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Dirty wave on port side... Help please!


LakeMurraySC

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Hi guys- I hope you are all doing really well. I have owned Malibu's for about 20 years now- my wife and I are now on the 4th we have owned (along with my family). My last boat was a 2016 23 LSV. Aside from a couple small issues with the surfgate, we never had any issues with the surf wave on either side. Surfgate allowed us to center load the boat and it had a SUPER clean, amazing wave on both sides. All my friends on the lake agreed that my boat had one of the 2 best and cleanest waves they have seen(other was an axis wave). The nautique dealer actually came out and demo'd me a boat to try to convince me to go nautique. After comparing waves, he agreed my wave was better than he could achieve with the nautique... Transitions were simple and again- wave was super clean, large, and long and on both sides. We added some eight.3 ballast to the factory and always center loaded. My brothers children are now getting to the age where they are old enough to go surfing by themselves, so i figured it was time for me to go out on my own and get my own boat for my wife and I.

 

I got a 2021 Wakesetter LSV 23'. I cannot get a clean wave on the side (left/regular) that i primarily surf on- no matter what i try. The wave on the right side (goofy side) is fantastic and clean. I've tried reducing the weight on the right side, adding more weight to the left side. Realistically I need to be able to center load the boat- we transition a lot so its important to be able to achieve a great wave on each side without changing the weight around in the boat on the fly. I took the flip down ladder part of the skid off because i was wondering if the bracket was dragging in the water. still nothing. Could it be the exhaust? Is it the way the prop is spinning? I am really at a loss- and i HATE to sound dissatisfied with such a beautiful and nice boat, but realistically something had to have changed between my 16 and this 21 that is making my wave wash out- and it is really demoralizing to think how much this boat cost for an inferior wave... I only surf (I'm 45 so no more wakeboard injuries for me). I am regular footed so a dirty wave on the left side is a total deal breaker. 

 

Without getting into specifics of exactly how my old boat was weighted- the new boat is weighted identically. I've considered the idea that too much weight could cause the surf gate to fully submerge and throw a spray onto one side- but if its center loaded that should happen on both sides theoretically unless the driver side is that much heavier than the port side. Has there been a large change in weight distribution of the boat between 16 and 21?  Has anyone had that issue with the new boats on the driver side? The driver side seems heavier in this boat that my 16. When I am running the boat dry (no ballast), the boat leans substantially to the drivers side, despite the fact that i have my anchors and heavier gear on the port side. My 16 did that as well, but not as noticeably. I had 2 50lb cubes in my old boat that i could move manually when i was cruising around solo to level the boat out, but that doesn't do the trick in the new boat. 

 

I tried to attach pictures of the waves on each side but i dont think i can attach pictures to this forum for some reason. I will try to figure it out=)

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I hope everyone is doing really well this weekend- thanks in advance yall 

 

E

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Edited by LakeMurraySC
adding pictures
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There's a few things at play since the 2021 is 2 generations from the 2016, and both have tweaked the hull each time. Generally speaking, the 2018+ makes a better wave with a lot less ballast compared to the 2017 and earlier 23 LSVs.

Here's what I did for my 2019 and my 2021 setup is very similar.

 

  • Like 2
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thanks bud i appreciate the response! I have tried adding weight to both sides, taking weight away from both side etc. My wave just won't clean up on the regular side. I'd be super pumped if i got my wave to look like yours. is there anything specific you could recommend that i do? generally I've been under the impression that more weight equals a bigger wave. We've waited the bow to extend the wave but that generally makes the wave less steep... i know there are a lot of variables- so trying to just get the new boat dialed in

 

i guess a more specific question is what is your ballast set up? are you using wedge at all? we've never used wedge for surfing really, just straight weight

Thanks again for the time bud... crazy the difference i see between the 16 and 21. I hope i can figure something out

 

 

E

Edited by LakeMurraySC
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Thanks bud- clicked in the wrong spot and didn't realize it was a link.. Im technologically challenged. I appreciate the help!

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  • 7 months later...

First, I had the same issue. I also have a 2021 23 LSV with the high-altitude/surf prop and an M6 motor. So, hear me out. I am a Malibu geek through and through and even called Roy at Malibu about the dirty port wave and the boat listing to starboard at low speeds. Answer? Prop size and rotation. Read on.

Okay. So, I am not discounting what others here have said. BUT, there are two major points here: type of weight and a waaaayyyyyy bigger prop. This is not mentioned here. The wake plus hull does make a bigger wake, but has nothing to do with parity of the wave on each side. Nothing does except a larger prop and its rotation and weight on the port side, specifically. The 17" prop (up from 15") and its rotation make the goofy (starboard) side the naturally bigger and cleaner wave. Make sense? No filling one locker or another or moving water ballast around will fix this. What was recommended by a wakeboard pro friend of mine and seconded by my dude at Malibu was weighting mid-ship under the port-side bench . . . with lead. I was told 200-300 lbs of lead under this seat. So, I met them half way and got 250 of lead weight in 50 lb. bags. It fixed it immediately, as well as the low speed listing issue. Its that simple. Don't overthink it and overspend, either. I know getting lead for a 2021 seems counterintuitive (I was hesitant), but it works and works well. Both sides will be huge, clean, long.

You're welcome. Ha. And good luck, man. Such a great boat!

  • Like 3
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I second @CT43 with placement of the lead.  I moved my lead further aft in our 2021 last season and it was a significant help with the regular wave, which is where I ride as well.  You'll also find, or at least I did, that your boat doesn't need as much weight as the previous generations like @NWBU mentioned.  The biggest difference between his boat and yours is the prop size and transmission.  You have a 2:1 and I believe his is 1.76:1 and the prop size is a big deal.  

 

@CT43, slightly off topic but I'm curious why you're running the high-altitude prop on your boat.  We ordered ours with the standard prop and I ordered a speed prop (ACME2805).  Our speed prop was used on break-in, then I swapped it out and never looked back.  It was a big help with fuel consumption while surfing because it brought my RPM down.  Something to think about given the forecasted fuel costs this summer. 

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