Weighting an 07 Centurion Avalanche?

WTF!!!! A buddy of mine has an 07 Avalanche. The wake just seems to keep curling over on him. He has tried many different variations. How are you guys loading this thing up to get a nice, big, rampy wake?

Try putting more weight on the starboard side and a bag in the bow. I feel your frustration. If anything else, take up wakesurfing. This boat kicks out a killer wake.

I own a Supreme v208(also made by fineline industries) and I love the wake on it. I was just hoping to dial him in.

Assuming you are evenly balanced with 2 people in the boat, You need 160-200lbs under the passenger seat. You will also want 300-400 in the bow. That with all three stock tanks full, that should get you close. FYI- Even with the weight set up right, You still need to go at least 21 to clean it up at 75'. Real clean at 22.5 and up. I am sure you could add additional weight, but that is where I have mine now (I am the shi@s and don't need any more weight).

Hart...i rode with a guy from WW here in Minnesota on his 05 avalanche...the wake was BEYOND glorious!!!! I know for a fact he had he called up Cenurion and asked them what people were running in the boats and he got the suggestion from the mfg to run 750's in the back, then i know he had a flyhigh integrated bow sack, and i THINK something in the locker...the wake was unreal good! we were riding at 23, 24 70 feet back and the wake was super clean...im bias towards Malibu and his wake really, REALLY impressed me...give that a shot!

I had a pic showing one way to fix it but i almost got ran out of town last time I used it..

check out centurioncrew.com

Richard - Not the solution!

I have an 07 Avalanche with triple ballast and I have it weighted as follows.

250 on top of the hard tank in the rear port locker

200 on top of the hard tank in the rear starboard locker

100 under the seats on each side of the cockpit

200 in the bow.

Eder is right. If you get the wake dialed it will eat your lunch. I have had several people behind my boat that tried to hit it way to hard. My wake stays clean and is super steep.

Hart - Does he have a trim tab?

We had an 05 Avalanche. We had 450 sacs in the rear (removed the hard tanks), 200 in the bow, 150 under the seat behind the driver (lead) and 250 (lead) under the seat on the port side. Here is a pic with a rider at 75 feet going 23mph.

How many passengers do you guys have with this setup?

Also, are you placing the starboard and port side weight directly under the back corner seats or in the center ones?

We've got an '07 and our wake is getting close, pretty perfect on the starboard side, but not so much port side and neither wakes look as good as the two of you that far back (75').

All mine needed was weight on the port side. 300+lb tube sack along the length under the portside seat did it for me. pretty clean but real sensitive. I'll add more weight when i start doing inverts and 1080's LOL!!

We had 3 passengers when the picture was made.
Weight was under the seat behind the driver and in the hatch on the port side.

George that is a great looking wake! I have ridden behind Nates boat and it is a kick ass wake! Centurion make a sweet launch ramp wake.

I think I had 3 or 4 in mine. The pictures are at around 23MPH, but the way I have it weighted I can go down to 21 without it getting washed and when you hit about 24 it looks like George's.

My name is Scott and i am the buddy of Hart Keene who is having trouble getting a good wake on my '07 Avalanche. I only have the center ballast. How should I weigh this thing down?

Scott, I would break down your situtation into 1)Balance the wake at current ballest level, and 2) maximize the wake size.

1) you need to add 100 - 150 pounds to the port (passenger) side of the boat. Best location is under the passenger seat or hatch. I like to use lead or steel weights for this. I have several 40# lead blocks that I used. I keep a couple out on the floor to move around when passengers move.

2) Add ballast to the rear v-drive compartments - I used 450# Fly High V-drive sacks. You could use the 750's but I think that is overkill on the Avalanche hull. Then add 200-300 in the bow. A 200 pound sack in the floor or lead under the seats.

Had 10 people out today. Approx 1500 pounds . No ballast except 100 pounds lead on port side. Wake was very clean and very large!

damn, pretty much the same here w/ 8 people on mine today with a tube sac under the port side seat pretty clean too! Happy 4th.

Why does everyone have to unevenly weight these boats?

