13 VLX Surfgate Ballast Setup and Wave Video

[RayRay]

It seems people always want ballast setup and wave videos so I put together this quick video of my VLX. Please excuse my fingers showing up on the edges of the video, I usually don't film with the gopro in my hands. It's usually just stuck to the boat.

Here is my setup:

All MLS full

2 custom "enzo style" sacs plumbed in with johnson reversible pumps

750 sac in the bow - not filled completely maybe 3/4

Wedge - all the way down

Speed 11.4 - calibrated with gps

Prop Acme 2315

SURFS UP!

Edited June 3, 2013 by RayRay

[wakesetter8796]

Great wave! How far back can you surf it?

[swankrides]

I'd love to see video of someone surfing that monster!

[RayRay]

Great wave! How far back can you surf it?

Pretty much back to the curl. I will put together some clips of us surfing it. I just didn't have time to edit the riding clips yet.

[Fman]

How much weight are the enzo style sacs in your locker? I am running 600 sumos in my rear lockers, mls full, wedge down and have been very pleased with wake. I think another 400-600 in the bow would elongate pocket even more.

Nice looking wake!

[RayRay]

How much weight are the enzo style sacs in your locker? I am running 600 sumos in my rear lockers, mls full, wedge down and have been very pleased with wake. I think another 400-600 in the bow would elongate pocket even more.

Nice looking wake!

I am not completely sure the exact weight. Here is my guess......I used to run in my 09 vlx - a 750 in the hatch and 2 450s on the seat, then I got the custom one which more than replaced the one 750 and one 450. My thinking is at least 1200lbs on the regular side. Goofy side sac being less obviously because of the cooler under the seat.

Did you notice I got my tray back under the seat where the pumps were? A little work with the dremel and we are back in business.

[srintx]

Wow, is all I can say!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fman]

I am not completely sure the exact weight. Here is my guess......I used to run in my 09 vlx - a 750 in the hatch and 2 450s on the seat, then I got the custom one which more than replaced the one 750 and one 450. My thinking is at least 1200lbs on the regular side. Goofy side sac being less obviously because of the cooler under the seat.

Did you notice I got my tray back under the seat where the pumps were? A little work with the dremel and we are back in business.

I saw the tray, looks great... I put my Johnson pumps just on the other side of the vdrive compartment. You just cant beat the Johnson pumps, I read all these posts on the PnP but imo it just does not compare to the Johnson pumps... Its amazing how those pump will drain the bags pancake thin, and fill times are great with the new 1" fittings (from the 3/4).

[TURNITRED]

beast wake. post some videos of riding it.

[pkh]

Great looking wave! Thanks for the post!

[Bawshogg]

Great looking SG wave! Love the fact that you have 0 storage also.

[Fman]

Great looking SG wave! Love the fact that you have 0 storage also.

Good point, when we go out for the day we have zero room left in the boat for any hidden ballast other than the ski lockers.... he must not have a large crew with him much....

[Bawshogg]

Honestly, that is my #1 gripe with the surf gate set ups, the amount of weight it takes to get that type of wave, leaves you two options. Bags all over the cabin so people CAN'T sit where they want, or absolutely NO storage if you hide all the ballast. Live on the lake? Might not be to much of an issue, but a lot of us travel to the lake/river for the day.

All you guys know that most everyone that comes out with you usually brings twice their weight in junk. I HATE having that crap all over the boat. Usually you can can throw it in the bow, no guarantees it will stay dry, but not with that monster bag up there, that's out.

Hope fully they integrate 5000 lbs of ballast under the floor with the next version of Surfgate.....

[RayRay]

I saw the tray, looks great... I put my Johnson pumps just on the other side of the vdrive compartment. You just cant beat the Johnson pumps, I read all these posts on the PnP but imo it just does not compare to the Johnson pumps... Its amazing how those pump will drain the bags pancake thin, and fill times are great with the new 1" fittings (from the 3/4).

I love those pumps, best money I ever spent on the boat. They actually seem to fill that big regular side bag faster than the tsunami ever did. I set a timer on my phone since I don't have vents, goofy side fills in 7.5 minutes and regular side in 8.5 minutes.

Great looking SG wave! Love the fact that you have 0 storage also.

Screw the storage, ballast is way more important! We do actually fit all we need under the glove box and in the cooler.

Good point, when we go out for the day we have zero room left in the boat for any hidden ballast other than the ski lockers.... he must not have a large crew with him much....

Majority of the time its my wife, I and the two dogs.

Honestly, that is my #1 gripe with the surf gate set ups, the amount of weight it takes to get that type of wave, leaves you two options. Bags all over the cabin so people CAN'T sit where they want, or absolutely NO storage if you hide all the ballast. Live on the lake? Might not be to much of an issue, but a lot of us travel to the lake/river for the day.

