96 Super Sport Ballast

[DW SD]

On OG 210 - 2001.
I've got about 100 lbs upfront between anchor and other items, 450 lbs bag in the ski locker and then about 650 in each rear between the factory hard tanks and add-on bags on top.
Also, +250 lbs of lead under the passenger side seats.

I use Mission Delta.

Here are some videos. I get pretty decent push.

Definitely water depth is key. At least 15' +. I've gone from 15' to 8' depth and immediately seen the wave drop by about 1'. I actually now believe this is the biggest factor in wave shape / size.

We run at 10.3 or 10.4 mph via GPS.

Also noticed that I get a cleaner port - side wave with the third person sitting surf-side on the storage hatch.

We run with just a bit of lean to the surf-side, due to the third person on that side. We fill the bags evenly and don't do any moving of ballast except people.

Here are some videos: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0sGPCdxkJJkU1

[Blamey]

That wave looks similar to mine. But I just get no push from the wave.

I have a real surfboard and I may try it to see if I can get it to ride.

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[DW SD]

That wave looks similar to mine. But I just get no push from the wave.

I have a real surfboard and I may try it to see if I can get it to ride.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

I'd try slowing down. The wave should get steeper and shorter. You should be able to at least ride in the pocket next to the boat.

[rcsmith727]

I get some water seeping in on the back of the boat where the swim deck bolts on when I'm weighed down - might try to seal those points a little better.

Ill probably get scolded for this, but You might try taking some weight out of the front. We've had a lot of success with 750s in the rear and a belly bag, no weight in the front. Even got my pregnant wife to surf w no rope. I've noticed the wave is better with 3 people on one side rather than a boat full of people. Really helps when ppl sit up on the edge of the boat

[funkster]

That wave looks similar to mine. But I just get no push from the wave.

I have a real surfboard and I may try it to see if I can get it to ride.

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Surfboard selection definitely has a lot to do with general readability, especially for beginner surfers. Surfboards have general weight capacities. I would check out wakemakers (https://www.wakemakers.com/wakesurf-boards) and click the not sure where to start green button. It will give you a series of questions to answer and point you in the right direction. Once you get the hang of it, you can broaden your horizons and pick different boards. I would suggest a blender board, something like a powertail in the 5' ish range. With the right ballast placement/setup you should be able to easily ride ropeless. I was able to ride ropless behind my 87' DD on my skim black pearl! So I have no doubt you'll get the hang of it soon. Also, put your wave shaper about 2-3" under the waterline, I have found this helps in cleaning up the wash on the wave.

If you're getting water coming in the rear(most likely from the blower exhaust port), when a rider falls, try getting off the throttle and then re-apply the throttle briefly and then gradually slow the boat to neutral. This will help the wave from crashing over the stern of the boat. You can expect a little water in the bilge and ski locker. I usually put a block of wood under my tongue jack once a week to gain extra vertical height and completely drain the entire bilge area.

I'm kinda excited to try out my new 910 rear locker sacs this weekend! I'm also plumbing a semi permanent bow filler hose, tapping into my belly sac. This way I can fill the bow sac without having external pumps thrown overboard.

[funkster]

Update, I did test out my new 910 rear sacs and wow, what a difference they made. They actually fit better than my 750's. The push they produced was VERY nice. We could ride a good 2-3' further back. I did have a little trouble with my semi permanent bow filler line, so I wasn't able to test that out. I fixed the problem, and will test it out this weekend and get some pics! I'm betting adding the bow sac will make the wave elongated and even better. Best thing about this upgrade was getting my 13 yr old nephew and his friend up surfing for the first time. They were a little hesitant to let go of the rope, but they basically had zero tension on their line the entire set.


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[gobluemike2142]

I wish some of you were closer that could help me do this on my 96 SS. I want to so bad but don't want to spend thousands to have someone do it for me. Stereo work, no problem. Switches and pumps and holes in the hull scare the bejesus out of me.

[funkster]

To be honest, it's not really that tough. Online videos help a bunch, reading other users ballast threads are life savers. The guys at Wakemakers really make adding auto ballast a breeze!


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