Automatic trim control for planing and semi-planing vessels from 6 to 30 metres. We supply Zipwake systems anywhere in Australia, and fit, set up and sea-trial them at Gold Coast City Marina, Coomera.
5.0 From 27 Google reviewsZipwake is an automatic trim control system. Interceptor blades on the transom drop a few centimetres into the water flow to lift the stern where it is needed, and the system moves them on its own to hold the running angle, level out a list and steady the vessel in a chop. Marine Solutions Australia is an authorised Zipwake dealer: we size, supply, install and sea-trial Zipwake trim tabs at Gold Coast City Marina, and supply kits and genuine parts Australia-wide.
Most people call them trim tabs, and they do the same job. A conventional tab is a hinged plate under the transom, usually adjusted from switches at the helm. Zipwake’s interceptors are a different design, and the system adjusts them itself while you drive.
How well it works is decided before the vessel leaves the berth: interceptors chosen for the hull and the drives, placed correctly on the transom, cables taken cleanly through the hull, and the system set up on a sea trial. That part is our job.
Not on the Gold Coast? We freight kits and parts anywhere in Australia. And if the vessel is heading north for the season, our delivery skippers can bring it to Coomera for the fit.
A Zipwake kit arrives with the interceptors, a distribution unit, a control panel, cables and a drill template. What it can’t bring is your hull.
Deadrise, chines, the gap between a pair of outboards and the route a cable can take through the transom all differ from one hull to the next. We pick the interceptors for that hull, fit them, run and seal the cables, power the distribution unit properly, then take the vessel out and set the system up at speed. If something isn’t right on the trial, it gets sorted on the trial.
Zipwake supply & install · PRO upgrades · Coomera workshop · Kits freighted Australia-wide
Which one suits comes down to the length of the vessel, how it is driven and whether there is a Zipwake system on the transom already.
The compact range, for planing and semi-planing vessels between 6 and 15 metres (20 to 50 feet), from trailer boats up to 50-foot cruisers. The blades have a 30 mm stroke.
The larger, heavier range for vessels up to 30 metres (100 feet), built for long operating hours. The blades travel 60 mm, twice the Series S stroke, which gives a bigger hull more lift to work with.
A vessel already running Zipwake can move to PRO without new interceptors. The upgrade replaces the distribution unit and the servo units and loads the PRO software; the interceptors and the control panel or Integrator Module stay.
Every PRO system, in either series, includes Active Pitch Control, Active Roll Control and Balanced Turn. Sizing comes from the hull, not the length alone: weight, cruising speed, deadrise and what is mounted on the transom decide how many interceptors go on and which shapes.
For the method itself, Zipwake’s sizing factor, what 300S to 750S means and how the interceptor shapes fit around the drives, our Zipwake sizing guide walks through it step by step.
Zipwake often goes on alongside other ride-control work. The same team fits Sleipner Side-Power thrusters and stabilisers and handles the helm electronics and wiring the system ties into.
From choosing the interceptors to the sea trial, and back again when it needs a service or a PRO upgrade.
We size the system from the hull, not the brochure: length, weight, cruising speed, deadrise and what is already on the transom. Chine interceptors use the outer edge of the hull, intermediates fit between outboards, and V-shaped units fill the gap on the centreline.
Each interceptor fixes to the transom on its own mounting plate. The cables pass through the hull on Zipwake’s self-sealing fitting, above the waterline or concealed, and run to a distribution unit that needs a clean, properly protected power supply.
A standard kit runs from Zipwake’s control panel at the helm. The integration kit uses an Integrator Module instead, so the system runs from the vessel’s multifunction display and a phone or tablet, with no extra panel on the dash.
The system is set up on the water at the speeds the vessel actually runs. On the trial we check it holds the running angle, takes out the list when the weight moves to one side, and behaves itself through the turns.
Already running Zipwake? The PRO upgrade kit keeps your interceptors and control panel and swaps the distribution unit and servo units. Zipwake describes it as a minimal hardware change, and we set the system up again once it is in.
Servo units, cables, the distribution unit and the panel software, checked and repaired whether we fitted the system or someone else did. Genuine Zipwake parts are ordered in through our dealership.
Not sure which Zipwake suits your vessel?
Send us the make, model, length and drive layout, and we will work out the series and the interceptors and quote supply and fitting.
Both lift the stern to bring the bow down and level the vessel. They go about it differently, and on some vessels a conventional set is all you need.
