ride with stock ballast, or add more weight?

I'm curious how many of you ride with just the stock ballast system in your boat (if you have one) or if you add additional weight. Lets here it. If your boat has stock ballast, which boat is it and how much ballast weight? Then whether or not you ride with extra weight or not. I'm sure it may depend on how many riders you have with you, but just take an average.

Every boat owner I know or ride with uses quite a bit extra ballast along with the factory ballast. Depending on the boat/situation, ususlly between 500 and 1200 extra lbs.

-Steve

IMO, it depends on the level you ride at. I see a lot of people riding with way more weight than they need. If you aren't going wake to wake it isn't because the wake is too small.... It's because your technique is lame. Once you've got the basics down you can start adding weight as necessary. Everyone I ride with can do all their tricks in an un-weighted boat, but takes them bigger and makes them more stylie with some more weight. I was going wake to wake toe and heelside, doing a bunch of 180's and spinning 3's before I ever rode a boat with ballast of any kind. Just something to think about. Anyone that knows me will say I love running a lot of ballast, but I definitely worked slowly to the point where I'm at now.

My 05 MC X-2 stock ballast is fine for my level of riding. It's all I need....

I share Evan´s opinion! I just wake behind a unloaded boat and clearing the wake with 180s is no problem! When I would wake now behind a loaded boat I just get the jumps bigger!

Somewhere around wakeworld there is a video of a guy sticking a 360 and fully rotating a tantrum...BEHIND A JETSKI....enough said

I don't even fill my stock tanks yet. Regular wake is enough for me. 1st year riding/terrible work schedule = slow progression for me

"Somewhere around wakeworld there is a video of a guy sticking a 360 and fully rotating a tantrum...BEHIND A JETSKI....enough said"

Not looking to be harsh or anything, but how does that answer the questions that Bob T asked? While tricks can be performed without the wake, I'm pretty sure that most coaches would have you learn a regular backroll or tantrum before attempting an air roll or bel-air (air tantrum).

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on October 18, 2006)

well, i think it was more of a response to Evans post. But i see your point. He WAS using the wake though. All 4 inches of it!

I agree with Evan, I pretty much learned in the same fashion.

2000 WS VLX, approx 2500lbs of weight in ballast total. (Pulled factory tanks for sacs, no wedge)

P.S. I am looking for lead on the cheap!

Edit: The rule we have for beginners is they need to AT LEAST clear wake hs and ts consistently with good form at 65ft+. Most times we bring a beginner out and they see how big the wake gets and want to ride fully weighted, not till you meet the requirements, lol.



(Message edited by liquidmx on October 18, 2006)

No only are learners riding with more wake than they need, but an bigger problem I see these days is rope length.

I'm sure this will impact a lot of people here but....if you are struggling for consistency on your toe side jumps, and you still choose to ride at 75 - 80 feet of rope...you are making things WAAAAY harder on yourself. I learned the basics + 360s, tantrums, and a few others before I ever ventured beyond 70 feet of rope. More rope means more room for error and bad technique.

Trying to progress through fundamentals with 75-80 feet of rope will turn you into a heelside hero!

J-rod-

I can't even claim HS hero, but have always ridden at 75. Will shorten up, thanks for the tip.

I have a 00 SAN and it has rear stock and I added a 600 pound locker sack that is plumbed in. THats all it really needs. Sometimes when I want my knees to hurt we will add some other saks. Like CIE EVAN said you dont have to weight boats down to go out into the flats. I hate riding with people who over weight the boat. The wakeboard scene in dallas is really big and people tend to over weight there boat. WHy waste the gas.

This past season, our first behind a wakeboat, I started out riding at 65 ft with no ballast in the X1. By the end of summer I was throwing HS and TS grabs and 180's and came close to some 3's and backrolls, riding at 70 ft. and stock ballast. I will not ride farter out than 70 due to the fact that I want my toeside jumps to look just as fluid as my hs jumps. For next season I think we'll add about 500 or so lbs. for boarding and surfing, now that most of the crew has a pretty solid foundation.

If someone is not too experienced on the board of just learning W2W etc., we will pull with no ballast at 60 ft.

Depending on people load, I'll ride with the stock ballast if we have a small crew. At my level I am not gaining anything by going bigger. My problems are all mental blocks. I dont need to worry about going big.

stock weighted 2001 MC X10 triple KGB. plus 2x50lbs sand bags for weight distribution. Ocassionally I will add a 350lbs sac to the walkway...but nothing else!

Like CIE...Evan said, I can do all my tricks off an unweighted boat even as small as a 16ft whaler...it's all in the technique!

landing a 3 behind a jet ski is easy, i can ollie one hs and ts, although id like to see a tantrum behind one. Ive seen a pro go off hehind a jet boat with no ballast with crows, tantrums back rolls ts back rolls off axis 3s and 5s and HUGE raleys. It was the same guy that raleyed over the tower of that malibu in the video thats been goin around. the guy is seriously an awesome rider

what video can u get tha link and i have 2000 pounds and i added another 1000