Shawn Watson's G23 Ballast set up....
 

In "shawn watson and friends" video, his G23 wake looks really nice... not super huge like I've seen before, but really nice. Anyone know his set up in that video? I would guess stock ballast all full but idk.

thanks.

It is probably no JD Webb Ballast (8000 lbs total) but it probably isn't stock. Maybe 1100's in the rear and 2 400's in the bow.

Throw full ballast and slam it with 12-16 people and you will see a surf at your ribs and a wake that will throw you for miles. My gopro caught some nice videos of length today, will post later. Unreal, can't beat it.


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/17/amaduped.jpg

Are people really putting 8k in these? Is there that much room?

JD runs notoriously more weight. I heard 4-5k over stock.....lariche was running twin 750s and a 750 in the front IIRC but his boat only has the 409 so planing was fun.

And yes people are. There is that much room. The g23 is an amazing piece of equipment...

http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/at...7&d=1355771460
Thats just the ballast in the bow. I rode his boat the same day as this photo and he had 1100s in the back. Also some under the rear seats.

how much hp does the g that can run 8k have? I always consider myself a man of excess but 8k? how do you not blow out your knee in one set?

The wake is very mellow and not intimidating to hit. It's very very friendly.

I don't know what Shawn is running in his video, but I'm pretty sure (almost certain) that no one runs 8k of ballast in the G, yet. I've had many conversations with the guys who ride in that boat (JD's) over the past year, even had them out in my boat for multiple sets back in June and they said that we run the same weight setup. The most I'm able to get out of mine (has the 550) is about 6700-7000 with ballast and people. This is about 1100 more than you can run in the ZR450.

That's not too say that next year you won't see 8k in the 2014 boats...some changes coming that will probably make it possible.

When I asked him that day he said 8k. I saw him riding with it to and it took the boat probably 30 seconds to plane.

What setup gets you 6700-7000? How could you build on that to 8k you figure?

A G23 with 1100's in the rear and a 1,000 in the bow would total to about 6k in ballast just right there. Add 7 people to the boat and you're quickly at 7k worth of additional weight in the boat. It adds up quick and I bet there are many people out there running G's with this set up. IronJ is on his second G series boat, if anyone is credible I would say it would be him. The super charged 6.2LT (550hp) engine would be ideal for this set up.

What is the point of running that much weight?

I feel like its starting to get a bit crazy with the amount of weight people are using. That amount of weight is down right dangerous and I'm sure far exceeds your capacity. If anything were to happen which I hope it never does your insurance wouldn't have to cover your boat.

I'm running about 3k in my x45 and to me that wake is huge. I couldn't imagine what 7k does to a boat with already a big wake. Curious to see some wake pictures

To get as close to the moon as possible.

If you want to see what it looks like then just do some googleing for videos...I'm willing to be that 75% of all G23 videos you see are running very similar setups. Here's a few to get you started.

http://vimeo.com/44616502
http://vimeo.com/45399480
http://vimeo.com/16566833

Jay probably does have the best knowledge of loafing a G with weight. I'm just saying thats what JD said and what I saw.

I really wish the wakeboarding industry/community would realize that jumbo-sized boats running jumbo-sized ballast systems are going to kill the sport. Do a little searching on ballast bans - it's sobering. Instead of glorifying people who run down the lake in 10,000 pound-plus rigs, we should be battling against them with the same type of energy that is used to combat those who powerturn. Do you know how many swamped family boats it takes to get the attention of the regulators? Not very many. How many injuries or deaths? One. If we don't start regulating ourselves, state and local governments will do it for us, and we won't like the results. But, we will deserve it.

But think of how the boats with the wakes that big have improved the sport of wakeboarding. Dowdy with his double flips, many others with 1080's, easily grabbed 900's.

Is there really a difference between a sacked out inboard and a 30' Cobalt crammed with people? Most wakeboard specific boats that pass me on the water are a lot more courteous than your everyday family boat driving in circles and slinging a tube. Stupid people will act and drive stupidly, weight or no weight. I would much rather share the water with a G running 6-7k+ who actually knows how to drive.

Oh geez, more regulations huh? Just like we need more laws, more restrictions, more this, more that. How bout responsible boaters that respect other boaters? Maybe we should start teaching more education on boating ediquette and safety rather than imposing bands and restrictions. It's like blaming the cheeseburger for making you fat. Most the core riders I know respect others on the lake. We take turns riding so that everyone can share. No wakeboarder wants to be out on the lake during a choppy Sunday when the majority of "families" are actually boating and those who are probably haven't been wakeboarding long. Just my opionion, don't crucify me for it, but I like a waist high wake and regardless of bands I will always load the boats I ride behind with as much ballast as necessary meanwhile respecting anyone else on the lake.

For pro riders and guys who have a deep bag of tricks, it's completely justified, then it begins to taper off with skillset. It's just like drag racing, the better you get the faster you go, the more power you need and can utilize in an efficient manner. A heel side hero or someone with only a few tricks has no business running additional tons (literally)of ballast

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy watching videos of double flips and such being pulled off behind 10,000 plus pound setups. But, you know what I like even more? Having the freedom to do single flips behind my own 5000 pound setup. All I'm saying is that, at some point, we as a community need to say enough is enough, that the progression that occurs behind 10,000 plus pound boats just isn't worth the increased risk of regulation that their wakes bring about. When they regulate, they won't say "No ballast greater than 3000 pounds," or "No ballast greater than 4000 pounds," or "No ballast greater than 5000 pounds." They'll just say "No ballast." Things that look like fun and stick out get regulated. If a 5400 pound G23 with 8000 pounds of ballast and a 5000 watt stereo doesn't look like fun and stick out, I don't know what does. And just FYI, don't plan any vacations to Lake Williamstown, Kentucky; Canyon Lake, California; or the lower Williamette River, Oregon. Unless, of course, you want to slalom ski . . . .

http://www.wtownky.org/Living_In/boating.html

http://www.cityofcanyonlake.com/uplo...yon%20Lake.pdf

http://www.oregon.gov/osmb/boatlaws/pages/laws.aspx

To each his own. You enjoy your wake, and I'll enjoy mine. Personally, I hope they continue to comeout with bigger and bigger wakes. These things don't even come close to comparing to the ginormous waves that the 30+ foot boats throw out when cruising around the water ways. For those who think that these new big wake boats are hurting our sport, I will respectfully disagree and state that I feel they are doing the opposite.

