scarab 195
 

Hi this is my first post. Im from Newfoundland, Canada and just bought my first boat, a scarab 195. I picked up a wake board and it was my first time trying it out and so far I love it. Problem I have is the boat doesn't seem to make a very big wake at all. It doesn't have any trim options on the boat either. I was thinking on adding weight to the back of the boat or an extended swim platform to try and make a bigger wake. Anyone have any suggestions, and did I pick the wrong boat are the scarabs just not a very good boat for wakeboarding. Thanks in advance.

That's the jet boat right??

It's not the ideal wakeboard boat but if you're a beginner and just want to have fun there are many worse choices you could have made. Still a very cool boat that I'm sure is really fun to drive and can handle rough water better than any inboard wakeboard boat. My mom has a SeaDoo Sportster 150 (15', 215 HP) and that thing can be a blast to drive.

I spent hundreds of hours over the course of many years wake boarding behind aluminum flat boats and center consoles with outboards. This was before the days of ballast and extended pylons were just coming on the scene. None were ideal but me and my friends lived on the water and had tons of fun. Get out there and get time on the board and when you get to the point where there's absolutely no doubt that it's the boat holding you back you can consider getting a different boat. For most people that will take several years unless you're very advanced in another similar board sport and just transitioning to wake boarding (Or you're an advanced gymnast).

I'd ride it as is for the rest of this season and just get comfortable on the board. Learn to ollie the board, ride switch, 180s off the wake, learn to load the line and edge control to get pop, etc. I don't run any ballast for new riders on my boat as it's just a waste of gas. Once you start getting a bit of air off the wake then you can consider ballast. There's probably not a lot of precedent on what you can do in that boat with ballast but I doubt it can handle much additional weight. I'd maybe start with a pair of 300 lb bags. Try putting them in different places but I doubt it will like having both in the rear unless you have a lot of people in the front to offset them. The general rule is 60% of your weight in the rear and 40% in front. 100% in the rear isn't going to fly. If it handles the 300s well you could try putting them both in the rear and then pickup another bag that you could put roughly 400 lbs in under the seats in the bow and see how that performs. I'd guess that's about the max weight you'd be able to put in that boat.

Pair of 300 lb bags:
http://www.wakemakers.com/launch-pad-350-twins.html

500 Lb integrated bow sac:
http://www.wakemakers.com/straight-l...w-bag-500.html



Integrated

Also, an extended swim platform will not do anything for you. The swim platform is out of the water at wakeboard speeds.

Thanks for the help and ya the boat is pretty fun I use it in the ocean a lot besides just the pond for wakeboarding. I just don't get much of a wake off the boat so was just wondering about that. I was looking up stuff on youtube and using the search button here but not really fully understanding loading the line and pop and stuff. I can manage to get about a foot out of the water from the wake that's about it and I can power slide front and backwards and every time I switch stance I only ride it out for about two secs before I wipe out. But I am brand new at it.

The first thing you're going to want to do is sort out the speed and rope length that you're riding at.

On most wakeboard boats, beginners are riding at 19-22mph and 50-70ft rope length. I would suggest finding the lowest speed in that range where you can get a clean wake, meaning little or no white wash on the wake. Then you'll want to sort out a rope length. All depends on how wide the wake is, but it never hurts to start super short and work your way out. So get the speed down and put your rope at 50 feet.

Once you get that set, you can start watching videos on edge technique and wake to wake jumps. Good luck, your boat isn't ideal but that never stopped Scott Byerly from shredding behind an outboard barefoot boat with tiny wake in the 90s.

And for reference, here a video of scott shredding that barefoot wake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DupkCGXnhQU

Happy Shredding!

Tom, that video should be a required viewing before you can post on WW. Thanks for the link.

My wife is from Newfoundland (St John's area) and we go there every Christmas and about every summer.

Hope you have a dry suit...that water is COLD! Before anyone suggests the OP getting an inboard, there are few (if any) in Newfoundland.

As for the wake, play with line length and speed. Bring a bunch of people out (especially fat friends) and have them move around the boat to see where their weight makes the best impact on the wake.

The most important part is technique. As far as getting air, you want to start out from the wake and make one smooth cut to the outside, then in the same fluid motion, start to cut back towards the wake at a consistently smooth and fast rate. You want to go in low to help with your speed and pull the handle close to you, down to your waist. Right before you get to the wake, maintain the same angle and speed you're cutting in at, but straighten your legs, practically locking them. Stand tall and don't absorb any of the wake your ramping off of , just continue to cut through it. Without your knees absorbing any of the energy because they are straight, you will be popped up and out of the water.
This takes some practice to get down, but you will get better results the more consistent you are and fluid in your motions. Main thing, load the line and stand tall. When I started wakeboarding in the late 90s, it was behind my parents' I/O that my dad loves to slalom behind. Until I got that down, I never understood why I didn't get air. I was trying to ollie the board off the wake with poor results. After I got that down, I can clear wake to wake into the flats on that small slalom wake consistently.