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New Boat Owner with Surf Questions


Nick105

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Hello everyone. I just recently purchased my first boat which is a 2008 Wakesetter LSV 23 back in November and have been researching what all I need for this coming season. I have been wakeboarding on and off for a few years behind some friends boats and last year I got to try surfing and loved it. The 2 main questions I have are what ballast setup would give me the best results and what surf boards would everyone recommended? I searched a lot of different posts with a lot of different answers on both topics. I would like both a skim and surf style board. I am 5'10 and weigh 160 lbs and most of my friends are around my size with the exception of a few who are a little bigger.  I don't mind spending the money for a good board or boards if I only have to do it once. I have read some good things about the Phase 5 Diamond for skim and the Model X as hybrid. Would I be ok with just the Model X or should I be looking at the Diamond and a different surf style board? I guess another question would be if these boards are to advanced for a beginner like myself?  Now for the ballast setup... I was told to run the full stock tanks and add 1000lbs in the rear on both sides, 1000 lbs in the bow and use a wakeshaper. Does this sound right or should I be going a different route? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Just now, Nick105 said:

Hello everyone. I just recently purchased my first boat which is a 2008 Wakesetter LSV 23 back in November and have been researching what all I need for this coming season. I have been wakeboarding on and off for a few years behind some friends boats and last year I got to try surfing and loved it. The 2 main questions I have are what ballast setup would give me the best results and what surf boards would everyone recommended? I searched a lot of different posts with a lot of different answers on both topics. I would like both a skim and surf style board. I am 5'10 and weigh 160 lbs and most of my friends are around my size with the exception of a few who are a little bigger.  I don't mind spending the money for a good board or boards if I only have to do it once. I have read some good things about the Phase 5 Diamond for skim and the Model X as hybrid. Would I be ok with just the Model X or should I be looking at the Diamond and a different surf style board? I guess another question would be if these boards are to advanced for a beginner like myself?  Now for the ballast setup... I was told to run the full stock tanks and add 1000lbs in the rear on both sides, 1000 lbs in the bow and use a wakeshaper. Does this sound right or should I be going a different route? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Ballast set up is right, might need that much bow weight, I run 650 in the bow.  Not sure on the surf boards.  Most people find my cheap Byerly to learn on my Inland Surfer too floaty.  I find my Byerly to feel like a 2x4 since I got my inland

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If by "wakeshaper" you mean the Ronix Wakesurf shaper I can recommend it.  We used it on our 2006 23LSV and were very happy.  The velcro holds it in place amazingly well.  And by using it you can leave the boat evenly balanced.  Just switch it to the other side and you're good to go.

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I love our Phase5 Diamond.  Best board we own by far.  I am undecided on using it for beginners though.  It has a great amount of buoyancy, so it seems to be easier for people to get up.  But it is very sensitive (squirrely) and can wash out from under you.  We sometimes use it to get someone up and get the feel, then move to our hyperlite which is a more stable platform.

I am not an expert on ballast, and I do think it will depend on your engine and elevation.  I have the LS3 in my boat, and I tried it with 850s in the lockers (without bow weight), and it was too much.  I now run 400s, and am happy with the way it performs.  (Probably would have played around more with the bigger bags, but my wife vetoed the idea of a bag in the bow, and it is nice to still have room for life vest in the lockers). 

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Have the wakemakers 750 in my lockers, 1100 lbs bag in the bow, but never fill it full. A lot depends on the motor you have and prop if it's capable of pushing that much weight at your elevation. The number of people on board also dictates how much ballast we run, just the guys we slam it, throw in the wife's and kids and we back it off. Made a ghetto gate and that made all the difference, have plans to make a suck gate this weekend and hopefully give it a try in a couple of weeks. You're going to just have to play with different set ups and speed and see what works with your boat, but that's half the fun. Spring is here and man am l getting the itch. Good luck.

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5 hours ago, racer808 said:

Swell lacks face plate adjustability, that's what I love about the Tsunami, you have 3 options for the face angle

Angle WILL matter. I have made about 6 DIY surf shapers of different sizes and angles. They all have their own idiosyncrasies...

I just have one small high angle and one large low angle. If I have a ton of people in the boat I need the bigger paddle, otherwise the little one is more convenient.

 

EDIT: on the board, Hyperlight Broadcasts are cheap and I have gotten everyone from my 120lb wife to myself at 215 riding them. I can go ropeless with a 60 pound kid on mine and the boat is smaller than yours... The broadcast is a great boat board, but once you get to wanting to do fancier stuff you can always add another board. One pro tip I have is to politely email people selling their boats on craigslist and see if they are selling any wakesurf equipment. It so often gets thrown into the deal that they will love a couple hundred bucks for all of it. Last year for $250 I got 2 kids wakeboards, a womens wakeboard, and an inland surfer (expensive board), three ropes, three sacks and a pump just because a guy was selling his boat for less than he wanted and didnt want to give the new owner the pleasure...

Edited by 95echelon
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1 hour ago, 95echelon said:

Angle WILL matter. I have made about 6 DIY surf shapers of different sizes and angles. They all have their own idiosyncrasies...

I just have one small high angle and one large low angle. If I have a ton of people in the boat I need the bigger paddle, otherwise the little one is more convenient.

 

EDIT: on the board, Hyperlight Broadcasts are cheap and I have gotten everyone from my 120lb wife to myself at 215 riding them. I can go ropeless with a 60 pound kid on mine and the boat is smaller than yours... The broadcast is a great boat board, but once you get to wanting to do fancier stuff you can always add another board. One pro tip I have is to politely email people selling their boats on craigslist and see if they are selling any wakesurf equipment. It so often gets thrown into the deal that they will love a couple hundred bucks for all of it. Last year for $250 I got 2 kids wakeboards, a womens wakeboard, and an inland surfer (expensive board), three ropes, three sacks and a pump just because a guy was selling his boat for less than he wanted and didnt want to give the new owner the pleasure...

Thanks for the tips 95echelon. i will definitely hit up craigslist and look for used equipment as all I have right now is just a wakeboard haha. 

 

Thanks everyone else for all of the suggestions! I will be looking forward to learn a lot more from everyone on this site. 

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24 minutes ago, Nick105 said:

Thanks for the tips 95echelon. i will definitely hit up craigslist and look for used equipment as all I have right now is just a wakeboard haha. 

 

Thanks everyone else for all of the suggestions! I will be looking forward to learn a lot more from everyone on this site. 

Where are you located? If you are close I can probably set you up with a diy shaper for the cost of parts and shipping. Mine cost me less than 20 bucks each to make. Harbor freight suction cup, floating pvc board from Home Depot, and some screws and a miter saw are all you will need. 

Edited by 95echelon
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