Wake Surf

[Ski Daddy]

We just bought a 99' Malibu Sportster LX.

Any suggestions to how much ballast is recommended to surf behind the subject boat?

Edited April 13, 2009 by Ski Daddy

[Jimmypooh]

We just bought a 99' Malibu Sportster LX.

Any suggestions to how much ballast is recommended to surf behind the subject boat?

Lots!

[Jimmypooh]

but really,

The best thing to do is go out with a large crew and put them all on the port side toward the rear. Then start counting.

You're going to need quite a bit. If you don't have a wedge, I would think 2- 750's back side port (for regular riders) would work, and go from there.

[Ski Daddy]

Thanks

The boat has the mounting plate for a wedge and I have a quote to purchase.

Also looked at a Fly High Pro X Series Fat Seat

http://www.wakeside.com/product/boat/balla...fat+seat+sac.do

Do you think I should consider both options or is one better than the other to start with?

Thanks for your insight!

[The Hydro Foiling Plumber]

I have a 97 Sunsetter and have only surfed behind it one time....so I am not the expert. I did some searching on TMC and came up with this one EXHIBIT 1. If you will go to the watersports section of this site and type in "wake surf". You will find more than enough information. You might also search for Ronnie he seems to do a ton of surfing and would be a good resource for you.

[skicrave]

The boat has the mounting plate for a wedge and I have a quote to purchase.

Hey Ski Daddy-

If you don't already have a Wedge, I would suggest installing the newer floating version. It will require that you install a new mounting plate in addition to the foil, but it's a much better design, especially for surfing.

Also looked at a Fly High Pro X Series Fat Seat

http://www.wakeside.com/product/boat/balla...fat+seat+sac.do

Do you think I should consider both options or is one better than the other to start with?

I spent quite a bit of time setting up the surfing in our '98 Response, which would be very similar to your Sportster. The Fat Seat can work alright, but probably isn't the most versatile or functional setup. I would suggest two Fly High Fat Sacs because that will give you more flexibility in how you weight the boat. We found that a Fat Sac on the side of the engine that you're surfing on, and another one across the back of the boat and shifted to the surfing side (so they make an "L") was the best setup. Two Fat Sacs will allow you to setup the boat for surfing on either side (in addition to wakeboarding), and with 1,500lbs. of ballast, you'll have plenty of capacity.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I would be happy to share my experiences from weighting our boat.