Surf gate
 

What do you guys think of Malibu surf gate? Is there something better?

yep ballast

ballast and bags

Yep I use lead, ballast bags, and have a switchblade installed. The Malibu wave is OK with surfgate but not the same as a boat with its lean on. If you are looking at new boats Centurion just came out with Ram fill ballast the supreme 226 is a great surf boat and so is the Tige Z3.

I use all the same things these guys are talking about but would not buy a boat with out surf gates. Being able to just quit wakeboarding and start surfing is the best thing.

The only legitimate SG wave I have seen.
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I have owned both, a 2011 vlx without surfgate and now a 2013 with surfgate. For us, I will never own a boat without surfgate again... we have 120 hours on our vlx this season and we surf a bunch. There are more advantages to SG equipped boats than just being able to switch riders immediately from goofy to regular. You weight the boat evenly, it drives MUCH better and level, people can sit comfortably in the boat, and you instantly switch wakes on the fly while surfing. My boat does not produce a world class wake, but that is also not our goal with surfgate. We wanted something that would be easy to dial in, have fun on, completely hidden ballast and we could switch disciplines very quickly and easily along with different riders immediately. If you want a massive wake you can get it with SG as seen above, but the amount of weight you will need will start taking up your boat.

Here is my friend on our 21' VLX, all hard tanks filled, (2) 600lb sumo sacs in each locker, wedge all the way down at 11 mph. Its a super easy wake to ride ropeless and have a great time on and takes about 4 mins from completely empty to ready to surf. This ballast is completely hidden, no bags on the floor or any of the seats. I would encourage you to go demo the NSS from Nautique and SG from Malibu, both are nice systems, imo, well worth the upgrade.

Like anything else, it comes down to rider and technique. These dudes do not seem to be hindered
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/69493866" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/69493866">Wakesurfing with Malibu Boats, Surf Gate, Shred Stixx, and slayshTank</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/slayshtank">slayshTank: The Riders Coalition</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

had a 2012 lsv without and now have a 2013 with sg and it rules. i dont surf much but when we do the wave is big, long and so easy for everyone in the boat.

best setup for me is full ballast w wedge and 2 750's in the rear lockers. what works for you?

I've ridden behind numerous surfgate boats. I have no doubt that you can achieve an awesome wave with weight alone, but to me, the ability to change sides on the fly and to run the boat without having to list it hard to one side is irreplacable. I also have no intention of buying a non-surfgate equipped boat in the future. Now that Axis has sg, a lot more people are going to experience it and I bet we'll see a lot more first person feedback posted up.

Built a home made surf gate, and did some objective testing on whether wake was better when boat was slammed and leaned without a gate, or whether it was better with a gate.

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Although I can do either, I have never ridden without the gate since.

I also think you would be crazy to not order, or buy, a newer ('13+ models) without Surf Gate. You've always got to think ahead and resale with out a SG equipped boat is going to take a bigger hit, than one equipped with SG. I still believe that a listed and properly weighted boat is going to produce a better wave (SV244/V226) than a boat equipped with SG, but the simplicity and user-friendly advantages that a SG boat produces sure does appeal to boaters who enjoy surfing with just the push of a few buttons and no filling/draining/moving of sacs throughout the boat.

for a quick switch i would say SG....but a good dialed in boat with the proper wieght is hard to beat...like alot are saying

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b9...ps061850e1.jpgThe only thing that beats a dialed in in boat with proper weight is a dialed in surfgate boat with proper weight. That LSV only had 3 people in it sitting where ever they wanted