Wake surfing with a 06 San 210

[Dave210TE]

Hi there I was just wonder what the best weight and speed are to get a clean surf wake. I tried fir the first time yesterday but couldnt get the wake clean enough so that I could free surf without the rope.

[erkoehler]

What were you running for ballast?

We were out yesterday with stock ballast and a 400 pound sac in the rear locker. Then 3 people in the boat. Wake was really nice around 9.5mph. Probably in 18-24 feet of water.

[Dave210TE]

I had the port side tank full with 2 80lbs baby blocks and a 440lbs sack bout t was only half full. I never dropped the speed that low i was around 11/12mph

[erkoehler]

I would knock the speed down and you'll see the wake really size up and get a great shape!

[Chexi]

Also, as I understand it, you want weight in the front too. You basically want the entire boat to be leaning about the same from front to back.

Eric (ERS906) will probably chime in. He has done extensive testing of that hull and found what I think is the best weight combination for surfing.

[Dave210TE]

Ok thanks I will try it at a slower speed and put weight in the front of the boat as well.

[ers906]

Do a thread search under my name and I have found a pretty good set up which works for the 210. I typically use a 40:60 weight distribution, which seems to produce a clean wave of 20-22 ft length. The biggest concerns if you are riding on your port side are:
1) water intake into the gas tank vent. From personal experience, that can lead to a very bad day, draining the FCC, etc etc.
2) the rotation of the prop leaves the port side wave smaller and a bit more choppy than the starboard side, not sure how to clean it up, but have seen some interesting ideas including hanging a mudflap from the swim step to smooth out the prop wash. Don't know if I am going to try that one, but you can take a look on wakeword.com and see what they are trying.
As far as riding on the starboard side:
I have tried using all sort of weight configurations, and have been much happier once I got it through my thick skull that wave height does not mean the same thing as a powerful wave. Insofar as wakesurfing, the more powerful the wave allows for a much more enjoyable experience than a shorter, less powerful, higher wave. So once I put my quest for making the larges wave I could on the back burner, I came up with a few pearls of wisdom.
2) Instead of trying to list the back corner too far down, a better wave is formed if the entire boat is leaning (ie, more water displacement, which allows for a longer and more powerful wave). I have typically accomplished this using a 750# V-drive sac, a 650# under bow sac, half to completely full belly bag (full 350#), coolers moved to the desired wave side, and people arranged accordingly. I also keep several hundred pounds of lead in 50# sacs that I can fine tune the wave on the fly (ie, move weight to under the drivers feet, bow, or even the other side of the boat if there is too much beer in the coolers, which is typically not common as the day progresses). I tend to drive at 9.8-10.7, changing the speed in 0.2-0.3 mph increments until I have the wave I want.
3) The board also makes the wave. With $20K+ boats, and even more money sunk into them for the upgrades to be able to surf, it makes sense to drop more than 150$ on a board, especially if you have the ability to demo them. I prefer inland surfer boards, for beginners, the red woody, and the sweet spot, etc as the skill level progresses. If you see people on the lake that are wakesurfing, try to flag them down to see if you can grab a quick ride using their board or behind their boat to see what type of board you like. When I moved from the wakeboard shop wakesurf boards, to a board make by a company specializing in wakesurfing, the jump in ability, tricks etc was huge.
4) Be polite while wakesurfing. The wake we throw is huge, and can knock small children down who are playing in the shallows, ruin peoples water who are wakeboarding and skiing, etc. While it is nice to have glass during any type of water sport, it is less essential during a surf session. Keep that in mind before swamping a bass boat (all of these things I know from experience, angry glances from shore, etc.)
5) Also, the deeper the water (at least 20 feet), is recommended for full formation of the wave due to lots of wave dynamics physics equations which I really dont understand.

Anyway, I hope this helps, it is sort of off the top of my head while trying to procrastinate at work. I will add more things as they come to me, but let me know if you have any questions.
Eric

[ers906]

I am trying to remember which pics correspond to which weights I was experimenting with at the time. This year I am going to keep a journal to keep it straight, plus also picked up a go pro video and still shot camera to mount directly to the transom, place on a pole to hold outside the wake, etc. for hopefully some interesting shots.

Couple of things which I remember from the pictures: if you look at some of the larger waves, you will notice that the face is a bit more choppy and the rider has less room to maneuver on the face of hte wave, definitely not optimal. The best waves in this photo set are smaller, but the rider has a good ten to fifteen feet of maneuverability. I am pushing about 190-200, but can still ride a thin 4'5" fish with plenty of power to hit the lip and pull 360s. Airs so far have been my nemesis. The picture with the corner of the boat sunk deep enough to cover a portion of the V-drive compartment was also the session i got water into the fuel vent. Interesting picture, less that interesting result. I will look on my computer for any other pictures