to the wake boarding tower, reel in and stow the rope.
Adept applied knowledge of purpose driven automated machinery and engineered DC motorized winch with wireless remote enclosed in a stylish enclosure. An operator could easily mount the towrope retriever to the tower and remotely unreel and reel the rope to any desired length. The rope could unload at 300 feet per minute and stow up to 75 feet within the unit.
Using Machining and rapid prototyping methods Adept built 3 operational prototypes that the investors’ private wakeboarding team demonstrated through the United States and abroad
Design Requirements and Parameters:
- Automate detailed Laboratory process.
- Aesthetic Industrial Design
- Wireless remote operation
- Water Resistant IP65 Electronics Enclosure
- Retrieval Rate = 300 ft/min (unloaded)
Rope Stowage = 75ft - Injection molded covers
- Insert molding
- Stress Analysis, FEA
- Solid state Electronics
- Power distribution
- DC Motor control
- Prototype build and test
