Good wake w/o upsetting the neighbors ?

[SkiTundra]

Has anyone paid any attention to getting a good wake or 'good enough' wake but one that is also less irritating to others on the lake? Can a wake be shaped so that it gives a good ramp but also dissipates faster? Or one that's optimal at a specific distance but short enough that it impacts fewer others around?

[saceone]

RE: Good wake w/o p***ing off the neighbors ?

mmm that's a pretty good question!!!

[WakeSlayer]

RE: Good wake w/o p***ing off the neighbors ?

Most guys out there wakeboarding don't need anything more than stock ballast and good skills. Some guys can really excel on a pigged out wake and makes them ride better. Some people it just makes crash more.
I think a large percentage of the systems are overkill in most situations. It doesn't stop us from doing it, but truly, the SAN210 wake is just fine with only a few hundred pounds. However. for surfing, it is definitely a bigger is better situation.

[gride300]

RE: Good wake w/o p***ing off the neighbors ?

i agree that learning on a smaller wake/shorter rope is good because you learn how to load the line and use the handle for spins, but eventually tiny stock ballast wakes limit your height, style, and longer lines(80-85) are so much more fun in general. IMO, if it's just your buddy driving and you riding then in a 210 you need stock ballast plus about 400lbs on the floor infront of the rear seat and about 250lbs give or take on the floor in the bow and you'll get a decent wake. and back to the original question, you can turn the boat to wash the rollers out, but that ruins your line. i don't feel sorry for people who leave boats tide up to docks(especially the front). i do stop and idle if i see a boat docked and i'm not pulling anyone.

[INVNO1]

RE: Good wake w/o p***ing off the neighbors ?

Good points Mike.
There isn't much of a wake scene in my area. The best "local rider" on our lake (which isn't much to brag about) usually can be found behind my boat. He routinely lands backrolls, R2Rs,tantrums, multiple spins and is working on the toeside front roll. He does them all at 21 mph, with myself and a spotter in the boat, at 65 + handle with the ballast tanks EMPTY. It's all about technique and air awareness.

FWIW, I have seen people just cruising around my lake in I/Os with the trim set wrong for the speed, making more of a mess of the lake than wakeboarders with more weight who drive a respectable line

[gride300]

RE: Good wake w/o p***ing off the neighbors ?

65 is way to short for him if he can do that stuff. just make sure he can jump toeside before he is doing front rolls. try a 70' line plus the 5' handle for a total of 75' with some weight in the boat and a little faster. it makes a world of a difference. however, it's all the rider's choice.

[INVNO1]

Re: RE: Good wake w/o p***ing off the neighbors ?

65 is way to short for him if he can do that stuff. just make sure he can jump toeside before he is doing front rolls.

I hear ya gride. He can jump toeside no prob with some grabs and spins but for some reason seems content at those specs. Maybe because we all suck and he feels like he would be a burden w/ special requests??LOl. Anyhow, I think he just does it to prove that he can have fun no matter what. We have loaded the boat with people and ballast before and he seems like he could really care less either way. That extra kick is probably whats keeping him from hitting the toeside roll though cause he's only missing it by a fraction (basically skipping out on his heels) . Don't get me wrong, we do fill the tanks and bump out the length, but if given the choice he doesn't care and just wants to ride. I was just rambling because of the theme of this thread.

What constitutes a good wake? I guess whatever your content riding on

[gride300]

RE: Re: RE: Good wake w/o p***ing off the neighbors ?

that's cool. i've had friends who will just ride whatever, but personally i am super picky esp. about speed and rope length, and if it's my boat i like to kick a wake out that looks like i should have 9 FAT chicks in the boat and then some. i wakeskate mostly these days so usually stock ballast and people or wedge on the floor

[MyWakeIsBigger]

Re: Good wake w/o upsetting the neighbors ?

Has anyone paid any attention to getting a good wake or 'good enough' wake but one that is also less irritating to others on the lake? Can a wake be shaped so that it gives a good ramp but also dissipates faster? Or one that's optimal at a specific distance but short enough that it impacts fewer others around?

Do you have the same problem as me where they banned ballast?

[WakeSlayer]

RE: Re: Good wake w/o upsetting the neighbors ?

Back in the day..... We used a couple sandbags in a Ski Nautique, and we would all land backrolls, front flips, 540's, Undertakers, etc off that wake. I am not knocking huge wakes as it opens up a lot of potential. Potential meaning that you can unleash the 5-10% of guys that are really that talented, like the guy INVN01 is talking about. The rest is overkill, and we do it just because we can. The other 90% just ride the same no matter what wake they are on, and as I stated above, it causes them to crash more or fear the wake so they don't explode off it like they would a more manageable wake. Not bashing on ballast or wakes. Just sayin...

Is it PA that has a lot of ballast bans ? I have heard some states have surfing bans too. We are lucky that we don't have that. I also live on a lake where I am the primary user so it really is not an issue for me.

[bkhallpass]

RE: Re: Good wake w/o upsetting the neighbors ?

I don't know if the number is 90% wakeslayer, but I tend to agree with you. The top echelon of wakeboarders can do more behind an unweighted Ski Nautique with a standard ski pylon , than the vast majority of wakeboarders can do behind any boat with any wake size. I feel like the bottom half of riders (of which I am definitely one) are worse off by using wakes and line lengths which exceed their abilities. The grey area is those in between - riders who have talent, and can do a lot of tricks, but are not, and perhaps never will be, in that top 5 or 10% skill level. If they don't try it, who knows how good they become. If they just don't have that extra talent to get there, then why beat themselves up, and why send out Monsoon waves to everyone else on the water. BKH

[WakeSlayer]

RE: Re: Good wake w/o upsetting the neighbors ?

^^ Exactly what I am saying. 90% is just a number I threw out, but it is somewhere in that neighborhood, give or take.

[SuperSquirt]

RE: Re: Good wake w/o upsetting the neighbors ?

I have to disagree with BK, the bottom half of riders reap the benefits of having a huge wake...Why? Because they can get big air without even having to ollie, if they even know how. New wakeboarders can charge a meaty wake and just lean back without having to know how to jump. On a small wake, even a jetski wake, riders have to make an effort to jump.

I feel that a shorter line length is better for less-skilled riders simply because they have less wake to cross over, but big wakes are great for everyone.

[SkiTundra]

Re: RE: Re: Good wake w/o upsetting the neighbors ?

I have to disagree with BK, the bottom half of riders reap the benefits of having a huge wake...Why? Because they can get big air without even having to ollie, if they even know how. New wakeboarders can charge a meaty wake and just lean back without having to know how to jump. On a small wake, even a jetski wake, riders have to make an effort to jump.

Is there more value and satisfaction in something you have to work for than something given to you?

[SuperSquirt]

RE: Re: RE: Re: Good wake w/o upsetting the neighbors ?

What kind of question is that? That is about as crazy as your first question!

The bigger the wake, the more opportunity for AIR! As in AIR NAUTIQUE, does that ring a bell? That is what wakeboarding is all about! It seems that some of you guys have forgotten why they invented the tower, the ballast, the hydrogate, etc....