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rampy wake


josh_tn

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Well, as I mentioned in another thread, I was a bit disappointed in the wakeboarding wake this weekend. It seemed really rampy compared to other similar boats I have been behind. Several suggested that adding the wedge to my boat would be the best solution. I am considering that option but I probably will wait until the end of the summer if I decide to add one. Here is a pic of the wake this weekend. I have 1200lbs rear ballast plus 400lbs center ballast. There are 2 people in the boat. I am looking for some way to make the wake better the rest of the summer until I can see about getting the wedge. Someone earlier mentioned adding some bow weight but I was under the impression that bow weight would make it even less steep. Any input is appreciated.

5-15-05%20lake%20pics%20015.jpg

Will speed or rope length make a difference in the shape of the wake?

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You are correct, bow weight takes away "steepness". You might try it without the center ballast so that you're more rear-weighted. Looks like the wake may be slightly steeper about 5' in front of where you hit it so you might try shortening the rope. It also looks like you absorbed some of the pop with your bent knees.

EDIT: But what do I know, I'm a slalom geek... Crazy.gif

Edited by NorCaliBu
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I'd also add that from that pic, it looks like you made a quick turn into the wake - maybe a more progressive edge.

The wedge would help

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Actually that's my brother in the picture. I just used it as an example of the wake. I did manage to land on the downside of the other wake once, but it seems like I didn't get near the pop that I was expecting. I will try without the center ballast next time and see what happens. Hopefully I will be able to add the wedge after this summer.

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It's your technique, not the wake. We didn't use the wedge and the wake was similar to yours. Don't try to make it happen. Coast out and wait for the rope to tighten and load the rope while getting on your edge then ride into the wake and stand up at the top of the wake. Keep some weight on your leading foot and you will pop it up there. I have a picture of me and my son in my gallery and we are up there with no wedge and I am 49! We used 1100# in back and 800# in front.

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It's ALL about technique. We've got a friend whose son can do tantrums & raleys behind a Barefoot Sanger & that's got a speedbump for a wake, his inverts just go really really fast. :) NorCali is right, weight up front will give you more ramp, weight in the back will give you more peak. Speed also makes a difference, so make sure that your speedo is accurate by using a GPS to calibrate it. Really though, with that much weight in a VLX, you need to work on your technique rather than adding more weight.

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I think I did a poor job of explaining my first post. Let me try to clear it up a little. I am not complaining about not getting enough air to do tricks or that the wake is no good. The issue is that last year, I boarded behind a Malibu for the first time. It was almost identical to the boat that I just bought except it was a DD(sunsetter LX). The wake was incredible. It is one of the main reasons that I bought the boat that I did. His wake was very tall and steep. I had to try hard not to go way into the flats. Since I know that this hull is capable of producing a wake like that, I simply want to get the best possible wake from my boat. If I had never ridden behind his boat, I would not know the difference. I just figured that since his wake and mine are so different with the same hull, I must not have the ideal weighting arrangement.

I don't know how much weight he had or if he had the wedge. All I know is that after riding behind that boat, I know mine is capable of a much better wake.

Thanks for all the input. I'm sure it will just take some time to find the best weighting arrangement, speed, and rope length to dial the perfect wake in.

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I dont think the wedge really makes the wake that much steeper. Maybe I am in the minority on that one.

I would not spend the extra cash for the wedge. I would fool around with weighting.

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Do you think the wake is too rampy or that it is too soft? You may want to consider bumping up the boat speed and you will get a firmer pop off the wake. Also, you should definitely play aroudn with different weight locations. having that much weight in the back and none in the front seems a bit lopsided to me and could do funny things to your wake. The easiest way to test things out is to run with all your ballast but get like 6 friends on board and move them around while you are cruising.

For my 2002 VLX, this is the optimal setup for me:

full MLS center and rear hard tanks. one 500 lb. fat sac in the front walkway. Another 500 lb. sac on the floor in the rear. Distribute people pretty evenly around the boat.

