Anyone slalom behind a Wakesetter VTX?

[footloose42]

My family is considering trading up to a 2012 Wakesetter VTX. Is there anyone here who slalom skis behind one? I've heard they can produce the most gentle wake of the wakesetter family (we are looking at the diamond hull), but I still don't know if it will be smooth enough to safely ski aggressively behind it. We currently have an '05 VLX with the wake hull and the wake is HUGE at 30mph. (I mean huge for a skier, not a wakeboarder) It's literally unsafe for me to ski at my best behind our boat anymore and it's quite depressing.

FYI, the reason we are not looking at getting a Response is because I have two brothers who prefer to wakesurf.

[SkiZilla]

Ski behind mine every chance I can get. Wake is soft and smooth at 30 mph and up......but you need to stay on edge thru the wake or it gets a little more abrupt. 15 off puts you just behind the roost portion of the wake @32mph, 20 off puts you right on top of it (skip this line length), everything shorter is in front and supper smooth.

Wake is best with the boat light, with about a 1/4 tank of fuel and a touch of weight in the front tank to flatten things out. All in all a really nice ski wake for a Vdrive.

[MalibuTime]

My family is considering trading up to a 2012 Wakesetter VTX. Is there anyone here who slalom skis behind one? I've heard they can produce the most gentle wake of the wakesetter family (we are looking at the diamond hull), but I still don't know if it will be smooth enough to safely ski aggressively behind it. We currently have an '05 VLX with the wake hull and the wake is HUGE at 30mph. (I mean huge for a skier, not a wakeboarder) It's literally unsafe for me to ski at my best behind our boat anymore and it's quite depressing.

FYI, the reason we are not looking at getting a Response is because I have two brothers who prefer to wakesurf.

Use the search function. Lot of threads and pics about the VTX wake.

[kennyo]

I think some on here wakesurf behind the Response. They may be able to describe the setup.

[footloose42]

I think some on here wakesurf behind the Response. They may be able to describe the setup.

I'm going to have to try searching for that. If it's possible I would love to have a Response.

[martinarcher]

I skied behind Troy's at the WOW this year. I was very impressed. At 30mph and 15 off I think it is a very course capable wake. The wake is wider than my Sunsetter, but the "ramp" is very gradual and you don't get the hard ramp of the wake hull as you stay on edge through the wakes. There are some good pictures of the slalom wakes at 30-32mph somewhere on the board.

[martinarcher]

Here we go, this thread should be helpful.....

[Wayne]

You will be fine as long as you ski above 30 MPH. At 36 MPH the VTX diamond hull is pretty darn good. I ski a Response LXI and was looking to go to the VTX for the space and surf capability. Slalom wakes were very mellow, the tracking and speed recovery were not on par with the DDs but if you are not competing who cares. Basically the pull behind the VTX is softer than my LXI.

[footloose42]

Thanks @martinarcher that helped a lot. I'm going to ski demo a 2012 VTX this afternoon, is there anything you suggest I look for that I wouldn't normally think of?

[Nitrousbird]

Thanks @martinarcher that helped a lot. I'm going to ski demo a 2012 VTX this afternoon, is there anything you suggest I look for that I wouldn't normally think of?

2013 gets the center mounted pylon option, something you may really want if you plan to do a lot of serious slalom skiing behind this boat.

[jaciche]

2013 gets the center mounted pylon option, something you may really want if you plan to do a lot of serious slalom skiing behind this boat.

I saw the 2013 at the malibu open. It is good that they are finally putting that in, but they are just copying the sport nautique 200's ideas. They redesigned the interior in there too. I loved the vinyl but in some places it looked cheap and tacky. For example the glove box cover was blue plastic which really looked like s***. The dash was redesigned which i didnt really like either. Anyway, looks like the best v-drive slalom machine they've made yet.

O and footloose i would definetly trade up. The 05-08 wake hulls are beastly. The wake on our 04 vlx is bad enough and i know the slalom wake was drastically worse on the next generation hulls. Its amazing what that extra 1.5 feet, weight, and hull does to the wake.

Edited August 7, 2012 by jaciche

[footloose42]

Demo'd it this afternoon. It's got me hooked! Did 15' and 22' off @ 30mph and 32mph. 22' off put me right on top of the rooster tail, so I will try to stick to 15' off until I can progress to 34-36mph. Either way, it was worlds above our current V-Ride.

