230 wake loaded

[perry386]

Hey guys, I saw the thread about the ski wake when loaded with people and thought that I would like to know that as well (except for wakeboarding with a 230). If you fill all of the factory ballast and have 3-6 people in the boat, how perfectly does the weight need to be distributed. I ask because right now I'm only using the rear ballast and I've noticed that the weight has to be completely perfect or the wake will get washy/foamy. If I fill the center tank will that fix it or what?

Also, tell me what ballast and speed settings you guys use and how well that works for you as far as balancing the wake goes.

[NautiqueJeff]

Doesn't the boat ride really nose-high using only the rear ballast? You really should even it out side to side and front to back in order to have the best wake. You'll be able to ride at slower speeds with some weight up front too.

What speed are you currently using?

[ironj32]

the 230 likes nose weight. i've found that we need to do about an extra 500 pounds or so on the port side in order to counter the prop pull. you should have about a 60/40 weight ratio from rear/front.

[perry386]

Doesn't the boat ride really nose-high using only the rear ballast? You really should even it out side to side and front to back in order to have the best wake. You'll be able to ride at slower speeds with some weight up front too.

What speed are you currently using?

Right now I'm going 21.5 with just the rear ballast and I've noticed that it is very hard to balance the wake evenly...even the slightest unevenness will cause it to wash out on one side.

[gride]

start with an empty boat. fill it full of gas. then, take out however many folks you want. fill up ALL the ballast. then, when you pull up your rider have him chill and wait til your at speed and then look at the wake and adjust one person or so accordingly. probably need be going faster depending on your line length if you have more than the driver and maybe 1 passenger in the boat. the 60/40 rule, with 60% of weight in the rear is a pretty solid rule on any boat. then just figure out what you like the most. as for the wash, on that boat it's really a mental hurdle to get over at first because the wash does not catch your board like a typical boat wake washing out. you just ride up it like it's not there.

[NautiqueJeff]

That's solid advice. I would suggest trying to speed up at least a little bit. I usually ride at 23.5 behind a 230, and any slower can cause the wake to be a bit washy, especially with a good amount of weight. Like gride said, the wash can play mental games on you. Ideally you want a clean wake, but at slower speeds sometimes it just isn't possible. Get some weight up front and see what happens.

[biggator]

paging lion90... his 230 wake was DIALED. It's what made me want a Nautique.

[Miljack]

We ride my 230 with stock ballast @ 22 (Zero off), and sometimes a little slower 20-21mph if we're working on drills or something...No wash on ours, but usually only 2 peeps in the boat while riding like this. We've only have a couple sessions with a boat full. I will agree that the 230 likes nose weight...

[perry386]

Thanks for all of the help guys. Can't wait to try some things out this summer . And for gride...i use the full length of my rope, which I think is 70 or 75 feet.

[Nordicron]

Very good thread! I too am very interested in the wake characteristics of a SAN 230. I've got a 08 SAN 210 that I run about 1800lbs extra ballast in. Wake is great and can run down to 21mph and it's still clean. I love the look and layout of the 230 but worry about wake quality down at 21-22mph with extra weight. My 14yr old daughter likes stock ballast and 19mph and my 9yr old I run no ballast and 17mph and it's clean for them.

[swankster]

Last season we put 300lbs of lead in the bow and left it there all year. And as much as I dislike having to step over the center seat we leave it in if we have more than three people just so we can shift bodies to dial in the wake.

[Miljack]

@ Nordic, I regularly ride behind a 210 with the Fly Hi add-on, and the wake is similar to a 230. I would say for comparison between the two, the 210 with ballast is a little steeper than the 230 with stock ballast. I prefer the 230, but it's my boat! For me the 230's wake is a better shape, but, really not much to choose between the two boats. I don't have any problem switching back and forth between the 210 and 230.
FWIW, we also ride behind a Malibu VTX, and I'm not a big fan of that wake. I have also ridden a 23 LSV and that wake is pretty good stock, better for me than a VTX.

[perry386]

@ Nordic, I regularly ride behind a 210 with the Fly Hi add-on, and the wake is similar to a 230. I would say for comparison between the two, the 210 with ballast is a little steeper than the 230 with stock ballast. I prefer the 230, but it's my boat! For me the 230's wake is a better shape, but, really not much to choose between the two boats. I don't have any problem switching back and forth between the 210 and 230.
FWIW, we also ride behind a Malibu VTX, and I'm not a big fan of that wake. I have also ridden a 23 LSV and that wake is pretty good stock, better for me than a VTX.

yeah my buddy has 21 vride and his wake isn't as good as a 230's but as far as malibus go, it and 23 LSV have the best.

[biggator]

@ Nordic, I regularly ride behind a 210 with the Fly Hi add-on, and the wake is similar to a 230. I would say for comparison between the two, the 210 with ballast is a little steeper than the 230 with stock ballast. I prefer the 230, but it's my boat! For me the 230's wake is a better shape, but, really not much to choose between the two boats. I don't have any problem switching back and forth between the 210 and 230.
FWIW, we also ride behind a Malibu VTX, and I'm not a big fan of that wake. I have also ridden a 23 LSV and that wake is pretty good stock, better for me than a VTX.

The LSV stock is a nice wake.. but that boat needs an extra 1k lbs before the wake really shapes up. I was usually too lazy to mess with it on mine - but even with the extra weight, the wake on the 230 with extra ballast was WAY better. It's what made me want a Nautique and eventually buy one.

Pretty sure I won't need to mess with extra bags with a G.
"-)

[BKinSoCal]

I have an '08 230. In order to get a clean wake with empty ballast, I need to go about 18mph. However, I have 600 lbs of lead dispersed throughout the boat, so without that weight, I would guess it would be clean around 16-17mph. Between stock, piggybacks and lead, I have just under 3000 lbs. Depending on who's riding, we ride between 22-24mph at 75'. The wake can be finicky and the middle rear-facing seat is ideal for moving people around to dial it in. It can be a matter of moving someone 6" from left to right or vice versa, but it's a simple adjustment to make the wake awesome! My prior boat was an '05 210 which has a legendary wake, but I much prefer my 230.