Surfing without ballast

[Urquie]

So now that we have made the switch from direct drive to vdrive I want to start surfing. We have a 21 lsv with wedge but no ballast. Will this be enough to learn behind with a chance of dropping the rope if we pick up a Hyperlight Broadcast? Thanks for any input.

[Gunslinger]

There shouldn't be any problem getting up (let me know if you want tips on doing that) but not much to keep you going. You need a big face on the wave to keep your "down hill" momentum. Depending on the board size (I dont know that one) length is where the issues are. Smaller for smaller is my thinking (from days of real surfing in Santa Cruz Ca). Look at your wake and turn into it (usually right) to make it stand up a bit more.

I have a 247 with a crapload of ballast, wedge and usually full of people. Parking the riders on the same side can add wake. Hope this helps. I am sure there a few with more than I can give you.

[fever5]

With the VLX, without ballast it's difficult to surf without handle. Even with our factory ballast filled on the side we wanted to surf (starboard) it's a pitiful wake.

Long and short of it is, it won't be long before you buy ballast bags. My recommendations are a few Fly-High 750 lbers. Yes they're worth the money.

Edited April 20, 2008 by fever5

[vette-ski]

I've surfed without a ballast system no problem ropeless behind mine, and I have a Diamond hull. Well, I should say no water ballast. My suggestion, make a lot of friends and offer them a free ride. If I get about 8 people in my boat all on the surf side, I've got plenty to surf on.

[fever5]

I've surfed without a ballast system no problem ropeless behind mine, and I have a Diamond hull. Well, I should say no water ballast. My suggestion, make a lot of friends and offer them a free ride. If I get about 8 people in my boat all on the surf side, I've got plenty to surf on.

Human ballast is the easiest to move around. Having one or two sit on the edge helps a lot. Some guys even put buckets of stones on the swim platform.

[JasonK]

I can surf ropeless behind my Euro with just a few people, but we use the landlock and I'm only 150 lbs.

My 200 lb. friend can surf it ropeless, but it's hard.

We do prefer ballast though, of course.

[UWSkier]

We have pretty much the same boat as you. With my 230 lb frame aboard my Walker 5.0 (a fast, easy-to surf board for bigger guys), I need ballast to go ropeless and have any fun doing side slides, carving hard, or just standing back there and drinking a beer. I found some cheap 600 pound bags on ebay last spring and borrowed one other 500 pound bag from a buddy of mine who never used it. With a 600 pounder in the rear locker, a 600 pounder (not full, probably around 400 pounds) under the side seats, and a 500 pounder in the bow, I can surf with only a driver and 1-2 passengers aboard. Granted, it's better with more people.

I'd say you can probably try it with just the wedge, but you're going to want a lot of crew weight and you're going to have to mess around with moving people and adjusting RPM to get the wake just right and even then, it's not going to be a great wake.

[whitlecj]

As others have said, you have a shot at it if you have a lot of people in the boat, but it will definitely not be the best surf wake. Probably ridable though.

[Urquie]

So if I start with one ballast, I should go with a 750 fat sac in one of the rear lockers? Any preference on driver side vs passenger?

[UWSkier]

Depends who's surfing. Most people are LFF. If so, you'd want to load up the passenger side. It's easier to surf toeside than heelside for beginners, especially if you're trying to go ropeless. A single 750 pound sack in the back will likely get you a surfable wave, but it'll be pretty abrupt. More weight in the front gives you a longer wave. Should work if you have a decent crew though.