2002 Malibu Wakesetter Xti 23' Surf Wake and Ballast help

[Gsbraun]

Looking to upgrade the ballast system in my 2002 Wakesetter Xti. Id like to get a decent surf wake out of my 02 Xti. I understand its not made for surfing but I also understand that it is possible to get a decent surf wake out of it. With some friends and a liquid force wake shaper the surf wake is alright. However I know I can make it bigger with more weight in the back of the boat. I would rather not just throw ballast bags in the floor. Would like to hide them and save room in the boat. How much ballast will I need and where does that weight need to be distributed. If anyone has any tips please let me know. Thanks in advance, Garrett. 

[BillyChinookVLX]

My experience is with an 03 VLX. Obviously the v drive will naturally be heavier in the rear but the hull shape is the same. My setup is 800 lb bags in the rear corners and the stock underfloor ballast (I think 300-400lbs there) the big thing is 200lbs of lead in the bow. Getting the nose down really helps to shape and lengthen your wave. It also makes out so you can see where you are going. Being the XTI, you might not need as much weight up front for the same effect. 
 

I run with with a custom homemade wake shaper (basically comparable to any of the suction cup style ones on the market) and the wedge down at 10.7-11.2 mph depending on how heavy the boat is with people. The heavier the boat, the faster you need to run to keep the wave clean with good push. 
 

My wave obviously doesn’t compare to a new surf yacht, but it’s the best wave I have surfed from a pre 2010’s era boat. 

[Brad B]

You're gonna need 1600 to 2000 lbs in the back and 500 center and 800 bow. Hide it if you can but you gotta have lots of displacement weight. Weight it even. Then add a suck gate of your choice to make which side to surf.

[Thatman]

Buy a new boat 

[Snookered]

I've been working on the surf wake for my 2002 23XTI and am happy with the results so far. Main thing was removing the hard tanks and the ski locker from the stern and replacing it with a wake sac that fills the whole space. According to Wakemakers specs that more than doubled the weight in the back to over 700 pounds. Wedge down, bow and stern sacks full, Swell wakeshaper in place it's a good surf wake (we're still debating whether the front sac helps or hurts the surf wake). My 140 pound 15-year-old can surf forever and has a rapidly expanding bag of tricks on that wake. I've got another 30-40 pounds on him, and it is plenty of wake for me to ride. I, however, am still just trying to master that so can't speak to tricks.

We have a 300 lb. Fat Sac we used to add to the back seat, but haven't used it since we put in the new stern sack. Looking hard at replacing the locking wedge with a floating wedge, as much for the convenience (my locking wedge is always getting stuck) as the wave.

Make friends! We usually have 5-8 people in the boat and the ability to move them around can make a real difference in the size and shape of the wake.

That said, my son jumps at any chance he gets to ride behind a more modern boat. A neigbor's 2018 21' VTX has a wake that's not a lot taller, but the surfable surface is significantly wider. Another friend's 2020 25' Centurion has a monster wake, at least twice as tall and wide at its biggest, you have to use an entirely different style of surf board on it. But, they've spent 3 to 4 times as much as me, including the cost of my upgrades (redid the 20-year-old interior).

Also, I ski and barefoot so I love the direct drive ski wake. That's why I specifically hunted down an XTI. Those other boats are not fun to ski behind (even though Malibu claims the VTX is it's all-purpose boat) and barefoot booms and v-drives are close to incompatible.