[mhrycyschyn]

I have slalom skied at 30 mph 15 off behind a VTX and it is okay. If you are an open lake recreational slalom skier then the VTX with the Diamond Hull is a must and the way to go. Should you be a course skier you will not like the hard wake hump at 30 mph. It seem to launch you out the water when doing a hard cut. At 34 - 36 the wake gets better

I am a recreational course skier and wasn't able to complete the course until I got behind my LXi and friend's LX. 6 @15 off at 30mph.

My recommendation is to do a ski/lake test before committing to purchase. You may want to look at the Ski Nautique Sport 200 and I did want to say this as I'm a Malibu owner at heart.

[martinarcher]

Demo'd it this afternoon. It's got me hooked! Did 15' and 22' off @ 30mph and 32mph. 22' off put me right on top of the rooster tail, so I will try to stick to 15' off until I can progress to 34-36mph. Either way, it was worlds above our current V-Ride.

Told ya! It really is amazing a v-drive can possibly ski that well! l'm glad you liked it. Love the avatar BTW.

One last thought, the 2013's will be available with SurfGate which would make surfing pretty easy to set up!

[blagrata]

I have a 2011 VTX with diamond hull. I recently found that if you kick the speed up to 32-34 mph the wake gets really nice. Below that at 15 off I find that there's a bit of a dip on the other side of the wake table that could catch you if your weight is forward. I suppose if you're moving across fast enough and stay on edge you'll just kind of skip over it though. We love the boat though. Wakeboard wake is pretty nice with stock ballast and either a few people in the boat or one 400 lb bag on the floor. Surf wake with one bag on the seat and about 4 people strategically placed is really nice. Not quite as long as a VLX or LSV.... but clean with a nice push.

I'd say that if you want to get into course skiing though... and wakeboard.... go VLX and make some friends with direct drives.

Or... sell your two brothers your VLX.... and get a Response!

[old skool malibu]

Try filling the front ballat at least 1/2 full. It improves the ski wake.

[footloose42]

Believe me, if there was any chance of getting a Response, I would jump on it. Unfortunatly, 2 vs. 1 wins. Even though I ski in tournaments, and all my brothers do is sit there on the wakesurf and not do anything.

But I digress. I shouldn't be complaining about such a trivial topic as which multi-thousand dollar boat I get to ride. This VTX is still a fantastic boat. I demo'd it yesterday; 15' off at 30 and 32mph put me just behind the rooster tail and was great, super flat wake (obviously not as flat as a Response, but WAY better than our old V-Ride). 22' off at 30 and 32mph put me right on top of the rooster tail, so I may have to stick with 15' off until I can progress to 34-36. Either way, that's not a terrible draw back.

Luckiy I still get to ski once a week in the summer on a 2012 Prostar with the Atlanta Waterski Club, as well as 1-2 times a week during the fall/spring on a 2008 Moomba Outback with the Georgia Tech waterski club. So my ski boat desires will still be fulfilled.

[Cueball]

I know where you could find a 2004 Respose in very good condition. It is fair for wakeboarding and I'm sure that Martinarcher would know how to surf it! And, BTW, I am kinda looking for a used VLX with the monsoon engine.

just sayin..............hhhhmmmmmm?

[nemalibu]

Ski behind my VTX with a diamond hull. Wake gets very nice at 34 or 36. Also love having ZeroOff.

[blagrata]

I know where you could find a 2004 Respose in very good condition. It is fair for wakeboarding and I'm sure that Martinarcher would know how to surf it! And, BTW, I am kinda looking for a used VLX with the monsoon engine.

just sayin..............hhhhmmmmmm?

Don't do it Wade! Your boat is awesome. You just need a course to run again! I got to run behind a friends 2004 LXI at lake Norman today.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Try filling the front ballat at least 1/2 full. It improves the ski wake.

I've been going out early on Saturday mornings with a couple guys, one of which is a slalom skier, behind an 09 VTX. We can fill/empty ballast from a nice foil riding wake to a nice slalom skiing wake in less time than it takes for either of us to get ready to ride.

He likes the front ballast with a little weight left in it too. Says it softens the hump. Not sure how long a rope but he's skiing at 32 mph.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Bill_AirJunky

[footloose42]

He likes the front ballast with a little weight left in it too. Says it softens the hump

That makes sense. When I demo'd the VTX, The wake was pretty small, but it was very "hard". So softening it by adding weight would allow an easier cut through.

Edited August 14, 2012 by footloose42