Big thanks to Marco Thompson and all of his helpers for putting on a great first year event. They had a lot of boats and a good turn out of riders and the weather was amazing, something only Southern California can provide. Marco is a great guy, and I felt like we were on the same team when it comes to his spirit for teaching people how to wakesurf and growing the sport. His enthusiasm and great attitude are infectious, and it set the tone for the event. If you missed it this year and you are within 200 miles or so, that was probably a mistake. These events are a blast and a great way to step out of your comfort zone and try new stuff.
IMG_9763 by
wake9, on Flickr
IMG_9836 by
wake9, on Flickr
RJ and I have put on 4 Polar Bear events and have had the opportunity to see people ride lots of great surf boats. This is the first time, however, we have been able to enjoy an event like this more from a riders perspective. We didn't get a chance to ride as much as others because we came to help first, and also didn't want to get in the way of other riders or take any of their time. That said, we got some great rides and finally got a chance to get some good play time and demos with boats that surf without listing over. I am referring specifically to a Nautique G23 with NSS and Axis boats with Surf Gate, but a Mastercraft X10 with Gen 2 Surf System was also in attendance.
Nautique G23 with NSS
IMG_9777 by
wake9, on Flickr
2014 Malibu 23 LSV with Surf Gate
IMG_9807 by
wake9, on Flickr
Mastercraft X10 with Gen 2 Surf System
IMG_9768 by
wake9, on Flickr
Every boat we saw threw decent surf wakes, some better than others. Some of the boats were dialed and/or weighted for a more tournament class wave, and some were stock or close to stock. We were able to get some time behind the following boats:
- 2011 Malibu 23 LSV with custom ballast setup, power wedge, monsoon 350, and dealer installed surf gate.
- Nautique G23 with NSS and I think 450HP motor.
- Ronix Axis A-22 with Surf Gate.
- Liquid Force Axis A-24 with Surf Gate, wedge, and 450 HP LS3 Corvette motor.
- 2014 Mastercraft X10 with Gen 2 Surf System.
2014 Mastercraft X10 with Gen 2 Surf System
I am going to just skip over this boat to some degree. Not because it was bad, RJ thought it threw a decent wake with 800 lbs of stock weight. It was small and probably not the best representation of what this boat could do, especially being in salt water. The system seemed to work to help clean the wake up but this was not a "no list" system, this boat listed to make the wake.
Scott Blanchard's 2011 Malibu 23 LSV
This was a frankensurf boat. What I mean by that is that it was no where near stock and can't be compared to a factory boat. I put Derek's MB B52 and our previous Tige 24Ve in this category in that they are owned by guys that love to tinker and make the best damn wake surf wake they can regardless of what needs to be welded or bolted on. These are always some of the funnest boats to ride on and I love em.
This was a fantastic wave and I am sure was enhanced by the fact that it had a boat load of people which included Dennis (280 lbs) and I (400 lbs) sitting next to each other on the surf side. This boat was also very unique in that it had a Malibu dealer installed surf gate system and was capable of doing a no list wake and a listed wake. This boat has the 350 HP monsoon motor, high altitude prop, and I believe 3500 lbs of ballast when surfing listed plus about 1500 lbs of people and the power wedge. Pictures say it all.
Ryan from Calgary getting some serious air.
IMG_9948 by
wake9, on Flickr
RJ riding backside, his Soulcraft had a crack in it, so he rode a unfamiliar Brigade board.
IMG_9965 by
wake9, on Flickr
Thomas rippin' his new Chaos Skywalker 4.4. This was his first ride on it and he was all smiles.
2014-02-22 11.13.19-1 by
wake9, on Flickr
Plenty of wave, with lots of push.
IMG_0238 by
wake9, on Flickr
Even with an unfamiliar board, that lip gave RJ lots of boost.
IMG_0256 by
wake9, on Flickr
Scott was proud of his wave, and he had good reason to.
IMG_0111 by
wake9, on Flickr
So after we rode the listed wake I asked Scott if we could see the Surf Gate wave. He said sure but said we had to let weight out or the boat wouldn't surf. We took weight out, quite a bit, and it still wouldn't make a wake, the motor couldn't take the weight. So we let out more and it made a wake, but it wasn't anything like the listed wake.
IMG_0160 by
wake9, on Flickr
Probably not the best Surf Gate test but very interesting none the less.
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