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Bow Ballast or More Speed


jslipher

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I have an '09 VLX and would like to lengthen our surf wave. Currently running full factory ballast (4 tanks), 800lb Ronix bags in each locker, no wedge, and 10mph. We have significant bow rise and the pocket is still fairly short. Would you recommend adding another bag to the bow or increasing my speed to 12mph? Thanks for the feedback!

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I would put ballast up front. With me it does lengthen the wave when I speed up but when I fill my bow sac to about 600 lb that always does a better job. Do you have any more bags to play around with?

  • Like 2
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Yes, add bow weight. Getting the bow down to push more water out will lengthen the wave, and the additional weight will also allow you to increase speed to retain a good wave shape, thereby increasing the wave density and push.

Peter

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How do you guys surf at 11 or more? Seems like my wave just rushes by when I try to go above 10.8. I can't stay in it at least. 10 to 10.3 is my sweet spot but it is a short pocket even with the 600-750 I run in the bow.

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I have a super short pocket with no bow weight in my 09 VLX. I'm 250 lbs and still has enough push BUT 9.6 is my speed. Anything faster and I lose all the height.

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I have a super short pocket with no bow weight in my 09 VLX. I'm 250 lbs and still has enough push BUT 9.6 is my speed. Anything faster and I lose all the height.

How much ballast do you run in your lockers? That speed seems slow to me

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Run full MLS except non surf side and then a 550 lb in the surf side locker. Light crew of wife and three kids usually. As soon as I hit 10 mph the wave flattens.

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I run the 1100 & the wave is amazing, very steep, lots of push! However, I am going to play with running less in the rear, more on the side & more up front to see I can get it longer with the same push. We'll see how it goes!

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I run a 750 in the rear, as much as I can get in my port side under seat sac, as much as I can fill my center locker, and a #500 lb V drive sac on the listed side bow seat. Its really nice for a little 21 footer.

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I ordered a gate from mission boat gear yesterday. Will be 3 weeks ish before I get it, and since I am in Canada, likely boat will be pulled for the season by then...

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How do you guys surf at 11 or more? Seems like my wave just rushes by when I try to go above 10.8. I can't stay in it at least. 10 to 10.3 is my sweet spot but it is a short pocket even with the 600-750 I run in the bow.

Your hull is tricky but we surfed it at 11.8.

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I have an '09 VLX and would like to lengthen our surf wave. Currently running full factory ballast (4 tanks), 800lb Ronix bags in each locker, no wedge, and 10mph. We have significant bow rise and the pocket is still fairly short. Would you recommend adding another bag to the bow or increasing my speed to 12mph? Thanks for the feedback!

Like others have said bow weight in the VLX. The LSVs seem to take a little bow weight and additional speed.

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Your hull is tricky but we surfed it at 11.8.

I played around this weekend. I filled my 1100 to 800-900 I am guessing. Filled a 550 on surf side floor (It wouldn't stay on the seat so floor it went), center at 600, 750 bow. With my Fish surf board, it still likes 10-10.3 mph. My volt board though was loving 10-5-10.8mph & the pocket was longer & a lot of fun to play in. If we get to get out again I am going to try 11 & see how it goes. It seems to me on my boat when we go fast yes wave gets longer but it is also really hard to stay in it & once you fall back there is no recovering.

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I haven't. That is the paddle wheel speed, so who knows how accurate it is.

Download one of those speedometer apps, that's how I calibrated mine. Hopefully I get to go this weekend & will experiment some more

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, this weekend the boat is coming out for the year. I ordered a Mission surfgate the first day they were available for the 09 VLX (which was Sept 4). It was supposed to arrive tomorrow (which works as I leave for the lake around 5pm) but just got an email from UPS saying was held up at customs and might not make it until Saturday now (which obviously doesn't work). If it makes it in time I will post before and after pics of my goofy side wave. If it doesn't get here in time, I will need to wait until May!

FYI, for any Canadian buyers looking at getting one, the one side retails for $348US plus $76US shipping. That worked out to $579CAN. Then today I was lucky enough to fork over another $93 for duty/brokerage fee to UPS. So a total of $672 CAN for this thing. Better be magical.

I will also use GPS to verify my speed as 9.6 seems to work best as I said, but seems to be way slower compared to everyone else with the same hull...

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Cold up here in Canada this weekend, but high was 20 C degrees. Decent in the sun. The Mission surf gate arrived yesterday right as I was about to give up waiting and leave town for the lake. UPS dude shows up, we throw it in the back of the Tundra and head to the lake. Today, we roll out, only boat on the lake, not the smoothest water but not terrible.

Normally, to surf on our usual goofy side we have front, centre, rear right MLS full (and right side plug and play 550lb bag), wife and kids on the drivers side to surf. Decent enough wave. Can go ropeless almost endlessly on a Hyperlite Broadast and I'm 6'2" and 245lbs.

My wife HATES driving the listed boat, convinced she is gonna U-boat the thing as it is leaning so much. I figured with the Mission gate, it would be the same wave but just evenly weighted and less ordering the kids or friends around in the boat.

Well holy F. I throw on the gate on the port side (took like 30 secs for the first time), fill all MLS and the 550s in left and right. I'm still looking forward after I hit the throttle and I hear my wife say "UMMMMMMM!!!!!!" and i think oh s$it, it fell off or who knows what. I turn around and look at the wake and no lie - it's twice as high and way longer than before. I obviously throw it in neutral and immediately remove the board from the rack and jump in.

Crazy big wave, super smooth and I definitely don't have it dialed in yet. Feels completely different than old wave but I can't wait til spring to get it firgured out. Boat is pulled for the year now. Stupid frigid Canada... i was easily 6 or more feet farther back from the boat.

IMG_0413_zpszrvm7fcg.png

terrible pic, no before and afters, as my 13 year old was running the camera,

I have ZERO affiliation with this company, and it cost A LOT to get this thing in Canada, over $600 Canadian with shipping and duty.

Totally worth it.

  • Like 2
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Glad you got to try it once to end the year, bet that'll have you itching to get back out there next year and perfect the wave.

We're getting ready to head out shortly for what may be one of the last weekends on the water for us as well, currently 62*, not sure what the water temp is.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I played around this weekend. I filled my 1100 to 800-900 I am guessing. Filled a 550 on surf side floor (It wouldn't stay on the seat so floor it went), center at 600, 750 bow. With my Fish surf board, it still likes 10-10.3 mph. My volt board though was loving 10-5-10.8mph & the pocket was longer & a lot of fun to play in. If we get to get out again I am going to try 11 & see how it goes. It seems to me on my boat when we go fast yes wave gets longer but it is also really hard to stay in it & once you fall back there is no recovering.

I should have your same hull (04 vlx) I run 750s in each rear, 1000lb in the bow, 500 center, wedge down with a wicked wake surf and typically 5+ people. We surf at 12-12.5, I think the wave is great

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