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'05 23LSV - Share your secrets for surf setup?


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Just bought new-to-us 23. It has the 4 factory tanks. What has worked for you wily 'ole vets who have already blazed this trail before me? Bags? Pumps? Plumbing configurations? Do's / Don'ts? All insights appreciated :-).

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I run the center and rear surf side tank with the wedge down. I also have 650 lbs of led in 50 lb bars in individual canvas bags that I move to different areas to tune the wake. Mostly I keep the lead evenly distributed throughout the boat and try to set the surf wake with the stock tanks. A lot depends on how many people you have in the boat. You can get away with no extra ballast if you have enough people. I prefer lead over water ballast only because it takes up much less space. If you don't mind giving up your rear locker space, then it might be best to use fat sacs.

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Last season on our 2011 LSV we ran the center, right and front tanks (all goofy) and the wedge at about 75% and the wake was fine for our level of expertise. My winter project was the installation of an 1100lb Fly High sack in the right rear locker and this is independent of the existing MLS and has its own thru-hull and Jabsco pump. Look forward to checking it out in the next couple of weeks.

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Hi dgd, How did that 1100 pounder work for you?

We have yet to try it in the water. Water temp reached my threshold this weekend but with a 15 - 20 mph wind, it was too rough to get on the water. Hopefully next weekend.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I have a '10, but it shouldn't be much different. I don't think the wake with built-in tanks is acceptable, and it's especially hard for learners. Eventually you'll want to add more weight. However, what weight and where can vary. The questions are:

How much are you willing to spend? :)

Do you have regular *and* goofy riders?

If so, how much time are you willing to put up with to switch sides?

Are you comfortable with solid ballast? (

is very enlightening)

My suggestion is to always start small. If you can pile a bunch of people in your boat, try that out. Voice Activated Ballast can result in some dirty looks, but it's the best way to figure out where ballast needs to be on your boat. The next step up is to spend a bit of money and get a 750 pound fat sac or two 400s and a tsunami pump. If you have a lot of friends who boat, there's a good chance someone has some you can borrow or you can always check craigs/ebay. The factory ballast (center, some front and *one side only*), plus a 750 in the rear locker will give you a very good wake and help you plan future expenditures. Even when you run 2400 pounds of ballast, one person the wrong side of the boat can affect the wake.

Our core crew is all regular footed, so I have a ~1400 surf sac on the left side and 400 pounds of solid ballast on the same side. I run left and center full and anywhere from zero to full in the front depending on who's sitting where and other conditions. Generally speaking more weight in the back will give you a taller wake with a shorter sweet spot, more weight toward the front will give you a lower, longer wake. I also might the change the wedge from all the way to one or two clicks up depending on if I have enough people in the back.

For goofy riders I have two 750 fat sacs and tsunami and we move some of the solid ballast over to the right side. As I mentioned in another thread this weekend I got a much cleaner wake without any wedge at all. That was partially because no one wanted to sit on the back due to the wind whipping cold (for Texas) water across the back of the boat. :)

All in all I have >$3000 in my ballast setup.

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