Seven, the wake on the port side can be washy sometimes. Adding an extra 50 to 100 pounds to that side makes that problem go away. Not sure why this happens.

I'm bringing the boat in to Cope on Monday for some service work. I also talked to them about a possible adjustment of the tracking fins to clean up that port side wake. They said they'd have to charge a $150 service charge to take it out and see if it needs the adjustment. Is this really something they should be charging for? Has anyone else had this adjustment done and were you charged for it? Just want to know before I end up spending a bunch of money that I don't need to. Thanks for your help.

-Michael

Is that something that needs to be on the newer models? I thought that was something that was on older models like 05 and before.... I thought the port wash on the newer ones is by virtue of a deeper V and torque from the prop rotation..
Anyone?

Hey guys ,Ihave a 06 av and had a little trouble with wash on one side. Dealer took it back to the factory over the winter ,re-lined fins put a hydrolic plate on ,I run 3 lead pipes on driver side rear to comp for people sitting on the other side, factory ballast.....wake is clean and huge. Sometimes we move people around a little to fine tune but that is rider pref. Michael for your question about charging...there was no charge for what they done for me....I would talk to them about that ,they will make it right. Good luck

Michael, Your 07 boat is still under warrenty, dealer should do everything possible to make you happy with the wake at no cost.

Angry Mike is right
The fin problem would not be an issue on the 07 it is just a deep V boat that needs some extra weight to counter the tourque

Kevin, I've added the extra weight (200# worth) on the port side. We still have wash.

George and Rodney,
Thanks for the input. That's how I felt about the situation. I should probably talk to our salesman rather than service to try and have the work covered.

I understand that Centurion made changes to the assembly process to better insure alignment of the fins in 06 or 07. My O5 wasn't real bad (I have heard that some boats could not be balanced without fin adjustments) as you see in the pics above, but we did have significant extra weight on the port side. I think the deep v-hull is more sensitive to torque and to alignment to the fins than a flatter hull. With the improved alignment process 07-08 boats are much better than earlier years. As with any manufacturing process there is a potential that the alignment was not done properly and your boat needs correction.

I suggest placing enough weight on the port side to make it wash on the starboard side. If it takes several hundred pounds I would say you have an argument that something is wrong. If it is corrected with say 200 pounds I would say tha is the norm for the Avalanche v-hull and prop torque.

I agree with George
IMHO
Things that can affect rolling over

Not enough weight on the Port side Start with 200lbs
not enough speed 22 or 23 on a GPS
The trim tab is down it should be all the way up ( I have also had some people say that it helps to have the starboard side of the tab down a bit)
The fins if none of the above work

IMHO

Thanks guys.

We are at the point where we have done all the things you've mentioned, but still have issues with the port side wash. I'm going to try to lower the starboard side of the trim tab a bit more. I lowered it some, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Maybe it needs to be done more.

Obviously I would like this to be fixed via options other than banging away at the mounted fins, but it seems like we are running out of options and it's become somewhat frustrating.

Again, thanks for the input.

I would keep tweaking the plate and weight placement before I tackle the fins. I lowered both sides of the plate about 1/2 way but asymetrically put the side that the wake was washy, for my lightning it is my driver (starbord) side, lower than the other by at least 1cm. That helped a good bit. If your port is washy, might try putting that lower??? I use a similar weight distribution as others, but do not have more fixed weight on one side. I just move the passengers around to even things out. All the non-enzo style Centurion hulls seem to be pretty sensitive, but if you have 2 or more passengers willing to move around, you should be able to get a firm wake after you get the base weight and plate figured out. The more total weight you put in, the faster you will have to go to clean the wake up.

Michael - I would think that after trying all of the different scenarios and not coming up with the right solution you definitely have a strong case. I don't think that you should be the one paying the $150 fee, that should be taken care of through the warranty, but that's just me. I am sure that Fineline will do everything possible to make it right. Good luck.

A tangent question that could be asked here would be what prop are you guys running with the weight?

