So now we get to the fun part, setting up the boat to surf. First thing you need to know is which side of the boat you are going to surf on – normal (left foot forward) or goofy (right foot forward). To determine which you (or any rider is) are, ask how someone skateboards and they should surf the same way. If they don't know, then as a general rule, put their stronger leg on the back of the board.
One other thing you need to understand is a boat's propeller will spin in a certain direction and thus will make a different wake depending on which way you are set up (normal or goofy) and turn. For instance, my 2008 Moomba XLV makes a much better wake when I surf normal and turn to the left while I need to go a little faster and spend more time cleaning up the wake (will go over this more later) when someone rides goofy. It isn't that big of a deal but it is something to consider when driving.
I want to describe what is important in a wake. A wake has two dimensions I am constantly working on – height and length. The taller the wave, the more speed a rider can get. The longer a wake, the bigger the "sweet spot" is in the wake or the part of the wake which pushes the rider without the rope. As you have probably determined is the right combination of height/length which will give you the perfect wake. If the wake is too long, the will be little to no push for the rider. If the wave is too high, the sweet spot will be too small and thus it will be harder to do stay in the wake and ride without the rope. There are 3 settings which will directly affect the wake – ballast (weights, fat sacks or people), wake plate setting and speed. I will cover each now.
To setup the ballast in the boat, you always want to have more weight in the back of the boat than in the front so you can get a tall wave. You will want some weight in the front as well though so a good ratio is 2.5:1 back to front weight. For instance, if you have 2500lbs of weight in the back, you should put 1000lbs in the front. This will vary by boat but it is a good general rule of thumb to start with until you learn your boat and what kind of wake it puts out.
I will assume we are riding normal as that is how I usually ride but the setup is almost the same for goofy (speed may be a little different). I have 3 total fat sacks which weigh 750lbs each or a total of 2250lbs and I will fill up my front 1000lb ballast to almost full. If I have 4-5 people in the boat, depending on how much they weigh, I may not fill up one of the fat sacks or I will place my bio-ballasts (people) strategically throughout the boat to balance out the weight according to the ratio. It is not an exact science as long as you know you need much more weight in the back before putting any in the front. For instance, before I had my 2nd fat sack, I would only fill up the ballast and my fat sack for 1500lbs and I would never put any weight in the front. You can always ask people to move around in the boat while it is moving so you can see how it affects the wave. I usually have 3-4 people on the boat so I place one on the back deck and we call that person the "Rope Biatch". They are responsible for managing the rope which means pulling it in from the rider and tossing it to them before takeoff. I will then put everyone else as far to the normal side and back as I can until there is no more room and then I send them to the front.
Once you get your weight distributed, you need to set your wake plate. The more down the wake plate is, the more the boat will ride flat and the longer the wake will be. The more up the wake plate is, the more the boat will go nose up and create a taller wave. There is no perfect position for the wake plate because it all depends on how much weight you have, where it is located and how fast you are going. I usually play with it during the first couple of rides to see how the wake responds to know where to put it. In general, the less weight you have in the back end, the more up you want the wake plate.
As for speed, it can vary depending on the boat, the kind of wake you want and which way your propeller spins. The slower you go, the taller the wake will be and the faster you go, the longer the wake will be. On my normal side, I usually set the speed between 10.5 and 11.0. On the goofy side, I usually set it at 11-11.5. Speed is just something you will play with and it will vary based on which side you are surfing as well as how much weight you have and where you set your wake plate.
As you can see, there are no exact settings and it just takes some playing around to find the right combination. Sometimes I will go out 3 times in one week with almost identical settings and get 3 different wakes. It is the craziest thing but sometimes it just happens that way but at least now you have the knowledge of how to set up the boat and make appropriate changes.
Now the boat is all set up, my next post will be about surfing basics.
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