All you guys know that most everyone that comes out with you usually brings twice their weight in junk. I HATE having that crap all over the boat. Usually you can can throw it in the bow, no guarantees it will stay dry, but not with that monster bag up there, that's out.

Hope fully they integrate 5000 lbs of ballast under the floor with the next version of Surfgate....

I agree, Malibus need lots of weight SG or not. Living on the lake is my goal for sure, I guess I am still pretty lucky having 3 surfable lakes within 15 minutes of my house even though they are frozen part of the year. I haven't dipped the bow yet

I promise I will get another vid of us riding it soon, I was out surfing tonight again so didn't get much done.

Edited June 4, 2013 by RayRay

[Fman]

With my current SG setup I have plenty of room for people, and the wake is respectable... I had the best surf session I have ever experienced yesterday, I bought a new board, and the wake was awesome... I could ride 12-14 feet back off the boat and shoot down the line. Then pull it back and get back into the pocket... I actually felt like I had control of the board... my wife could easily drive, boat is not leaning all crazy, and our 7 passengers were sitting all over the boat completely comfortable. When I finished the next rider immediately went opposite side and we were surfing again in less than a minute... My goal is to pull off a ropeless wake transfer this year, I did it last week with the rope, now its time to go ropeless.

I really do not think you need a crazy amount of ballast to have a very nice surf wake with SG. Not one gripe from me about SG to this point.... so far completely satisfied.

Edited June 4, 2013 by Fman

[Fman]

Honestly, that is my #1 gripe with the surf gate set ups, the amount of weight it takes to get that type of wave, leaves you two options. Bags all over the cabin so people CAN'T sit where they want, or absolutely NO storage if you hide all the ballast. Live on the lake? Might not be to much of an issue, but a lot of us travel to the lake/river for the day.

All you guys know that most everyone that comes out with you usually brings twice their weight in junk. I HATE having that crap all over the boat. Usually you can can throw it in the bow, no guarantees it will stay dry, but not with that monster bag up there, that's out.

Hope fully they integrate 5000 lbs of ballast under the floor with the next version of Surfgate.....

That would be awesome to have 5k in sub floor ballast... my guess is it will not happen because of liability issues...

[nutoz]

fman, how are your wakes compared to Rayray's. his looks like a monster.I just have enough break in hours to start pulling but practiced with all the ballasts but his wake seems longer.

I am not going to sacrafice space for all those bags.

[RayRay]

Here is a still from my gopro. I promise I am working on some highlights from our first couples sessions on the surfgate.

[Fman]

fman, how are your wakes compared to Rayray's. his looks like a monster.I just have enough break in hours to start pulling but practiced with all the ballasts but his wake seems longer.

I am not going to sacrafice space for all those bags.

My wake is not as large as his picture... which is no surprise with the amount weight he is running... I will try and take a picture next time out. Pictures are really deceving sometimes...depending on the angle of camera.

[edsvlx]

What a great setup. I mean Wow! Did you have to reinforce the side panels in back back lockers using the custom bags?

[RayRay]

What a great setup. I mean Wow! Did you have to reinforce the side panels in back back lockers using the custom bags?

Thanks! We did not do any reinforcement at all. We measured the custom bags ourselves so they fit the hatches perfectly and once they are full really don't put too much pressure on them. We did talk to our service manager about reinforcing them if need be, but we have had zero issues so far. I think if you use a stock bag that doesn't fit just right or is too large there are going to be pressure points somewhere.

[Brad B]

If you need more storage than behide the observers and the ice chest then you are taking too much stuff with you.

[Fman]

If you need more storage than behide the observers and the ice chest then you are taking too much stuff with you.

What about anchor, towels, extra fenders, small tool box, couple portable ores, dry food, backpack (sweatshirts for evening), etc... that is what goes behind our observers seat.

[Cory]

Ray,

I assume you have the monsoon engine, right? How is engine power with all that weight? Would you say the engine is pushed to the max? I noticed you have the 2315 prop. I'm not familiar with that one, but I'm guessing it is even more torquy than my 1235 prop.

I've noticed that surfgate sends monster rollers down the lake that are much more efficient at propagating across the water than leaning the boat. We have to be careful to ride away from our neighbors' docks!

Edited June 6, 2013 by Cory

[Brad B]

No oars - dems me sisters

Nyuk nyuk. Really oars arent gonna do you much good

Yep the rest is behind the seat - I do keep the anchor and 2 fenders under the bow seat.

I use a Craftsman under seat tool box - fits nice on top of battery boxes.

Lots of room in the trunks for wet stuff cuz hard tanks removed long ago.