Weighting it out

[jklein]

Since riding behind a friends 04 SANTE, I can't help but feel like the wake in my boat needs some adjustment.

What I really liked about his wake was the fact that it was very steep and "poppy" giving me a lot of vertical height. It seemed like I had lots of time to perform tricks... what little I can do.

My wake is less so steep... at least it seems to me. Although I can get decent vertical pop, it seems like I have less time in the air to do what little style I am capable of.

The SANTE wake is also not as wide as my BU wake. Nothing I can do about that.

Suggestions on how I might adjust my weight or change my setup are appreciated. This is how I have my weight configured now:

1. 1997 Sunsetter DD with SV23 (non-diamond) hull.

2. Flat Wedge.

3. 750 lbs or so up front in the ski locker and the walkway.

4. 600 lbs on each side of the engine (positioned fairly far forward... maybe a foot from the observer's seat, and butted up against the back of the driver's seat when the seat is all the way back. Total 1200 lbs in side sacs.

5. About 100 lbs under the back seat in sand.

Some thing's I've been thinking about:

1. I hear I should have the angled wedge for my hull type. I have a flat one because that's all there was when I bought my wedge. The angled one came out later.

2. You hear the terms "rampy" and "vert" tossed about alot. I've never really clearly understood the difference to be honest. Clarity would be nice.

3. I also hear that putting more weight in the front "flattens out the wake" (whatever that means) and makes it harder, while more weight in the back makes it more steep (I assume steep means vert) but softer.

Any insights would be appreciated.

[josh_tn]

I have a similar setup and have decided that my wake needs something too. I do not have the wedge however, so I think that may be my first step. I have a VLX with 1200lbs in the rear and 400lbs in the locker. I have noticed that my wake is not very steep either. If you find a good weight arrangement let me know. I hope that addind the wedge will make mine much steeper. So I should be looking for the angled wedge for my boat?

Josh

[aneal000]

More weight in the back of the boat will make it steeper.

Rampy refers to a flater wake with a less radical transition. The curvature overall is less and typically more spread out width wise. A steep wake typcially has a transition approaching straight up. Which gives you the poppy feeling. Bad and good about each kind, it's somewhat preference and what your used to, but overall in the middle is a good wake. Hop behind a sportster with a wedge and some weight if you want to see a bu with a steep wake.

[jklein]

Josh:

You have an SV23 (non-diamond) on the 97 VLX too according to the hull chart. The Diamond hull didn't appear until 1998.

[jklein]

Aneal000:

There was a discussion about angled wedge vs flat about two weeks ago, where it said the angled was for the SV23 while the flat was for the SV23D. One commenter said the angled wdge on the SV23 made the wake more "rampy". I would prefer my wake to more "steep", so I guess I should keep my flat wedge, yes?

Also based on what you're saying, I should move my side sacs as far back as possible, and maybe eliminate my walkway sac (325 lbs or so) or maybe move it behind the engine to get more vert.

[LS-One]

The angled wedge will not make your your wake steeper it will do the opposite, I had both on my 97 sunsetter. Like the above comments more weight to the rear makes steeper. More forward makes for a rampy wake.

[Sunsetter95]

I agree with the moving of the weight back a little.

You also have to consider how many passengers, where they sit, and how much they weigh.

Use diplomacy when asking the women or just guess...

[Malibudude]

Technically the angled wedge is supposed to be on non-diamond hulls but agreed that it woun't really help you're situation rather weight adjustment or just by a VLX (hint BigD's boat)

[aneal000]

Aneal000:

There was a discussion about angled wedge vs flat about two weeks ago, where it said the angled was for the SV23 while the flat was for the SV23D.  One commenter said the angled wdge on the SV23 made the wake more "rampy".  I would prefer my wake to more "steep", so I guess I should keep my flat wedge, yes?

Also based on what you're saying, I should move my side sacs as far back as possible, and maybe eliminate my walkway sac (325 lbs or so) or maybe move it behind the engine to get more vert.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While I haven't had a chance to change or play with the different wedges on a single boat I can tell you this. I've heard a lot of different things about the wedge over the years, and most of it came from higher up sources. Like the straight wedge was for DD and the bent wedge was for VD boats. The concept here is the V drives already sit lower in the water in the rear, which caused turbulance/cavitation around the wedge while using the straight wedge. The angled wedge when used on VD boats allows the foil to reach lower into the water and not cavitate, therefore creating more (or at least rated) downward forces. If someone was to swap wedges and say that one created a steeper wake than the other, I would have to say they merely found the wedge that was designed to work with their boat. As more weight in the rear of the boat - same thing as using a wedge that works - creates a steeper wake.

I would suggest you try what you described above. See what happens to the wake. If you do that I believe your wake will get steeper, taller, and softer - meaning if you take super hard cuts at it you will bust through the top - which is a problem I have with Nautiques in the stock form. Personally I think it sounds like you have yours weighted pretty good. But it doesn't hurt anything to play around with the bags and see what it gets you. Let us know what happens.

[jklein]

Like the straight wedge was for DD and the bent wedge was for VD boats.

Come to think of it that's my recollection as well from several years back... I just didn't remember until you brought it up.

I just need to find that happy medium by shifting the weight around. I probably am loaded a bit heavy up front.

I'll let you know how it works out.

[jklein]

Here's an update... sort of:

Friday night the lake was blown out cause of all the wally's but I eliminated my walkway sac and pushed the two 600lb side sacs all the way back. I think it was a little too far back considering we also had two adults in the rear of the boat. I had quite a bit of bow rise. We pulled them up toward the front a little and it seemed to help. The wake looked pretty good, but I didn't get a chance to ride it. Others were doing nice tricks off of it and getting plenty of pop.

Sunday night, the water was like glass, but I had the family out so I just had the wedge and my locker sac deployed. No side sacs. The wake was still reasonable and I was getting decent pop.

I'm pretty sure I just had too much weight up front.