making a better wake.

[boehmbros]

hi guys,
im new to this whole thing just have a question on how to make my boat throw a better wake. i know adding weight, and getting trim tabs help but i need to know what works the best and wont kill my boat on take off. i have a 4 banger 3.0L so i dont have alot of take off but it gets the job done. i have a tower on the boat (Glastron) and that helped but i just want it to be nice and crisp. any suggestions?

 

[QC]

Re: making a better wake.

Welcome aboard boehmbros! I moved this over to the Wakeboard section to get you a more focused response.

IMHO, the best way to dig a hole and retain some hole shot is to use helm adjustable tabs like Bennett's. On a slow plane with trim up you can dig a hole, but she won;t hold a plane. Passive tabs, like Smart Tabs, will not allow you to pull the tabs up some to increase the size of the hole, and to then adjust that with speed preferences.

With adjustable tabs, you can use them full down to get a nice pop for deepwater starts, and then start pulling the tabs up immediately and mess with trim until you get the nice balance of almost falling off plane and the big hole.

Another benefit of this method is that the fine balance is easier to maintain with less throttle manipulation. Prior to me figuring this out, I was constantly making micro throttle adjustments to keep it at the same spot. Maddening. If I left it alone for 30 seconds she'd either start run faster or fall off plane and recovering was difficult. With tabs, trim and throttle, I can make these micro adjustments that allow me to leave it alone for longer periods of time.

Only downside is budget . . .

 

[Tabman]

Re: making a better wake.

boehmbros,

QC is on target when it comes to using adjustable Trim Tabs. I used to do the same exact thing when I took my kids tubing. Using weight and the Trim Tabs I could make a big old wake for the teenagers or trim the boat out and change its shape to be flatter for the younger ones.

I really could not have explained it better than QC did!

 

[boehmbros]

Re: making a better wake.

awsome how much do you think that those tabs will cost me? and how about the ballest bags? worth it? and i was told that the fins i have on the lower unit destroys the wake, is that true? thanks alot guys you really help me out

 

[tgell001]

Re: making a better wake.

I have an 18ft stingray with the same 3.0L and I have 700lbs of ballast in two bags. I put on up front and on in the middle in the back. The one up front really makes the wake steep and fun and helps me plan easily. I also reproped to a 20p 4blade which helped a little. I dont have the budget for trim tabs and i really dont want to be drilling all over the place (hence why i have an insanity pylon not a tower).

My wake is just as big as my buddys 20ish ft supra and i paid a substantially lower amount for my boat and set up. He even likes to ride with me because he doesn't have to feed his V8 with gas.

But minor throttle adjustments are needed to maintain ~21mph but i'm fine at like ~23mph and thats where i like to ride anyways

 

[kyle f]

Re: making a better wake.

Trim Tabs destroy the wake for boarding. Tears the lip up somethign aweful.

 

[sasto]

Re: making a better wake.

Trim Tabs destroy the wake for boarding. Tears the lip up somethign aweful.

and use of the ballast bag is a must with the boarders around here.

 

[mxfever]

Re: making a better wake.

We use 600 pounds of ballast in the bow and trim up to sqaut the back of the boat in the water. Nice crisp wake at 22 mph. Does feal a little strange when making sharp turns like the boat wants to wash out but you'll get the feal for it.

 

[tgell001]

Re: making a better wake.

See i've found that if i put too much weight in the bow the wake is too peaky and it crumbled at the top and it loses its crispness (if thats a word) but i'm sure its different for every boat. Honestly two good looking chicks in the bow seats and their 4 "ballasts" is the best way to roll

 

[kyle f]

Re: making a better wake.

and use of the ballast bag is a must with the boarders around here.

It certainly helps if you do not have built in tanks.

 

[mxfever]

Re: making a better wake.

See i've found that if i put too much weight in the bow the wake is too peaky and it crumbled at the top and it loses its crispness (if thats a word) but i'm sure its different for every boat. Honestly two good looking chicks in the bow seats and their 4 "ballasts" is the best way to roll

HAHAHA! True, very true.....

 

[jrblacker]

Re: making a better wake.

