inboard advice thread!

For the first year I will be wakeboarding behind a true wakeboat and today was the first time out... I have read posts on this forum for about eight months now and have learned alot but when push comes to shove I was lost today trying to figure out how to weight the boat and how to work the wake plate..

I am now in my buddies Supra launch 24 ssv, sweet ride but I really dont know how to weight it properly or even how or what the wake plate is supposed to do... I guess what I am saying is how on earth do I make this boat perform?

We filled the back ballast all the way up and the front about half way. We had a huge wake but it seemed to be washed out, tall and soft. I was kinda hoping for a wake that would be more firm and a little less washed out.

And also, how in the world do you maneuver these boats in the dock areas haha this thing drives like a loose cannon when at idle, especially in reverse it seems like it doesnt want to steer very well...

I guess I have a lot to learn but would appreciate anyone's input on how to set this thing up for an enjoyable afternoon!

First off it probably only backs to the right. Its either or. Sometimes turning the wheel all the wat before going into reverse can help. Generally 60/40 rear/front weight set up. Going propper spreed when weighted let's the wake clean up. If only one side is washy move weight to that side. Check impeller, trailer hubs and tire age, and maybe ask a friend or someone to help you dock a huge boat with no reverse steering. Also, weighted boats don't turn well at idle. No experience with a wake plate. Follow safety rules and have fun. You should change oil every 50 hrs or end of season.

24 ssv is a big boat, you need a lot more ballast. You can have over 2500lbs of hidden ballast on that boat.

The only way you are going be able to do it is trial and error. the 60/40 is a good place to start but you will have to test different combinations and placements of weight. Weight up front generally will firm up a wake and get rid of wash. rear makes it taller. Same thing with the wake plate, just try different positions till you get it dialed. i would guess you are probably going to end up not even using the plate.

Low speed maneuvering of an inboard is bad. nothing you can do to get around that. Learn how to back with the rotation pull of the prop but don't rely on it, there is no outdrive.

Keep playing with the weight on it. Like already stated 60/40 is a good split to start out. I am not sure about the wake plate in the Supras. Best way I have found to drive a boat near the dock is with a nice blend of forward and reverse. Basically go fwd the way you want to go then throw it in reverse for a second. Repeat until you get it around and headed where you want.

Learn to spin your inboard. The boat will naturally slightly turn one direction in reverse, learn to use that natural spin. The combo move works, but I would recommend learning the basics first. Once you get the basics down, you can back into a slip if you take your time. Use no throttle at idle. And slip it into and out of gear to get where you need to go.

You will generally want to "dock" the boat on whichever side it naturally wants to go to when reversed. The rudder position will have a slight influence over the direction but not much. So, if it naturally backs to the right you will idle in forward with the bow straight for the dock. When you get about 15-20 ft from the dock run hard left to get the boat at about a 30-45 degree angle to the dock. Once the bow is a few feet from the dock go to neutral, then into reverse and spin the wheel all the way to the right and let the stern spin its way sideways into the dock. Do all of this at idle speed. If you're approaching too fast coming in straight you can ease it into reverse to slow it down. For a boat that backs to the left do exactly the opposite.

The key is planning all of your moves well in advance since you don't have near the amount of control in reverse that an outboard or I/O would have.

Practice in open water first if you can. I felt completely out of control last season the first time I took my inboard out since I was used to outboards and I/Os. After about the 2nd or 3rd time I was less stressed but not totally confident. I'm pretty good at docking it now but still improving.

I have that boat.

Weight If your not going to fill all the bags just fill the center 1100 bag, this will keep the nose down and make the wake less washy. I fill the whole boat up with the stock weight and ride at about 23 with the wake plate 3/4 of the way up. Your just filling it up backwards of the way it needs to be done fill the front up first then work you way back with more weight.

Wake plate the farther down the more mellow and less washy the wake is I use that for beginners. Up the wake plate all the way up and the wake get steeper and will boot you higher but if it washes out you need to speed up.

Docking I would learn how to spin the boat, turn the wheel all the way to the left and bump the throttle foward then quickly bump it in reverse. This will walk the boat around in a counter clock wise turn in the same spot. It an inboard so it only pulls to the right in reverse there is nothing you can do about this. But I always try to trailor it on the right side of the dock if I can (facing the shore) that way when you unload it it pulls way from the dock.