Check your speedometer!!!

[dead pair]

The wife and I have just started wakeboarding and bought a 2001 SAN to do so. We learned how to get up on an older bayliner and progressed into the SAN. When we first started behind the SAN it scared us to death because of the huge wake compared to the bayliner. Our skills really regressed and I blamed it on the bigger wake. I have been trying to go wake to wake but was having problems cutting into the wake resulting into some horrific crashes. Same case with my wife as her crashed have resulted in some serious bruising on her legs.

Yesterday, an experienced rider got in the boat with us and watched us wakeboard. He said how **** fast are you going? I told him that we pull between 20 and 21 mph. He got in his boat and followed us and determined that we were pulling at 34mph! He could hardly keep us with us boat and was commenting on how we "skidded around the corners". I got my gps from the truck and compared my speedometer reading and the gps reading. Sure enough, speedometer reading 21 and gps 34.

Let me be the first to tell you that it hurts crashing at 34mph especially coming up short on a wake to wake. My poor wife looks like she should be in a half way house for women or something with her leg bruising. She hung in there though and never quit.

We used our gps and pulled at the correct 20mph. It was like we were crawling. Cutting was easy and I did my first wake to wake! My wife did great too with huge air. I have the factory telex gauges and was wondering if anyone knows how to calibrate them? I have an owners manual but it wasn't very clear.

[LT206]

if your name is any indication - there's no wonder - sheesh 34mph......ouch!! it's a wonder you've still got a pair.......

sorry couldn't resist, ha!

You should have a much more pleasant experience now - glad you figured it out.

[migs]

rule #1 - dont set your preferred riding speed by what your speedo or perfect pass says. Set your speed by what your wake tells you. Once your wake is perfect - thats the correct speed - No matter what your guages tell you.

[Chexi]

Rule #2 - replace those teleflex gauges with analog Faria gauges. The teleflex gauges will eventually fail (and may have already). You will be much happier with the analog.

Recalibrate your speedos a couple times a year with a portable GPS.

If you had a huge wake at 34, you must be running with way too much ballast. If you did not immediately notice that you were going way too fast at 34 on your SAN, that means you were probably going too fast on that Bayliner. The bright side is that everything will seem to be in slow motion now... for a while.

[ers906]

I agree with Chexi, you must have been running a ton of ballast to maintain a large wake at that speed. I imagine even edging must have been a nightmare, let alone trying W2W tricks. You must have been getting some interesting looks as you flew by the other wakeboarders!!!

[AirTool]

I'm thinking of changing my user name to "Lost Pair" as that is more in line with how I shoot.

Maybe if Santa would bring me one of those $3K shotguns.... I might get at least get to "Dead Loss" or at least better doing it.

[dead pair]

Air tool, most people don't know dead pair is from sporting clays. I shot a ton of clays before finding the glory of wakeboarding.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions, I have the factory perfect pass (2inch gauge, without the center console) and want to update to the star gazer. I need to do some research about my speedometer replacement before I buy the updated perfect pass.

I had the factory ballast full at 34mph without any additional weight. I am new at wakeboarding so the wake wasn't ideal I'm sure.

[jward]

I don't get it. How in the world did you not realize you were going too fast for your comfort zone. If you had ridden at all in the past, it doesn't matter what is pulling you. Too fast is too fast. Huge difference in feel between low 20's and low 30's. Are we being punked by someone from malibucrew?

[AirTool]

Air tool, most people don't know dead pair is from sporting clays. I shot a ton of clays before finding the glory of wakeboarding.

I spotted it from a mile but really fouled up my response.

I'm thinking of changing my user name to "Lost Pair" as that is more in line with how I shoot.

Maybe if Santa would bring me one of those $3K shotguns.... I might get at least get to "Dead Loss" or at least better doing it.

Should have been "I might get at least to "Dead / Lost" or at least look better doing it."

Actually, I'm not all that bad. I never shoot below 50/100 and usually shoot about 75 to 85 / 100. That's with a 25 year old pump and I shoot way less than once a month.

[WakeSlayer]

I don't get it. How in the world did you not realize you were going too fast for your comfort zone. If you had ridden at all in the past, it doesn't matter what is pulling you. Too fast is too fast.

I agree. I don't get how you could do this.

[Lvnspeed]

I think under the dash there is a silver knob it is used to adjust the speedo.

[AuMDLST]

???????

Not getting it here either - I am by no means anything but beginner/intermediate and can tell just a couple mph difference from boat to boat - must not have much gray matter between the ears.

[Nordicron]

?

Yeah I'm having a bit of trouble believing also. I can tell if my speed is off by about 1mph. Let alone the fact if your speedo said 21mph didn't you think it was a little strange that your boat only topped out about 27mph?

[obd666]

... Let alone the fact if your speedo said 21mph didn't you think it was a little strange that your boat only topped out about 27mph?

hahahahahaha

[dead pair]

First of all, as I stated I am new to wakeboarding and don't have a comfort level at any speed. I learned riding behind a guy that had never pulled anyone on a wakeboard before. I learned what little technique I have from watching you tube videos and reading forums. I just got this boat and was told by the seller the speedo was accurate.

Secondly, I posted my experience so someone that hasn't been around boats or wakeboarding might not make the same mistake that I did. I appreciate some of replys I got but a few of you need to grow up.