Luckily, I have nearly 12,000 lakes in my state tto venture to in search of rideable water.

I live on the inter coastal in Tampa, Flroida so that wont ever be happening to me. There is a guy that owns a 32 Searay Sundancer and drives max plow wherever he goes and it throws a bigger wake then my loaded. Any boat will get killed when you get a 61 Sundancer on max plow driving by, swamps anything under 30 feet. I agree with Jay in that I hope the 2018 G23x edition or god knows what is coming out will easily have a 5 foot wake.

Ok, I give up. Now I'm off to the hunter's forum to advocate for gun control legislation . . . .

Two 750's in the back lockers, full factory ballast and 1200 up front. Biggest wake I have ever ridden, and with two people in the boat.

Isn't surfing with 4000lbs+ of ballast even worse than wakeboarding with a lot of ballast in terms of the wake that is left behind, shore erosion and capsizing smaller boats? Personally I understand the benefit of having a huge wake and all the ballast needed but running all that ballast for surfing so your "airs" on a surf board go from 6 inches high to 10 inches high seems a bit excessive.

I've personally been out on the water when Jay drives by. My take on the wake and what it does to other boats.... I have a tournament boat (Ski) and its no big deal letting the rollers pass. The waves that were tossed at us while we waiting our turn about 200 yards when the G passed were not tall but wide. Almost like a roller versus a chop.

I can't comment on the Pontoon tied to a dock, but as far as the potential of swamping other boats out there at the same time i'd say it's almost nill.

Harley is the double flip king but then again he has a bigger wake to ride.

I wasn't trying to crate a huge debate just wondering of adding that much weight really makes a difference in your riding. Like you said the more the better. I like alot of weight but I just couldn't imagine a wake with that kind of weight. Post some pics of the wake

Dave I have talked to a few "elite" guys that ride a lot of weight and got a pull behind the g23 when it was slumpin. One overriding comment i heard was something along the lines of "I hit all my tricks first try, even the really hard ones" I literally ran out of tricks so I just dropped the handle and called it a set; the wake is that good."

Based on that overriding comment and the general concept that air time vs line tension is the limiting factor in tricks for the elite riders, yes the bigger wake brings about more progression.

At the top level yes. But you don't need a slumpin' boat to learn a roll, or a 3, which seems to be some people's mindset these days, and gets sold with the new boats.

Think of it like golf. You can be a beginner with a Walmart set of clubs or a top of line set of Pings. Either way you just aren't that good and the equipment doesn't matter. So small wake or G23 wake you still are a beginner having the same struggles probably actually worse with the monster wake while learning fundamentals. As you progress say after learning 3's and simple inverts upgrading to the monster wake of a G23 or Xstar will benefit you more and dare I say possibly speed up your progression as a rider. In order words to become average and learn sound fundamentals you can do that behind about any decent wake boat. Now if you just want the boat to pull chicks well that's a different reason for having it and a better one if you're single.

Good point A-dub, I had not made that point but had inferred/implied it in my mind while writing it...similar to my Drag racing metaphor (earlier) or Ronnie's golf metaphor.

Ronnie, I have had first hand experience with something VERY similar. I am an older gent that's self taught and never had any real form of wake lessons. However a few years back I started riding some younger cats where we I was teaching them tricks, etc. Well they got really solid on the basics (while I struggled with bad habits) and have skyrocketed past me in trick bags. I have a really horrid progressive edge and tend to struggle on things even though I have learned and lost at least a dozen inverts and most spins up to 5's (going in and out of consistency). We were out on the lake a few years back and two of us were working on Tootsie rolls during the same session. I probably tried a dozen coming close but not really getting there. The young buck who had his fundamentals absolutely dialed landed his 3rd one and went on to land the following 4/6 efforts...eventually making the trick "stock" within the week while I still struggled to get one under my belt. This all harkened back to my horrid TS technique vs. his very textbook TS technique. We both had a lot of the same tricks but when it came time to add tricks or learn new harder ones I was left in the dust VERY quickly!

That's the weird thing about wakeboarding...you can bypass good technique to a point...probably 540's and beginning mobes. After that it really hurts you and can hold you back in ways you never imagined. So to relate this to the wake size comments and concerns. When you are ELITE and have that really good form you can utilize massive amounts of weight/wake. However when you dont have those really solid fundamentals the huge wake wont help you and can likely build some bad habits that you can fall into very quickly.

that looks like stock ballast in shawn's G

Yes, everyone stay away from Canyon Lake, CA... no boats over 21, no ballast allowed, no good riding spots... yes, stay away.

$100 fine for powerturns!

Vandall harris doesn't give a crap about those rules, lol!! i don't know if those rule are recent if there not, vandall breaking them in this vid. badass!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fW4NrQ_ncHU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Randall boosts crazy high... I don't know how his knees handle the continuous flat landings even with the brace. His front flips grabs are loaded with style and just massive! Thread highjack over