I have a 20 foot searay bowrider with the HO 4.3 liter. I put smart tabs on it last year and HATE them for wakeboarding...... The work really well for pulling tubes, or with the boat full of people , but they RUIN the wake. What I have found the works the best is an 800 lbs fat sac in the walkway of the bow, and three or four buddies in the boat. Play with the trim to get the best wake, I can usually get a knee high wake that is crisp and sharp. Of course all this is with the smart tabs removed. I would recommend a ballast bag of some sort and just play around with placement and amount of water.

 

[tgell001]

Re: making a better wake.

I have a 20 foot searay bowrider with the HO 4.3 liter. I put smart tabs on it last year and HATE them for wakeboarding...... The work really well for pulling tubes, or with the boat full of people , but they RUIN the wake. What I have found the works the best is an 800 lbs fat sac in the walkway of the bow, and three or four buddies in the boat. Play with the trim to get the best wake, I can usually get a knee high wake that is crisp and sharp. Of course all this is with the smart tabs removed. I would recommend a ballast bag of some sort and just play around with placement and amount of water.

At what speed? because i find with more weight up front i have to go faster to keep the wake crisp, its huge yes, but crumbles at the top unless i'm doing like 24mph. But, every hull is different im just wondering because i'd love a few more inches (thats what she said)

 

[QC]

Re: making a better wake.

I put smart tabs on it last year and HATE them for wakeboarding......

Mine and tabman's comments were based on helm adjustable tabs. Totally different in that I can pull them all the way up at any speed, thus eliminating any negative affect if I want that . . .

The work really well for pulling tubes, or with the boat full of people

or I can put them back down for these conditions. Kind of a bummer as I have to wait for about 5 seconds and I have to work my fingers a little . . .

 

[jrblacker]

Re: making a better wake.

At what speed? because i find with more weight up front i have to go faster to keep the wake crisp, its huge yes, but crumbles at the top unless i'm doing like 24mph. But, every hull is different im just wondering because i'd love a few more inches (thats what she said)

I can still pull at 20MPH on the GPS and get a good wake. I tried placing it back by the engine cowling, and didn't much care for it there. Digs a big hole, but not impressed with the wake or boat performance. I think I will try moving the bag to mid boat and see what happens.

 

[tgell001]

Re: making a better wake.

I should have asked this too, what rope length? because i'm sure i could shorten the rope and get in front of the point where it crumbles. I'm already using a pretty short rope (~55ft) just because i can't get the wake to be crisp past like 55ft at the speed i like to ride at. I really wish i had even one friend that i went out with that has more experience then me so it wasn't just me guessing and trying something new every time.

I'm fairly happy with the set up that i use every time i go out but if it can be better i would def. try something new just for the hell of it.

 

[mxfever]

Re: making a better wake.

I should have asked this too, what rope length? because i'm sure i could shorten the rope and get in front of the point where it crumbles. I'm already using a pretty short rope (~55ft) just because i can't get the wake to be crisp past like 55ft at the speed i like to ride at.

Good call. I have my rope set at 50ft. Any farther i loose the edge on my wake. One of the downfall's of an i/o i'm sure.

 

[tgell001]

Re: making a better wake.

Yep, its one of the downfalls. I've seen some of these guys with the nice wake boats with crisp wakes beyond 70ft its crazy. But, I went to a sandbar party this weekend and was trimmed up and putting around in 2ft of water sooooo take that haha

 

[boehmbros]

Re: making a better wake.

See i've found that if i put too much weight in the bow the wake is too peaky and it crumbled at the top and it loses its crispness (if thats a word) but i'm sure its different for every boat. Honestly two good looking chicks in the bow seats and their 4 "ballasts" is the best way to roll

hahahahahahahah that made my day thanks guys

 

[Bass_boy7]

Re: making a better wake.

my borther bought a Mastercraft xstar and his wake is amazing but we also add about 2000 lbs of water in it between the factory ballasts and our launch bags to get it even better haha were nuts, as well we run 70 ft rope length and just absolutly tear it up, I wouldn't ride behind anything else bc it just can't compete with a true wakeboat.