22.7 mph so the wake is clean and crips at longer rope lengths

Also, I have found that the board you ride is one of the most important factors as to whether a wake feels rampy, soft, hard, or like a curb. Behind my boat riding my freinds temet with a small continuos rocker my wake seems too rampy and I never get all that high even when landing in the flats. With my CWB absolute platinum with a huge 3 stage rocker the wake pops me up very high in the air off the same wake.

If you prefer to get launched with a huge pop like I do I would definitely make sure you have a board with a large 3 stage rocker.

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I had a DD sunsetter and frequently rode with wedge and bow ballast only. It provided a great wake for my needs.

Do you recall how many people were on board the boat the day you went out? The number of people on board definitely changes the dynamics of the wake - not to mention their position in the boat.

My guess is, that if you remember a much "peakier" wake that a wedge was indeed in use. Your boat, just due to the fact that it is a V-drive, will no doubt have a different wake than what you experienced behind the DD, but should automatically have a better wake. I would definitely recommend experimenting with more bow weight despite what everyone else is saying, in orrder to try and match what you likely saw in the DD. Think of the bow plowing deeper in the water, this will definitely impact the wake.

Disclaimer, I am by no means a hydro-dynamics expert. the bottom line is you need to expiriment with different ballast configurations, keeping in mind that its not ALL about haveing a huge wake as it is about technique, and often, equipment (i.e. board rocker and pop characteristics).

JZ

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Chauncemaster - The wake seemed to rampy. I will experiment with some bow weight as well as speed and see what happens. I have a '04 Parks board which has a pretty good 3-stage rocker. I too prefer a good pop that really launches you up. Thanks for your help.

WakeAndSno - I believe there were only 4 people in the boat at the time. Although I don't know exactly how he had it weighted, I do remember him having one of those big 'fat seats' in the back. I think they are around 1200lbs or something like that. Your recommendation on bow ballast seems to make sense. I'm definitely going to try that next time out. Thanks.

Now I just need to find 5-6 people to play musical chairs in the boat so we can find the right balance of weight.

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Now I just need to find 5-6 people to play musical chairs in the boat so we can find the right balance of weight.

Maybe you can recruit at a sumo wrestlers convention.

Seriously though, I think you may see some major improvements by moving some wieght to the front. I've had all my wieght in the back on my VLX for surfing and when I tried to board behind the same setup I hated it.

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Maybe you can recruit at a sumo wrestlers convention.

:lol::lol::lol:

I just got a quote for adding the wedge. They said it would run $600 for the complete wedge and $175 for the install. Does that sound about right?

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:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

I just got a quote for adding the wedge. They said it would run $600 for the complete wedge and $175 for the install. Does that sound about right?

run, dont walk, and get'r done - that is much lower than I was quoted on my 97 Echelon.

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in my experience bow weight makes the wake rampier, stern weight makes the wake steeper. However you need a good balance of each to keep the boat driveable.

I run a 350 on each side plus the wedge and the front is filled about halfway. This gives me a good shape that easily launches me out into the flats, provided of course I use good edging technique. Now my buddy has a SAN and he loads it to the hilt. He's got both rear tanks filled, a 540 on the floor in front of the rear seat, the ski locker is filled, another 540 sits in the bow, another 250lbs of lead and finally 6 or 7 200lb guys. That wake is friggin huge and any edging technique will fling you way up into the air and out into the flats.

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I know  that its a mastercraft site, but it shows you wake physics, we are competior A http://www.the-perfect-wake.com/perfect/main.html play around with that

i've been there before. the site cracks me up. i just love how mastercraft claims they are all high and mighty when they use calabria's purevert system and a plate very similar to tige's taps system(i went to the dealer to see what the hype was all about and he showed me this thing that is used to help the "boat plane better."hmmmmm...). they crack me up. personally, the wedge is the greatest wake enhancing/shaping innovation since the advent of fat sacks.

Edited by madchild
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There's a new boat weighting thing on wakeworld.com that seems to be pretty accurate.

I run 800lbs in the back, 800 in the front (450 in the locker, 350 in the walk way) and the wedge. With 4 peeps in the boat, the wake is huge, especially if two bigger guys sit in the back.

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