Funny, this section always has viewers, but it has little action. SO, I decided to add something I have learned about wake surfing.
First of all, surfing is a blast. It is easy enough that we have yet to fail getting people up on their first time, so it is simple...and yet it has nuances that us old heads can work on, like forever. Setting the wave up has been a pain for us, though, since we have had no guidance. Last season we were surfing at 12 knots, 1100# on the goofy side and 700# in the nose of our 2005 24SSV, with the plate full nose up. To get a decent curl, we had to turn a bit into the surfer. The kids could surf great, but I could not find a spot where I could let go of the rope. I always fell out.
So, this season, we started with a new, larger board. I figured the old one was too small for me at 180lbs. This worked better, but the sweet spot I could work with no rope was very tight...like +-1foot. Not enough to do much with. So, better, but still not right. I finally broke the code. The boat speed has to be matched to the weight of the surfer! I found that my sweet spot opened up when I dropped the speed to 10.8 knots. The boat was no longer trying to outrun me. Finally! Also, we could straighten the boat out and no longer had to turn slightly into the surfer. Amazingly, only 1.2mph made a world of difference.
Well, thinking what was good for me must be good for the kids...I gave them the same speed. None of them liked it. Now they were constantly overrunning the boat. So...for those beginners like us...heavier surfers have more drag, so they tend to glide slower. Lighter surfers skim faster, so they need more boat speed. And 1 mph makes a huge difference when it comes to surfing.
If any of you have figured out tips and tricks for a beginner like me...please chime in!