Post pics of your accessories

Mirrors, tower speakers, towers, racks .... looking to see what is out there and what looks good. Thanks.

Lightning accessories

polished

Here's a pic of an automatic volume control related to boat speed. I am currently in the patent pending phase and it has a long way to go before it can become a commercial product, but this version of proto type in a radio shack box is working great.

Jim, if you could make that happen .. you would make a ton of $$$ ....

just wire a pot. in the throttle linkage, it would be even easier with perfect pass, or you could just use the tach to take a singal off of, easy either way. Good luck. Let me know if you need any help with the electronics, I will advise for free. I'm an EE. You can do the whole thing with one mp btw.

Jim, Looks like it has already come a long way since the tuperware box! Congrats and good luck.

J-rod last time out it was working awsome. He says its even more dialed. I can't wait to get the first production one.

Kind of like the old DSPs that would increase volume as noise around the unit increase. Great feature until you started talking and it would get louder.

If the girls are complaining that would be great!

Just started marketing these pads for trailers. Good for traction and hides fender scratches. Please let me know what you think. Thanks
www.deckdots.com

fender pads deckdots_12[1].art (9.9 k)

Hey Ron, Nice product, just sent a sample request in. Thinking of using for a transom guard. Think they would work well for that application?

Jim, Make it happen soon. I have on 06' on the way and need one of your audio controls soon. Paul

Thanks Jon, Samples will go out today. Thinking of adding transom guard to web site. Would 4"x60" be a good size?

Ron
www.deckdots.com

Hey jim, I don't know if it's a patent issue, Ford has had something similar in some of there vehicle head units for a while. My 02 focus has it, it's called AVS I think.
I hope you succeed, diffently a need for a stand alone unit to install especially in boats.

Yeah, my Denali had one in it's factory head unit too. Pretty cool and worked surprisingly well.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I researched about 2500 audio control devices that have been patented and if the patent office has the same views as myself then I may have a shot. The other devices patented were developed for a slightly different application which is to give the listener the perception they are listening to the same audio level noise when the surrounding noises increase. The other thing that may be in my favor is they are all pertaining to motor vehicles as opposed to a vessel.

My current device has the application of playing the audio volume at a high level set by the head unit for the rider 80' out, then reducing the audio volume to a low level for conversation in the vessel while returning to pick up or change riders. Another feature that I found important was the need to have a time delay before the audio volume increases as a function of engine RPM. There are times when maneuvering the vessel where you gas it for short bursts, but not actually accelerating to a riding speed where you don't want the volume to increase. I currently have my time delay set for about 3 seconds which seems to work fine. This allows you to maneuver around in a marina without blasting the tunes. My hopes at a novel idea compared to the prior art is the application for playing tunes for the rider 80' out, application to a vessel, and a time delay of volume change to allow for vessel maneuvering. Time will tell if the PTO agrees with my reasoning.

I am interested in your comments of the overall application and approach I took and if it is something that a large majority may have interest in. I am hoping that it may become the perfect pass for stereo's. You can certainly live without it, but it sure is handy once you get used to it. Everyone so far that has been in my boat with it working wants one, but that is just my circle of friends.

Thanks again for the encouragement and I will update the Wakeworld community as I either progress through the patent process or get rejected with infringement of prior art.

Jim, not to highjack your thread but, how hard is the patent application process? I have always wondered how hard it is.

John,
I have been involved in the application of previous patents with employers and worked with patent attorneys so I had some exposure of the process. I bought the book "Patent It Yourself" at Barnes and Noble and between past experience, the PTO web pages and the book I am hoping to be doing it correctly. It is a bunch of legal jargon, but not real tough, just time consuming and being meticulous. I filed a provisional patent last year to give me 12 months to fiddle with it and see if I wanted to keep forging ahead. The provisional application was about $80 and is very informal and dates and protects your idea while you decide if you want to do the formal application. The formal application is about $600 so far.

Ron,

Great, looking forward to seeing your samples.

As for a transom guard size, I will make it span the entire width of my swim platform, I will measure it out and let you know my size.

4" in heigt is good as it can easily be treimmed to the height required. I personally would prefer it to be to long and have to trim to size as opposed to trying to get 2 pieces to match up perfectly...

if squid gets the first i get the second. we can be the r & d team.

alan I will be on the r & d team as long as there are no spinning tools around

Ron, Im probably going to order that for my swim platform. Th one question I have is how do you think it will hold up to the board/fins setting on it while we are putting on our boards. I dont want it to tear very easily. I know its not going to last forever but I would like to get a season or two out of it before I replace it.

Ron, Just placed my order for a 3x5 sheet. I'll put up a review once I get it. I have been looking for a product like this for a while - Thx

haha pretty funny squid. my freakin tooth is black now. i havent ridden for a month either since i started the new job.

One last very important tower accessory.....