Help me optimize the ballast for my 92 Sunsport DD for a surf wake.

[trayson]

best pic of today's surf wake...



Oh, got another:

[trayson]

Went out today with a new wakesurf board. I threw down and bought a Liquid Force Fish 5'6. Way easier to ride than the 4'9 broadcast. I was able to ride with slack in the rope the vast majority of a long pull. I am still getting used to it all and the balance and what not. I would find that I could ride with slack most the time and would just need that little nudge as I found myself drifting backwards...
Didn't get any pics, My wife was driving and we had our 7 year old on the flag, and a buddy was with us but had his hands full with his 2 year old. The boat seemed a LOT smaller with 3 adults, and the two kids + the two ballast bags on the floor!

Oh, I fogot to mention: I ordered a handful of new fittings from Wakemakers.com so that I have the fly high quick releases on both sides of my over the side pump. I also retrofitted the waterbed style fittings on my front cooler bag to be a fly high quick release and a fly high screw plug (for venting air easier). I tell ya, having the fly high quick fittings on all 3 of my bags is a huge step in the right direction (my 4th bag is hard plumbed. I can see what this is a really nice feature, even if the pump is only 1/2 the speed of my over the side pump. It's pretty awesome to hit the switch with no messing around with anything!

Maybe someday I'll add more pump capacity for the hard plumbed system... But in the mean time, it's nice to have the fly high connectors. Oh, and for what it's worth, I gave my pump a quick electrical connection (like the type you see on motorcycles to hook up battery tenders).

[trayson]

Newest Surf Wake Pics...

[James]

The wave looks pretty good. In my 2000 launch I run at 10 mph with 400 hard tank under rear seat, 350 in back locker, 750 surf side floor, 750 half on other bag half in back seat, and 550 in the bow on surf side. My wave is huge and my rub rail sometimes is an inch or so from waterline.

[trayson]

The wave looks pretty good. In my 2000 launch I run at 10 mph with 400 hard tank under rear seat, 350 in back locker, 750 surf side floor, 750 half on other bag half in back seat, and 550 in the bow on surf side. My wave is huge and my rub rail sometimes is an inch or so from waterline.

Damn that's a lot of weight. I was able to get a good enough wave tonight without using all my bags. Just the 750 on the surf side and 250 under the rear seat, but had 6 adults and 1 kid in the boat. I was able to freeride for my longest stretch ever. Good times! I was most def sinking my rub rail.

[villain]

nice! heading out tonight (if i get off at a decent time) sometimes being a boat mechanic sucks.

i will be taking out an Enzo sack (1450), 1 1200, 2 600's, 2 550's, and 2 450's. our service rider has a 600 triangle bow sack that is giving me, might have that if he remembers that. this should be enough to find the right combo for the old girl.

[villain]

also, to help with push, turn your hips and shoulders towards the wave. i had the same problem behind any boat then i went out with the brigade wake surf guys from work and bam! it works like magic!!

[trayson]

also, to help with push, turn your hips and shoulders towards the wave. i had the same problem behind any boat then i went out with the brigade wake surf guys from work and bam! it works like magic!!

Yeah, I read a thread where they were giving my buddy pointers and watched a 101 video on Wake9. It made all the difference. It's actually quite similar to riding snowboard toeside on a pow day on the steeps.

Yesterday I was able to get pretty consistent 30 to 60 second freerides and felt a TON more comfortable. So much stoke!

And we were actually weighted kinda low yesterday. 250 under the rear seat and 750 on the surf side beside the doghouse. BUT, we had about 950 in "human ballast" on the boat, so it allowed us to cheat with the sacks.

My first legitimate length freeride:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnEAgFqSuAY

End of the night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4xUIP1U3z4

[trayson]

Trayson--can you pull that bag to the side for me and take some pics of what the PO did to the supports under the bench seat? Mine have framing under each cross bar so that my bench has 3 separate storage compartments.

Kev, where are you putting your sacks again?

We have bags in our ski locker and under the rear seat like you. I usually fill them about half way and then I use the Fly High 750# bag on the floor next to the engine on the surf side. I have a 350# bag down in the bilge area under the cooler that I usually keep full, then we experiment from there. I've put as much as two more 350# bags in the back corner of the surf side and a 350# on the surf side in the bow.

This may be a dumb question, but how do you get a bag under the cooler? I have no clue how to access the bilge area under the storage lockers. And how would you fill/empty it?

[trayson]

Another surf wave pic. I've been finding that it's enough to go ropeless, but I really have to lean forward and put a lot of weight on my front foot.



I talked to one of the guys at Wakemakers last night and we're going to try another suggestion. I am going to put my Tube Sack on the floor, between the gunwale and the doghouse, and as far back against the rear seat riser as possible. Then I am going to put the fly high 750 fat sac on top of it, and have it so it's sitting in the rear seat. Because the tube sac has its fill ports on the one end, I will be able to stagger them pretty easily.


Then we can play around with having a person sit in the rear center vs. the observer seat. Likewise we can play with the bag that usually fills the cooler being on the center rear floor, vs. in the cooler.

I'm also curious, how much do you guys porpoise when you're at surf speeds? My wife drives and she has to stand to see over the bow. When I drive I put my a$$ on the top of the seat back to see. I've been running the wake plate all the way up, so I'm not surprised that I'm driving a wheelie. Just curious if this is normal.