slalom wake size/hardness on '92 impulse (comp hull open bow) vs. MC/Nautique

I've owned my '92 Impulse (cheaper Conbrio) for 21 years and now that I'm a mid-40s OK slalom skier who usually skis slow (31-32 free ski, 28-29 in course) I find the wake to be very hard and larger. This has become apparent on my older body, and the fact that I have been skiing behind a '99 Nautique closed bow and '00 MC SportStar closed bow with friends the past few years, and both have virtually no wake at the same speeds.

Is it possible that my boat has gotten slightly heavier if it has absorbed water in the floor (I now have a soft spot or two in the rear, but not bad) or can I just expect that the wake will be slightly larger on this boat than an MC or Nautique? My boat doesn't appear to ride any lower on the waterline than always, so maybe I'm just wearing out.

Love the look and feel of my Supra but with a bigger family I am considering a bowrider that is not a playpen like I have now, especially if I can get a smaller, softer wake. Any input you can provide would be appreciated. When I read Waterski they rate the '93 Supra comp hull as one of the best used boats for slaloming, but I don't know if that means above 32 and deep shortline.

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I think your boat must be wet. I don't think the bump behind your boat should be worse than a Prostar 190.

I have not skied behind the model boat you have but I have skied behind a variety of boats. Prostars from the 90's, 2014 Nautique plus others. I have a 90 Brendella super comp and a 2000 prostar 190 . My experience is that the older boats tend to have the best wake when it comes to the bump. The spray is usually worse and the rooster tail is usually worse but the boats tend to be so small and light that the bump itself is smaller.

The bump behind my brendella seems to be the best of all the boats I have skied. The spray can be bothersome on a windy day and it does not track as well as the Prostars but the bump is smaller and softer.

Your boat is heavy with saturated stringers and everything else that goes along with it. I recently finished a total gutting and cap off restoration on my '86 Comp and while the wake was decent behind it before I took the plunge, now my wake is practically non-existent. I would take your boat and trailer across a scale and then take just the trailer across the same scale and see how much over the book number your boat weighs. I dropped over 1,000 pounds off my boat when I did mine and could not be happier with the end result.

Thanks, that's very encouraging news. WS mag talks about how good the wake is behind the Comp hull, and I just don't see it (any more). So this might be the way to go.

I'll ask the question everyone does- since Donny at Bennett's in Maryville, TN is no longer doing these, and I've seen very mixed opinions on Viper Customs, who would be a good source? Sexton Marine seems to have very little info out there in terms of details/pics. I assume you did a DIY on yours, which is admirable. I will have to farm it out.

Yeah, I did mine "in house" with a bunch of help from friends as well as some colorful choice words along the way. At the end of it all, best thing I ever did to the old boat. It used to take full throttle to get the boat up out of the hole and on plane, now it doesn't even require the secondaries to open up. My trailer tire to fender clearance gained an inch or more in space between the fenders and the tire.

Definitely more weight will affect your wake if you do indeed have stringer rot. But your boat wake or mine (96 ts6m comp) will never compare with a 99 nautique tsc hull. Or a malibu sv23 diamond hull. Especially at slow speeds learning the course. Not sure on the MC never skied that year. In the mid 90`s when boats were changing to pure slalom tugs supra kept there hull as a true 3 event hull which needed a nice trick wake. Hence that nasty bump at 22 off. I remember the article in waterski mag. If I remember right it said good shortline wake at 32 off and shorter. I dont think the 15 off is too bad. But the 22 and 28 off length is tough. With mine I put a 4 blade oj prop lowered the wake plate 1/4 inch and put a 150 lb fat sack under hull and its a little better. If your looking for a bigger open bow boat with a great wake. Check out a 96 and up malibu sunsetter with sv23 hull. You will be amazed at the slalom wake for a bigger boat.

Thanks- that's great info. I know I'm comparing apples to oranges, but I love to slalom and not being a great course skier (but trying) I just find the '99 Nautique and '00 MC to have nothing to cross compared to my boat, which beats on my knees no matter how hard I'm pulling through the wake. I do enjoy trick skiing behind it, but slalom is the deal. My boat has a soft spot but I don't think it's that much heavier because the water line looks the same as it always has. Will definitely check out the Malibus, as I'm not thrilled about the prospect of paying $15k and up for a good 20 year old MCs or Nautique.

Malibu`s best slalom boat is the Response. It does`t have the walk through playpen like the sunsetter though. In 98 they introduced the sv23 diamond hull. Great wake. In 99 they widened the boat and added a ski locker in the rear. Even better wake. If you can find a 99 to 02 Response lx. Arguably one of the best slalom wakes even at slow speeds. My 3 buds I ski with have. 2016 mastercraft prostar. 2003 Malibu response LXI. 2002 malibu Response LX. We call the 02 LX the PB (personal best)boat. Thats how small the wake is.