I too would like to hear what Prop everyone is running. I just nick'ed my 06' Avalanche prop. The thing loves ballast and never stresses out of the hole or surfing, but MAN the top end sucks...

It's a 3-blade which I'm surprised at. Don't have measurements as it's in storage. I'll see if I can get picks next week of boarding speeds. I have the switchblade so I won't be helping you as I can cheat and press a button for glorious perfection. Stock 750lbs and blade do it and balanced all around even. Switchblade is rounded-off on starboard side to help with prop wash and it does work a bit as we've noticed when surfing.

---I don't have a C4 so naturally more weight on Port side. Maybe this is why these hulls like uneven weight. Maybe center fins set for non-c4 hulls???

"You still need to go at least 21 to clean it up at 75'. Real clean at 22.5 and up."

This is true. Board at higher speeds for cleaniness. Add more weight for bigger ramp and if so, put 250lbs in the bow is commonly what's forgotten. Save up for some auto trim tabs.

My stock 750lb ballast in the back is between the 3 tanks. How much gas you are running matters too. If running low gas, add 50lbs more to the bow. If you finally get it dialed-in it would suck to loose it based on what's in the gas tank.

(Message edited by sailing216 on July 11, 2008)

Ours is the 4 blade prop. not sure of the measurements exactly. It's whatever prop came with the boat from mfr.

We ride at about 24 MPH. Went out last night with the lowered starboard side wake plate. Still has wash on port side.

Here is our setup if someone sees something wrong or has suggestions, let me know.

450# fatsacs in each rear locker. Stock center ballast. 210# of steel plates directly across from driver (me about 205#). We try to stick a 200 pounder in the bow and arrange the other 2-3 people in order to clean up the wake. Doesn't matter, still washes out. Manual wake plate is all the way up on the port side and down about a CM on the starboard side.

I'm bringing it in to Cope and McPheters tomorrow for service to be done on it Monday. We'll see what they have to say about covering the costs of getting that wake cleaned up.

The reason I as is I have my 2 stock tanks in back + 300lbs of lead in back...
the 2 fuel tanks i try to keep full for ballast, the bow sack for a little nose weight, a fat brick for balance, and a tube sac for when its just 3 of us....
The boat came with an ACME 497 (13x17.5)
I have a 1235 (14.5x14.25) that I use at Altitude..
I tried the 1235 at sea level and it was too much...
I was hoping for an in between.. 537 ( 13.5 x 16) ???

Have you checked the Speedos with a GPS
Your speedos need to be adjusted They are never right form the factory plus it is Very easy to accidentally move the adjustment knob

I would put the extra 200lbs in the back locker

I have the same situation with my 05 avy walkthrough model. if you have success with the fins please let me know. this is a very annoying issue that i have been dealing with for a long time. starboard is perfect the port is washed and noticably not as rampy. i have to slightly turn the boat left to help when people are jumping on that side.

They are water testing it today. I'll let you all know what they come up with.

I have an 05 avy with the walk through. I have a manual wakeplate that I tweaked because I was having the same issues with wash on the starboard/driver side. I have my wake pretty well dialed in now. I have two 500lb sacks for the two rear lockers, of course I can't fill my starboard side sack up all the way because of the walk through, so I fill it as much as I can. To compensate for the weight difference I have a ice chest I set behind the driver seat that is typically filled with ice and drinks, that and it has a cushion on it so someone could sit there. I have my stock 250 lbs center tank filled and I throw about 600lbs in the bow. So pretty much a 40/60 weight ratio from front to back. That or if I want the wake to have more of a lip to it I will put less weight in the bow and keep the ass end heavy.

I had 5 people in the boat and one rider and I could move a person around enough to where the wake is clean. I hardly even get the problem where the opposite wake will wash out when the rider cuts out and cuts back in for a wake jump. Words do not give it justice, I will post a picture soon.

I admit it is no mastercraft or malibu wake, but I get surprised people and compliments on the wake from people who own boats from the top boat making companies like malibu, mastercraft, and nautique.

oh and I have a stock 3 blade prop, and I haven't got perfect pass yet but with all that weight and the people I'm usually towing the rider at 3100-3200 rpms and the wake holds a nice shape. Most of the guys I ride with are at 80' out some even like it at 85' but I have to drive faster.

