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Old     (bigshow)      Join Date: Feb 2005       10-02-2011, 5:52 PM Reply   
Polar Bear Practice

A small Central Ohio crew went down to Lake Norris to wrap up the season. Interestingly, the Jet Stream headed down to Tennessee and beyond with us, it was unseasonably cold. Friday was our warm day. The high was maybe in the mid 60s, but it was windy. Water temps were still OK, maybe 70 to 72. We surfed from the point to Powder Mill and we surfed in the horse shoe. Saturday morning was cold and windy, I doubt we made it in to the 60s. After breaking for lunch we sat around in the cabin. Eventually I prodded the rest of the guys to go back in to the cold and get in our last set. It was still cold but the wind had died down. We all got in one last good set.

Well at least I’m ready for the West Coast Polar Bear

Here are some pics…

Dang it’s cold




Makeshift air dam


Paul’s thinking about getting a wet suit r spring suit

Dry suit anyone?

Paul’s a little Goofy



Mr. Dry Suit



Captain Max



Bigshow




A new “Surf This” but it broke right away

Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-03-2011, 8:51 AM Reply   
Geez, its gonna feel like summer over here! We went out yesterday, water was 74, air was 80s.
Old     (bigshow)      Join Date: Feb 2005       10-03-2011, 5:52 PM Reply   
well I might not bring a wet suit then
Old    LR3w8kbrdr            10-03-2011, 7:02 PM Reply   
We're almost ready to break out the heater tops in FL after this past weekend lol
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-04-2011, 3:43 PM Reply   
Frank and a couple others asked for a bit of extra time. We are holding registration open through this week for the polar bear event. Weather looks like it will be nice. Raining right now, but supposed to clear.
Old     (wakemitch)      Join Date: Jun 2005       10-04-2011, 4:41 PM Reply   
I can't wait for the event! I am pumped to try out the 2012 Phase boards. They have a few new shapes
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-05-2011, 2:11 PM Reply   
We have some people coming from a long way, going to be fun. I have had a few people contact me about hard times, $$ and such. We have lowered the price and will refund $50/person to those that already registered, and are leaving open reg til Sunday to help those that have requested. No one wants $$ to get in the way of the fun.

We just released a new video with some more details and also a GREAT edit by RJ of the Fall Wakesurfing footage.

Mitch informed me Phase 5 is sending some of next year's models. Inland couldn't get new models to us yet but sent us some pics of new models, I will post those soon, good looking boards. Can't wait to check out the new Phase 5 stuff in person.
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-05-2011, 2:23 PM Reply   
Whoah, just talked to Brett Potts from Centurion. We may have not just one 211, but 2 of them? Either way, looking forward to checking out this new boat, I hear it makes a mean surf wake. Anyone have pics or video of the 211 surf wake?
Old     (bigshow)      Join Date: Feb 2005       10-05-2011, 5:18 PM Reply   
Do I see a 211 spine wake?
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-05-2011, 5:24 PM Reply   
Lol
Old     (bigshow)      Join Date: Feb 2005       10-05-2011, 5:25 PM Reply   
My wife will be site seeing in the Sac area during the Polar Bear but might join us for dinner. Can I add my wife to the list of dinners? Do you have a rough idea of the schedule, start time, where to meet up, when and where is dinner?
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-05-2011, 5:28 PM Reply   
Sure, send an email to:

amy - at - wake9 - dot - com
Old     (Jbort)      Join Date: Aug 2011       10-06-2011, 8:27 AM Reply   
The Ohio crew rocks - nice pics! What part of Oh? Grew up there all over including Dayton for 15 yrs before coming to Atl. Went to Norris all the time - great boating there.
Old     (bigshow)      Join Date: Feb 2005       10-06-2011, 3:51 PM Reply   
The crew above is from Columbus, Ohio. I grew up in Toledo, Lived in Dayton 15 years ago, live in Columbus now, but was riding with another friend in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago.
Old    LR3w8kbrdr            10-06-2011, 4:02 PM Reply   
Im from Dayton too (well Kettering), UD alumn, now in Tampa
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-12-2011, 1:56 PM Reply   
Dude, this could be the best polar bear event ever, check out the weather:



So much for suffering....
Old     (getssum)      Join Date: Jul 2005       10-12-2011, 3:11 PM Reply   
Can't wait!
Old     (wofrankwo)      Join Date: Jul 2009       10-12-2011, 11:00 PM Reply   
it is so much fun!! cant wait to get behind all the new boats ..... plus im under 290lbs now so i can try more boards!!! dennis hope you brng your boards!!
Old     (tonyv420)      Join Date: Jul 2007       10-13-2011, 10:12 AM Reply   
this why I question naming the event Polar Bear...????? J/K still wishing I could make the drive. I had a great time at the West Coast Open (even though I couldnt ride due to knee surgery) so I know it would be off the hook if I could actually make it and demo some boards/boats
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-13-2011, 2:35 PM Reply   
No kidding, but I guess with polar ice cap melting and gorebal warming, its fitting. ;-)
Old     (dennish)      Join Date: May 2005       10-13-2011, 9:05 PM Reply   
Frank three little ones and a very big one.
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-14-2011, 12:53 PM Reply   
I can't believe it, its going to be in the 80s all weekend.

