ballast wedge

[fatparrot]

i recently purchased a 98 sunsetter vlx and love wakeboarding and am trying to learn how to wake surf but i do not have ballast or wedge what is recommended should i go with fat sacs or a wedge and also what wedge is used on this boat from what i understand there are two different types thanks

[ilovetrains]

you might want to search the forum for topics like "adding wedge." for some more information.

Bottom line, unless your boat came with a wedge plate installed from factory, adding the wedge is difficult if not impossible.

[WakeGirl]

Actually it's not that bad on a VLX, it's the direct drives that are the real PITA to add one to. That boat should take the Wedge 23 (the bent one), or you could always look at adding the new floater. They take different brackets so choose wisely. You'll get the most out of that boat by using both the wedge along with fat sacks. Good luck!

[Hman442]

Aside from the obvious trauma of drilling holes through a boat, installing a wedge on a v-drive is really not much worse than changing the impellor in the raw water pump. For either you have to lay on the deck for about 15 minutes & learn how to bend your arms & hands in ways they have never bent before, thats all.

[Tracktor]

IMO, I don't think the wedge is worth the money unless you got it real cheap. You can buy alot of water ballast for what it would run you. It is very convenient, however. I would play with a few sacs first and keep an eye out for a deal on a wedge if you really want one............

[WakeGirl]

IMO, I don't think the wedge is worth the money unless you got it real cheap. You can buy alot of water ballast for what it would run you. It is very convenient, however. I would play with a few sacs first and keep an eye out for a deal on a wedge if you really want one............

Disagree with that part, it's very difficult to replicate what the wedge does with weight alone.

[wahoo]

If you're gonning surf you're going to need need weight (ballast), lots of it. The wedge won't do it alone.

[MalibuCalifornia]

In regards to the types of wedges: there is a Manual Wedge and a Power Wedge, you can have a manual wedge installed on that boat but the only chance you get to install a Power Wedge is while the boat is being built.

[Tracktor]

IMO, I don't think the wedge is worth the money unless you got it real cheap. You can buy alot of water ballast for what it would run you. It is very convenient, however. I would play with a few sacs first and keep an eye out for a deal on a wedge if you really want one............

Disagree with that part, it's very difficult to replicate what the wedge does with weight alone.

The wedge by itself will not make as good a wake as spending $750 on sacks and pumps. You disagree with that? I'd be open to a friendly challenge out of curiousity. I'll put my older VLX against any year VLX with just the wedge-

My setup-

1000lbs in rear lockers (say $300)

400 in belly ($60)

400 in walkway ($75)

200 in lead (free)

Have have permanent pumps but say $150 for two aerators

Total $585

Any takers?................

[WakeGirl]

IMO, I don't think the wedge is worth the money unless you got it real cheap. You can buy alot of water ballast for what it would run you. It is very convenient, however. I would play with a few sacs first and keep an eye out for a deal on a wedge if you really want one............

Disagree with that part, it's very difficult to replicate what the wedge does with weight alone.

The wedge by itself will not make as good a wake as spending $750 on sacks and pumps. You disagree with that? I'd be open to a friendly challenge out of curiousity. I'll put my older VLX against any year VLX with just the wedge-

My setup-

1000lbs in rear lockers (say $300)

400 in belly ($60)

400 in walkway ($75)

200 in lead (free)

Have have permanent pumps but say $150 for two aerators

Total $585

Any takers?................

What I disagreed with was equating the wedge to straight ballast. It's a bad comparison IMO. The wedge doesn't just build the wake, it shapes it. And that's what I was getting at when I disagreed with what you said. IME, it's very hard to replicate specifically the shaping ability of the wedge with weight alone.

And FWIW, there's more benefit to the wedge than what it does to/with the wake. There's the factor of not having to have more bags all over the boat & the fill times associated with that. A lot of people will pay the difference for that convenience. If you don't want to do that, fine, but don't discount that benefit because it's a very real, tangible thing. In a boat that costs the kind of money that we're talking about, the difference in dollars that you're talking about is very small in the grand scheme of things, especially when taking the convenience factor into account.

Do you have a wedge on your boat?

[jetskipro550]

I got to agree with WG (surprise surprise ) The wedge makes a huge difference in the shape of the wake. Adding 1000lbs. of ballast will not give you the same effects as adding the wedge. I think most people will agree that using a combo of ballast and the wedge is your best bet (although it depends on the boat.) With the OP's boat the best boarding wake is without the wedge, but the best surf wake utilizes the wedge...but thats just my opinion.

[Tracktor]

I think we are missing signals here. I would definitely put a wedge on if I found a good deal on one for the reasons you stated. I just think that if you have $750 to spend it would be better spent elsewhere. We are talking about a retrofit, not one a new 60k boat. I was pretty clear that it was a dollars for dollars comparison.

My challenge still stands..........

[D-GOOSE]

My setup-

1000lbs in rear lockers (say $300)

400 in belly ($60)

400 in walkway ($75)

200 in lead (free)

Have have permanent pumps but say $150 for two aerators

Total $585

Any takers?................

Don't forget to add in the hardware fittings, hose, clamps, switchies, wire and tools for doing the job if you cut holes in the boat to make it a clean set up.

I got to agree with WG (surprise surprise ) The wedge makes a huge difference in the shape of the wake. Adding 1000lbs. of ballast will not give you the same effects as adding the wedge. I think most people will agree that using a combo of ballast and the wedge is your best bet (although it depends on the boat.) With the OP's boat the best boarding wake is without the wedge, but the best surf wake utilizes the wedge...but thats just my opinion.

Kiss A$$

I'm starting to like to ride with out the wedge at times and with more ballast so I don't have the lip at the top. But yes you MUST have a wedge if you want to have a true surf wake.

[jetskipro550]

My setup-

1000lbs in rear lockers (say $300)

400 in belly ($60)

400 in walkway ($75)

200 in lead (free)

Have have permanent pumps but say $150 for two aerators

Total $585

Any takers?................

Don't forget to add in the hardware fittings, hose, clamps, switchies, wire and tools for doing the job if you cut holes in the boat to make it a clean set up.

I got to agree with WG (surprise surprise ) The wedge makes a huge difference in the shape of the wake. Adding 1000lbs. of ballast will not give you the same effects as adding the wedge. I think most people will agree that using a combo of ballast and the wedge is your best bet (although it depends on the boat.) With the OP's boat the best boarding wake is without the wedge, but the best surf wake utilizes the wedge...but thats just my opinion.

Kiss A$$

I'm starting to like to ride with out the wedge at times and with more ballast so I don't have the lip at the top. But yes you MUST have a wedge if you want to have a true surf wake.

Whatever

BTW- I hope you take that check to the bank in person. You'll know why when you get it