Front and Rear Weighting Help

I've got a new boat (new to me that is) and I'm still trying dial in my ballast as far as how much to put in the back and how much to put in the front. My question is I know this is a lot of trial and error, but how do I go about coming to a resolution with this delicate balance? Do I start off throwing everything in the back and then start moving ballast to the front a little bit at a time until the boat just barely tips over to plane out....would this be the ideal balance? I've read 60% rear and 40% front...is this about right?

Also, what does weight in the rear do to the wake and what does weight in the front do to it? Also, is there any advantage to putting weight in the middle of the boat? I have a DD, so I could put a sac in front of the motor box.

Another thing, how do you know when you have added too much ballast for your boat....other than the obvious that its sinking Will the wake start to flatten back out once you've gone past that magic number of the perfect ballast amount for your specific boat?

Please lend some much needed advice....thanks for the comments.

this thread might help you

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/214953.html?1109815776

oops I just noticed that you started that thread. Listen to Mike D, he knows what he is talking about.

Thanks Ant Bug...I think I'll try Mike D's setup tomorrow morning when I go out...I've got enough sacs now to try it.

How much weight do you guys ride with in Big Ed's X-2 and what is your front to rear distribution set up? I know its got factory ballast...how much is that? And what do you guys throw on top of it and where do you put it?

Andrew ~ your going to have to ask Big Ed that question.

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/217682.html?1111196667

This thread has a link to an excel spreadsheet designed to help you move various sized sacks around a boat model to determine weighting ratios. You can input a picture of your specific boat model to customize it. It has models of numerous different sacks that you can move around.

Andrew ~ I noticed my x-2 can achieve various wakes depending shifting the weight more in the back or in the front.When I ran 3000lbs I put roughtly 600lbs in the nose and 600lbs in the walkway to the bow and 800lbs in the rear lockers(400 a piece)

Now that I got my stereo system upgraded I have about 2200lbs in weight.
Depending on the crew but roughly 300lbs in the nose 600 in the walkway and 300 in the rear (150lbs a piece)shifting the weight 100lbs from front to trear depending on the crew and if it's winter B\c people do not use the bow in the winter.

Big Ed

Thanks for the link Pscylone...I'll try messing around with the spreadsheet to see what it suggests.

Big Ed...that's some serious poundage at 3000lbs...bet that X-2 was really kicking up a monster wake. Do you have any wake pics available...would just like to see what 3000lbs and 2200lbs in an X-2 looks like. Thanks for sharing.

I ran 100 in the nose, 600 in the walkway, and 1300 in the rear this past weekend in my X-5 and for as small as the X-5 is, I was very pleased with the wake. I think I'm close to finding its best set-up...it had a pretty steep ramp with a lot of lip on it...much steeper than I ever thought I could get it.

Thanks for the posts Pysclone and Big Ed.

Andrew - I read somewhere that the more weight you have in the back, the more peaky the wake will be. If you shift some weight forward, you'll get more of a rampy wake. Ramp vs peak is all personal preference. Just play around with it and see what you like best. An easy way is to take out a full crew, then have them move around the boat. It's easier than moving sacs when you're testing.