Update:

Just got the boat back from Cope yesterday. They took it out on the lake and found that the center ballast was not filling properly. I was told they moved the 210# that we had in there to the bow and filled the center ballast and that now, "the wake is dialed". I hope it is.

They charged me $300 for the water test and fixing the center ballast. I argued with both the service manager and the GM about the charge as I felt it should be covered considering we bought the boat 13 months ago and haven't been able to get a good port side wake since. I was told I'd have to pay for it because Fineline's warranty is only good for 1 year. So basically, because we tried to do everything we could to fix it ourselves, we ended up having the boat for one month too long and had to cover the costs ourselves. Needless to say, I'm very frustrated. It's almost like the fact that I just bought a boat from them a year ago that it doesn't even matter. I'm not into handouts, but I am into good customer service and I don't feel like that's what I'm getting. I also don't appreciate being told that I would be called and told of any charges before the work was done, only to receive a phone call requesting they put gas in the boat and then when I got to pick it up, I'm told I owe $350. I was told the boat would be getting a water test. (I didn't know it was going to be $125), but I had no idea about the ballast issue and that there would be a charge until after I picked the boat up and got my receipt. What happened to calling me before any work was done that would cost?

One cool thing that happened is I saw the guy that sold us the boat and talked with him about what happened. He felt bad and offered to try and get some sort of pro shop credit for me if he could.

It's a tough situation because I really like our sales guy and he has been awesome throughout, but every time the boat needs service or anything, the customer service is more than lacking. Maybe it's like that at all shops and I just need to get over it.

Anyway my main reason for posting this is to tell people to get your boats in the shop for any little problem they might have. It could be anything and it could be worse than you think. The warranties on these things are shorter than a microwave's, and little repairs cost a lot. You may think you are being a good owner by trying to solve problems yourself, but what you're actually doing is costing yourself even more money on top of what you're already paying for a very nice boat.

We probably won't be able to get the boat out till next week, but I'll post and let you guys know if the wake is truly "dialed in" or if I just dropped $300 for $#it's sake.

We took the boat out last night and the port side wake looks exactly the same as it did before. I bit bigger because of the extra ballast, but right at the lip of it, it washes out a bit. Not only that, but the blown fuse issue that we brought it in for is still occurring.
Anybody have some advice for what we should do next? Maybe something like contacting Centurion directly?

Michael, I feel your frustration and you are in the grey zone with regard to warranty work were it seems some sort of compromise by both partys are in order. About not knowing what charges were coming down the pipe, you posted 10 days ago: "I'm bringing the boat in to Cope on Monday for some service work. I also talked to them about a possible adjustment of the tracking fins to clean up that port side wake. They said they'd have to charge a $150 service charge to take it out and see if it needs the adjustment." So it seems you knew there was a water test fee, actually looks like they gave you a $25 break. Lesson learned - ask what prices will be or if it is warranty work first or ask that they call you. Not all shops call people first.

Now moving on, I would not worry about the $350 charge, but would ask for another water test with you and the Copes guys on the boat. I think they owe you at least one more water test gratis. Obviously you and them disagree on what a clean wake looks like and having all parties involved together might be the only way to get the problem resolved. It sounds like they are trying to work with you a bit. Good luck.

Thanks bmartin,

What I meant by saying "(I didn't know it was going to be $125)" was that when I was called, they didn't mention there would be a fee. I thought that because I had disputed it when I dropped the boat off, they had agreed to cover that cost. Does that make sense? Anyway, I'm fine with that charge as I was told prior to dropping the boat off that they charge for the water test. The charge I was more upset with was the one for the ballast work they did. Which, I believe, consisted of shortening a couple hoses and attaching couple of clamps. It was just something I could have fixed on my own had I known that was the issue.

I would like another water test. My idea of a "dialed" wake would be similar to the pictures posted above. Ours, even at the highest of speeds still washes at the tip.