Wake Makers Ballast Bag
Wakesurfing has taken watersports by storm and is quickly growing into one of the most exciting and challenging sports behind a boat. Originally conceived by surfers in the early 60s and 70s, many people thought they could simply ride a surfboard behind a boat. It wasn’t until the last decade that boat and board designs have allowed the progression of wakesurfing to reach new heights. Tow boat manufacturers are now designing boats specifically for wakesurfing. Regardless of what you're driving, it's important to setup your boat properly for wakesurfing.
The first thing to understand about building the perfect wake is how the wake is produced in the first place. A wake is created as the boat moves through the water; the boat's hull displaces water, and the water returns to where it previously was. This constant flow of water creates an "endless" wave moving in the direction of the boat. The general rule of thumb is more weight in the front of the boat creates a shorter wake in height but a longer wake in length, and vice versa if there is more weight in the back. When you’re wakesurfing, only one side of the wake is being surfed. To increase the wake’s size on either side of the boat, you need to increase the amount of weight on that side of the boat.
Do you want to go surfing–but you have an inboard ski boat or a boat with not enough weight? While inboard ski boats aren’t necessarily designed for wakesurfing, they can make excellent surf boats with just a few small tweaks.
You bought a boat and now want to surf but the wake isn't quite dialed in. This isn’t a surprise seeing as how these boats are now the norm in the surfing world. In fact, top ski boat manufacturers are selling more and more of these boats with each new year. Considering the fact that just ten years ago the opposite was true, it makes sense that there are a lot of inboards out on the water that want to get into the sport of wakesurfing. Keep in mind that there are some big differences between the new surf boats and both new and old inboard ski boats. The first thing to understand is the difference between new surf boats and an inboard ski boat.
New surf boats are designed to produce massive waves at 10 miles per hour. They have V-Drive engines, integral ballast, add on ballast, and large engines and props. This allows them to get up to speed with a lot of weight on board. Many of us have an inboard on the dock already and love to slalom ski, these boats hulls were designed with flat wakes at 30 miles per hour in mind. They have an engine mid-ship, and handle like a dream. Just because your first sport is slalom and you already have a boat you love doesn't mean you can't also enjoy the sport of wakesurfing.
We just need to do a few things to get the most out of your existing boat.
Our ballast services include analysis/diagnostics, installations, maintenance and repair.
