Ballast Help

[Chappy]

OK, took out my buddies 07 247 out today for a surf session this morning.

Here was our setup:

MLS left, center & bow filled

Fatsac 750 in left rear locker

2 Fatsac 350's on left seat

1 Fatsac 350 in bow on left side

Three kids 40-60 lbs each

Three adults in boat, one driving and two on left side.

Wedge a couple of ticks up from all the way down.

The wake was big but it was very rampy and not very steep, kind of flat like a roller. We were all on Inland Surfer Red Woody which is a pretty easy board to catch the wave with. We all had a hard time finding a sweet spot and we couldn't ride for very long. We drove anywhere from 9.6 mph to 10.6 and still had issues.

Any ideas what we need to do to get a steeper wake? More wieght? Faster or slower? Different wedge placement?

Your insight is appreciated.

Edited July 4, 2008 by hdchapman

[Sippi]

try droppin the wedge down all the way and start by movin one of the 350's from the mid to the back...too rampy means too much up front, too steep usually means too much in the back

[WaveMake'nLSV]

Yup...with a boat that big, and that much ballast, you might just ditch the 350 in the bow. I also found on MY LSV that it helps to throw a bit of water in the opposite 750 locker...seems to help sink the transom a bit more and still let it be a HUGE wake.

I mean, the boat is 25' long, nearly...so I bet you would have to get a bunch of people in the boat to need the additional bow weight from just stock ballast.

try droppin the wedge down all the way and start by movin one of the 350's from the mid to the back...too rampy means too much up front, too steep usually means too much in the back

[Chappy]

Thanks for the insight we will make some adjustments and I will report back soon. Thanks again!

[WaveMake'nLSV]

Another hint for newbie surfing is to weight the boat pretty much like you want and THEN take off with NO rider. Just watch the wake for the clean rip curl at the lip. It usually takes 30-45 secs for my wake to completely develop. Sounds silly, but you can really diagnose and treat/adjust the wake better WITHOUT the rider. Then it is pretty much the same WITH the rider but the wake is often distorted a bit due to the board, as far as being able to DIAL IT IN.

Hope this helps!

PS...I thought my LSV drank gas? Pffffttt...I bet the 247 is a BEAST! What engine is he running? Doesn't that thing hold like 80 gallons?

Thanks for the insight we will make some adjustments and I will report back soon. Thanks again!

[Chappy]

Another hint for newbie surfing is to weight the boat pretty much like you want and THEN take off with NO rider. Just watch the wake for the clean rip curl at the lip. It usually takes 30-45 secs for my wake to completely develop. Sounds silly, but you can really diagnose and treat/adjust the wake better WITHOUT the rider. Then it is pretty much the same WITH the rider but the wake is often distorted a bit due to the board, as far as being able to DIAL IT IN.

Hope this helps!

PS...I thought my LSV drank gas? Pffffttt...I bet the 247 is a BEAST! What engine is he running? Doesn't that thing hold like 80 gallons?

Thanks for the insight we will make some adjustments and I will report back soon. Thanks again!

Will do. He has the Hammerhead and it is pretty thirsty. Although he used to have the 25' Sunscape with the 8.1 and he said that thing was ridiculous on the gas, so he feels better. I think he said the tank is just over 60 gallons.