Help me with my wake

Okay, so we just got our first boat and it's a Bayliner XT 18.5. We've had it for about a month and a half and have been riding every weekend. It throws a great wake for us, considering we've only ridden behind a boat 6-10 times before getting this. All we had before was a jetski. Anyways, here is a picture with the wake, and I'll add video when I get home (I'm in the car) we tried adding weight to the front but it just made it even more washy.
The picture is terrible, sorry. It is washy like this on both sides, I'm riding at like 21.5-22 mph.
[IMG]http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk315/MattStrykul/420.jpg[/IMG]

how many pixels did you feather in

Try speeding up.

Are you using the trim? It's been along time since I've ridden an I/O but I used to have a similar sized bayliner. I don't know how different the hulls are but I ran 500lb sac in the front walkway and 200lb on each side in the back of sand. I'd trim it up a little bit and it had a pretty clean and ridable wake.

What do you mean howmany pixels did I feather in?

WCW Okay, I'll give it a try. Thank you.

sbt3, we trim it up a little bit, and it cleans it up but the wake is a straight wall and throws you out of control. Is that something I'll just have to learn how to ride or is there a way to make it more of a transition?

it def. looks like you are to slow....the wake is spread pretty good. find a gps and go 22-23 mph. trim all the way down or just a tad up. 500 in front 700 in back. Couple of peeps in front....driver and someone else in the middle.I dont know if its a stern drive.....but sink your boat even to front heavy....and down grade the pitch of your prop...so you get out easier.

In my experience...the vertical wall only comes when you dont have enough weight in the boat and try to just get the back end down with the trim. If your boat is weighted properly it wont plane very well with the trim up any significant amount. Unless its got a big motor.

I'll have to speed myself up it sounds like. We just put the stargazer perfect pass in on saturday, man is that thing sick. I ride at 22mph on the pp but I'll try bumpin it to 23-24. I'll add some weight to it as well and see how it goes.
I'll add the recomended weight you gave me, and yes our boat has the motor upgrade. It's a 4.3 liter, I don't know much about boats but that still may be small.

Ok in an I/O, weight in the way back will bog you right down. Weight in the front is not needed. Use weight nearer the middle of the boat, about 500lbs max. Your trim should be up but only about 25%. Speed looks ok to me.

If you want cheap upgrades try a performace hydrofoil from Overtons only like $50.

Mikey is right on with that shizz that's exactly what I did in my old i/o and the wake was pretty nice for an i/o

I tried putting like 300 in the middle locker, and it made it really washy. I may have still been going to slow though.
What will the hydrofoil do to help?
Thanks

Matt

Your speed seems OK. I am with several others and think you need more trim. The hydrofoil will allow you to trim your boat up more without porposing and get you on plane a little quicker. I had a tough time getting a clean wake until I added a hydrofoil and it is a must have on some boats. Adding weight up front will allow you to trim your boat more too. On my last IO we trimmed it about 1/4 to 1/3 up....actually we trimmed until it started porposing and then lowered it a litte from there.

To convert most IOs to better wake towboats, you generally need a low pitch prop (13-17pitch), stabilizer / hydrofoil, weight with a little more than 50% up front.

We bought the boat used, the guy said he changed the prop for wakeboarding but who knows. I will have to look into a hydrofoil

Matt, I have the same boat but the 175, 23mph, trim up 1/4 and put a 300lb sac in the bow. with 2-3 people in the boat the wake is fun

MAN that's sick. I hope I can get my wake to look like that. We tried trimming up 1/4 but it's just so much. Maybe we just need to add the weigh to the front. Do you have a hydrofoil? Looks like I'll have to bump it up a mph

no hydrofoil, just a 4 blade prop but I dont think that will affect the wake, just jumps out of the hole. The only other thing I considered getting were trim tabs, which keeps the boat from porposing (bouncing up and down) when the trip is up 1/4 in chop but other than that I cant really complain for my skill level. The boat isnt whats holding me back

BTW, rider in the second pic is 6'4



(Message edited by extremeisaac on July 15, 2008)

We just can't even trim it up that high, I guess it's called cavitation???? It just doesn't move like it should if it's up to 1/4

in a straight line you shouldnt have cavitation.. when the rider falls and you go back to pick him up lower the trim all the way down till you get him back up then trim up 1/4

The hydrofoil will help with porposing and as already mentioned it is cheap and easy to put on.

Nice wake Isaac.

thanks!