87SunSportMikeyD
09-22-2009, 02:17 PM
Hey all! First let me say up front I may ramble a bit here as I talk about riding a 03 SANTE for the first time. I will have pics eventually but not yet. First, background info: I really like wakeboarding a lot!! I have done it for near 15 years. I have always considered myself SUPER lucky to have an awesome family who appreaciates boating and time on the water. Super lucky. My family has always owned an I/O, but never a wake boat. I had to buy that myself last year when I turned 26, my 87 SunSport. I have had the chance to ride a couple older inboards recently, but other than that I have not been exposed to ANY new wake boats to actually ride behind. Just dream about...
So since I have had an inboard I have made a few e-friends! with boats and my good buddy Don upgraded to an 03 Super Air Nautique Team Edition. It sure is a sweet ride and thank you sir for the priveldge. I know it's not a Supra, but I have never had the chance to ride behind a new Supra although I would LOOOVE to! So this is my community and I wanna post about my experience hehe!
Anyways the ballast was two 450 tanks on either side of the v-drive and an 800lb tank (I think) under the floor of the bow walkthrough. Each tank had two aerator pumps on a switch, an electric flowrite gate on each tank (I think, maybe just one master) and a ballast guage to read how full they were. The flowrites and the guages had some issues. But it was super quick and silent. Totally worry free and I wish my system could be NEAR to this awesome someday. Full or emptied in just 2-3 minutes total.
THE WAKE: The wake was unbelievably huge and steep I have never seen anything like it. Tough to describe really except AWESOME! Felt like a kick in the pants, a trampoline double up, and big BOOTER! Every hit was easily the biggest ever for me. I can now understand how people can take a realllll slow edge into the wake and still throw a tech trick. It sure was intimidating at first but I felt pretty determined not to let it scare me. It was at least knee high and quite steep and hard. Perfectly clean lip with zero wash.
By the end of the set I was taking a full edge out and a strong cut at the wake. I was able to grab a mute hsfs 180, let is drift out away from the boat and poke it towards the sky, then on my way back down put both hands back on the rope and pull the board back around to land regular. Waaay out in the flats and I was amazed I didn't get crushed on the landing but the concave hull (aka spine) on the Watson really really helps. Thanks LF!
I landed the hs backroll but couldn't land the 360 and didn't want to destroy myself on bad tantrum attempts. :) I had a half cab go really big and really bad, I rolled down the windows and was belly up to the sky, then flipped over belly facing the water and landed headfirst. Lots of impact to the ribs and shoulders and neck. Hurts to cough and painful ribs but think I am ok. Buddy Don gave himself a concussion on a backroll. Other new buddy Chad who stopped by here once recently (and has an 08 Epic!) blew it up on the kneeboard with raleys and blind landings and takeoffs on back and front rolls and flats rolls AWESOME!! Also super lucky to have someone there with an SLR camera with nice lenses so I have my fingers crossed to get some great pics.
I can see why people say this is one of the best wakes ever. It is a little steep for some peoples taste I would think (another person there had an 08 WakeSetter and said his wake was nowhere near this wake).We had a big crew of about 8 people plus the gas tank and ballast were totally full when I rode. The wake was so steep that when you edged out for a cut the trough could not be seen it dipped DOWN below my sight of the waterline. I can't stop thinking about it! I will post photos ASAP.
So since I have had an inboard I have made a few e-friends! with boats and my good buddy Don upgraded to an 03 Super Air Nautique Team Edition. It sure is a sweet ride and thank you sir for the priveldge. I know it's not a Supra, but I have never had the chance to ride behind a new Supra although I would LOOOVE to! So this is my community and I wanna post about my experience hehe!
Anyways the ballast was two 450 tanks on either side of the v-drive and an 800lb tank (I think) under the floor of the bow walkthrough. Each tank had two aerator pumps on a switch, an electric flowrite gate on each tank (I think, maybe just one master) and a ballast guage to read how full they were. The flowrites and the guages had some issues. But it was super quick and silent. Totally worry free and I wish my system could be NEAR to this awesome someday. Full or emptied in just 2-3 minutes total.
THE WAKE: The wake was unbelievably huge and steep I have never seen anything like it. Tough to describe really except AWESOME! Felt like a kick in the pants, a trampoline double up, and big BOOTER! Every hit was easily the biggest ever for me. I can now understand how people can take a realllll slow edge into the wake and still throw a tech trick. It sure was intimidating at first but I felt pretty determined not to let it scare me. It was at least knee high and quite steep and hard. Perfectly clean lip with zero wash.
By the end of the set I was taking a full edge out and a strong cut at the wake. I was able to grab a mute hsfs 180, let is drift out away from the boat and poke it towards the sky, then on my way back down put both hands back on the rope and pull the board back around to land regular. Waaay out in the flats and I was amazed I didn't get crushed on the landing but the concave hull (aka spine) on the Watson really really helps. Thanks LF!
I landed the hs backroll but couldn't land the 360 and didn't want to destroy myself on bad tantrum attempts. :) I had a half cab go really big and really bad, I rolled down the windows and was belly up to the sky, then flipped over belly facing the water and landed headfirst. Lots of impact to the ribs and shoulders and neck. Hurts to cough and painful ribs but think I am ok. Buddy Don gave himself a concussion on a backroll. Other new buddy Chad who stopped by here once recently (and has an 08 Epic!) blew it up on the kneeboard with raleys and blind landings and takeoffs on back and front rolls and flats rolls AWESOME!! Also super lucky to have someone there with an SLR camera with nice lenses so I have my fingers crossed to get some great pics.
I can see why people say this is one of the best wakes ever. It is a little steep for some peoples taste I would think (another person there had an 08 WakeSetter and said his wake was nowhere near this wake).We had a big crew of about 8 people plus the gas tank and ballast were totally full when I rode. The wake was so steep that when you edged out for a cut the trough could not be seen it dipped DOWN below my sight of the waterline. I can't stop thinking about it! I will post photos ASAP.