HELP> Driving X-80, can't get crisp wake???

My girlfirend's uncle bought a mastercraft x80 and doesn't know how to drive it. I've only pulled people using much smaller inboards and the problem is that we can't get the wake to be clean and crisp. I've tried adjusting the trim and fooled around with the ballasts, but the crest of the wake seems too washed out.

Can someone please help me? Any tips would be greatly appreciated, and if you have an x80 it would be very helpful to know what speed, trim level, and ballast level you use.

Thanks guys

Speed Up... that should help. How fast were you going?

I was running about 17-18mph, that's the speed that the wakeboarder felt comfortable. the crests of the wake are washed out unless I'm turning slightly and then the inside wake is crisp. I didn't crank up the ballasts all the way because the wakeboarder is a beginner (very young) and we need the wake to be not as tall as maximum. In any other boat I've driven just trimming will achieve the results I want. I'm so confused.

The problem is you are not going fast enough. My wake isn't clean at 17-18 MPH and my boat is only 21 foot. Try about 23-24 MPH and it should clean up.

Also, it may not be a good idea to put a beginner behind an X-80.

I think the best solution given your situation is to weight the front of the boat. I am not sure how the stock ballast is setup but a washed out wake usually means that the boat is not planing right.
Yes you could speed up and get the boat on a plane but given the beginner status of your rider I dont think this is going to help out much. If you weight the front of the boat with either people, fat sac, or lead bags the baot will sit better when going 17mph.

If the rider is young, a beginner, and doesn't want to go fast...I don't think a crisp wake is necessary. I recommend emptying the ballast, adjusting the trim for a flat wake and instruct the rider to cut back and forth. After the rider gets some control over his/her edges, then increase the speed and, generally, progress from there.

Dan is right. if you don't want to speed up you will have to bring the front of the boat down with weight.

More speed and more weight in the front.

Keeping the rear tanks empty when you have more people on the boat also helps IMO.

Dude... am I the only one who thinks that you should shorten the line before you try speeding up?

The further back the slower it feels. Thats just my observation.

Thanks so much for the suggestions guys, I honestly didn't think anyone would respond.

Not only are the kids that are wakeboarding extreme beginners, but they are ages 10 and 12, the 10 year old boy weighing around 80lbs.

At that speed I think you guys are right and the boat is not on plane because we're going to slow.

The rope is shortened so that the distance from wake to wake is short so that if they actually decide to try and jump they might be able to go wake-to-wake.

I'm going to go out Saturday with more people and get everyone in the front, trim down almost all the way with empty ballasts and see what happens. It's possibly I might need to lengthen the rope and then speed up a bit (Ryan I agree, the further back the slower it "feels" to the rider).

Thanks again for the help, I'll try all of your suggestions and see what happens. (Honestly these kids would be a lot better off behind a 20ft boat, but their Dad felt the x-80 would be a better family boat because of the extra room, that and once you've seen the thing there's no going back lol).

-Crucial

(Message edited by crucial_gfl on June 04, 2007)

Crucial, what part of greers ferry you on? we'll be up there in about 2 or 3 weeks

17-18 mph wow chief thats pretty slow. We loaded my buddys MB B52 Yesterday with about 2800lbs and to get the wake crisp our speed was reading 26mph on the perfect pass. That boats just way too big just need to fool around with it or dump all ballast if driving that slow

Yup.... what they said. That boat will make a wicked wake, but at 17-18 MPH you're wasting your time. Definitely drain all available ballast and maybe bump it to 20. I bet you could get a good wake there.

Optimal would be around 75-80' of rope at 25-26 mph and full ballast. It'd be kickin then.

BTW.... shortening the rope doesn't make going wake 2 wake easier. It just gives you less rope to work with. Watch someone on a short rope struggle to get out to the side of the boat. Speeding up makes the wake narrower and going wake 2 wake easier. I wouldn't recomend any less than 70' of rope for learning wake 2 wake. Adjust the speed accordingly.

What are you "Trimming"

Paul - By trimming, I meant adjusting the boats on-board port and stern trim.

Kyle - I set sail on Greers Ferry on the Heber Springs side of the lake, but honestly the "north" side (north of the Narrows bridge)is much better for boarding and is in my opinion much more scenic. There's a pretty major competition (ski/wakeboard, ect) at Sandy Beach area in Heber Springs this weekend.

Everyone - So how fast do you guys wakeboard? I haven't been in the game in a few years and back then I was behind a deck boat and 18mph was perfect, but I know the boats/boards have changed since then.

I ride 25mph behind a 2007 Super Air 220, 23mph behind most everything else.

What about for beginners or for small kids? Does anyone have any experience in this area? I would say that if it's safe at that speed for adults, that they could handle it too, but it might scare the crap out of them a bit, lol. It's ridiculous watching them though because they can stay standing at around 6mph!

I ride 27 behind a wakesetter LSV, but I think it's more like 24 because it's not calibrated.

Paul - By trimming, I meant adjusting the boats on-board port and stern trim.

Thats what I hoped you meant.

When people are first getting up I pull them at about 20. I personally ride about 23 but it does depend on the boat. I think your problem is that the X-80 is such a big boat you need to go a little faster to clean up the wake, but if the kids are just starting a clean wake shouldn't be a big deal. Keep the speed down until the kids are comfortable then slowly bring it up until the wake is clean. My guess is that you only need a few more mph to clean it up.

Young rookie rider + X80? WTF are you thinking?

I would say get a mastercraft stars and stripes and you will have a crisp soft wake at 10 MPH! since the boat wieghs about a 3rd of what the 80 does.

try 20... shorten the rope... those falls are extremely soft as it is

best of luck to you

(Message edited by bbking on June 06, 2007)

Yank one of those motors out and put it in the bow seating area

Okay, I pulled out the engine, but it wouldn't fit in the bow, so I yanked out the front seats to accommodate. I now make the kids ride blindfolded so that they don't know how fast we're going and I found a nice crisp wake at 50mph. Now we're cookin!

Thanks again for all the help guys, all this feedback really made a difference and hopefully this weekend we'll be jumpin' like the pros.

...anyway, So this forum really needs the ability to quote messages...

tell the rider to ride at a faster speed, and not cut out as far until he is comfortable with the speed and hitting the wake at the speed. Eventually start cutting out further and further.