A conventional tab is a plate hinged under the transom that angles down into the water. An interceptor is a blade that slides straight down from the transom edge, 30 mm on Series S and 60 mm on Series E, and turns the flow under the hull into lift. The servo sits sealed inside the interceptor, cooled by the water around it, with no exposed hinges or hydraulic rams.
Zipwake rates a Series S blade at a full stroke in 1.5 seconds, at least five times faster than a conventional tab by its own figures, and PRO at 0.3 seconds. That speed is what lets the system correct pitch and roll as they happen, instead of holding one setting for the whole run.
Active Pitch Control holds a set running angle in head, following and beam seas, and as people and gear move around the vessel. Active Roll Control and Balanced Turn deal with list and heel. The skipper drives; the system trims.
Conventional tabs cost less and are simpler, and on a vessel that mostly needs the bow brought down at cruise they do that well. If yours work and the vessel rides the way you want, there is no reason to change. We will tell you which side of that line your vessel sits on.
A Zipwake system going onto a Riviera 4600 and the sea trial that followed, plus a Maritimo fit with a quick look at how trim tabs work.
What it does, cost, sizing, PRO and upgrades, trim tabs and Seakeeper Ride, supply outside Queensland, and servicing.
Zipwake is an automatic trim control system for planing and semi-planing vessels. Interceptor blades on the transom create lift at the stern, and the system moves them on its own: it holds the bow at a set running angle, levels the vessel when weight shifts to one side, and steadies it through turns. It does the job people buy trim tabs for, without the skipper working the switches.
We don’t publish prices, because the vessel sets most of the number. The series, how many interceptors and which shapes, whether it runs from a control panel or ties into the multifunction display, and how far the cables and power have to travel all change the job. Taking off an old set of trim tabs adds to it. Send us the make, model, length and drive layout and we will quote supply and fitting, or supply and freight if the vessel is being fitted elsewhere.
Length gets you to a series: Series S for vessels from 6 to 15 metres, Series E for vessels up to 30 metres. The interceptors come from the transom itself, its width, deadrise and chines, and the gaps between outboards or sterndrives. A chine interceptor gives roughly the lift of a straight one a size larger mounted further inboard, which is often how a crowded transom still gets enough lift. We work it out from the hull and drive details before we quote.
PRO is Zipwake’s newest generation, offered in both Series S and Series E. Zipwake quotes a full blade stroke in 0.3 seconds, which it describes as up to five times faster than before, and every PRO system includes Active Pitch Control, Active Roll Control and Balanced Turn, with no software tiers. The speed comes from new servo units and a new distribution unit, which is why an existing system can be upgraded without changing its interceptors.
Yes. Zipwake’s PRO upgrade kit keeps your interceptors and your control panel or Integrator Module, replaces the distribution unit and the servo units, and loads the PRO software onto the panel or module. There are kits for Series S and Series E systems. We can supply the kit on its own, or fit it and set the system up again on the water.
For a vessel that needs constant correction, usually yes. An interceptor responds far faster than a hinged tab, and a Zipwake system adjusts itself while you drive. Conventional tabs cost less and are simpler, and on a vessel that only needs the bow brought down at cruise they do the job well. If your tabs work and the vessel rides the way you want, keep them. If you are forever reaching for the switches, or the vessel leans with every change of wind and load, that is where Zipwake makes the difference.
They are two answers to the same problem. Seakeeper Ride uses rotary blades mounted below the waterline on each side of the transom, for vessels up to about 55 feet. Zipwake uses interceptor blades, and its Series E goes up to 100 feet. We are an authorised Zipwake dealer, so weigh our view with that in mind. What we would look at is your transom, your drive layout and the length of the vessel, and if Zipwake is not the right fit we will say so.
Yes. As an authorised dealer we supply Zipwake kits, PRO upgrade kits and genuine parts anywhere in Australia, with freight quoted alongside the supply. Fitting and sea trials are done from Gold Coast City Marina, Coomera. If the vessel is coming north for the season anyway, our delivery skippers can bring it to us and the system can go on while it is here.
Yes. We service and repair Zipwake systems whoever fitted them: servo units, cables, the distribution unit, and the control panel or Integrator Module software. It helps to know what the system is doing before we come aboard, whether that is a fault message on the panel, one interceptor not moving, or a vessel that no longer holds its trim.
Didn’t find your answer? Call 07 5612 7161 (Mon to Fri 8am-4pm) or contact us. We’re happy to talk it through.
A new Zipwake system, a PRO upgrade or a fault on the one you have: supplied and freighted anywhere in Australia, or fitted and sea-trialled at Gold Coast City Marina. Either way, the quote starts with your hull.
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