Packing up a few choice cigars for the campfire. I wonder if Frank is bringing the "Pink Lemonade".
Old     (wofrankwo)      Join Date: Jul 2009       10-14-2011, 2:10 PM Reply   
me and chris should get up there around 9 tonight ...... we can get in to the campground untill 11 i believe? ill bring the cigars chris brought back for me from arizona and ill bring the " Pink Lermonade " if you got a blendor robert let me know and ill make some choc shakes that will leave you sittin and smilin!!

see you Tonight!!!
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-14-2011, 2:28 PM Reply   
That was in the summer, it may be earlier. I will call you when I get down and see if I can keep the gate open earlier.
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-14-2011, 2:43 PM Reply   
I am bringing up a very special cigar for you frank.
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-18-2011, 12:42 AM Reply   
Weather was amazing. Going to have to change the name to the "Panda Bear" event or the "Global Warming Polar Bear Event". Great to meet a bunch of great people. Utah, Oregon, Ohio, didn't matter where you were from. I kept hearing from several people, when seeing the boats and all the boards, "this is like christmas". Should have pictures up sometime tomorrow, and then video and such.

Can't believe the weather, gotta get out this week and still fit in some surfing with the family.
Old     (lakesurfer)      Join Date: Jul 2009       10-18-2011, 6:27 AM Reply   
Ragboy: sounds like a great event. Cant wait to see some pics.
Old     (tonyv420)      Join Date: Jul 2007       10-18-2011, 1:50 PM Reply   
Sounds like I need to move to Cali !!!
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-18-2011, 7:12 PM Reply   
Well the weather was amazing! Maybe we have to change the name of the event. ;-) What a great time we all had. This event has held up to my expectation of being my favorite event of the year. Its low key, small, and just people that REALLY want to surf, and surf until they drop. We will be posting many pics (about 250 or so) and several videos in the coming days, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek.

First, special thanks to our partners California Marine Sports. The Fulfords are a great family to work with, and we love 'em. Thanks to Dennis Horton and my Wake9 crew for all the help, and special thanks to Phase 5 Boards and Inland Surfer for their support.

This picture says it all:


IMG_1257 by wake9, on Flickr

These board racks were filled completely, and we had another dozen boards on top of that. There were no dupes, all unique boards. Several of the riders just stood there looking at the boards and smiling, thinking about what they wanted to ride. Surfers were trying skim boards and vice versa. Everyone had different favorites. One rider kept coming up to me and saying, "Dude, this is like Christmas!". Lots of pictures and video to come but let me give you a sneak peek of the various boats we had, all world class wake surf boats.

We had a Centurion Enzo 211, Supreme V226, and the Wake9/Wakemakers.com Tige 24Ve. Sanger and MB were not able to make it due to a shortage of boats, good problem to have, but hope to make it next time. A brand new Tige RZ4 didn't make it in time but we have it now and will be showing it off soon.

So lets start with the Centurion 211. Best feedback will come from the riders later but it seemed to throw a familiar Enzo wake, maybe just a bit shorter. It also seemed fairly easy to weight.


IMG_1167 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_3374 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_3497 by wake9, on Flickr

And the Supreme 226. Grant from CMS was hungry. ;-) His boat was dialed and he was working hard to make sure he gave riders a great ride. The Supreme 226 was throwing a great wake, and on both sides. I was riding in the chase pontoon on Saturday so I really got a good look at both sides of all boats.


IMG_1293 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_3826 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_3875 by wake9, on Flickr

Then our faithful Tige 24Ve. The pros at wakemakers.com have helped get the most out of what this big 24 foot hull can do. We did blow a sac on Saturday and had a bit of trouble with consistency. We filled the bilge with water, d'oh! But still had a great time and gave good rides.




IMG_3027 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_3915 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_3927 by wake9, on Flickr

I have to add one more, Jesse was so excited about showing everyone how she could surf, and how far back she recovered from.


IMG_1488 by wake9, on Flickr

Stay tuned for more details and media, thanks to all for a great event.

* All still cameras had similar lenses, but each image may have had a different focal length. In boat stills are not the best for comparing wakes. The side shots are comparable, and the video that will be out are all using same cameras and mount points.
Old     (bigshow)      Join Date: Feb 2005       10-18-2011, 8:03 PM Reply   
Where could I go to ride behind a brand new wakeboard/surf boat model the Enzo 211, a still relatively new model the Ski Supreme V226, and a Tige' 24ve and about 15 different boards in one day, oh ya the Polar Bear! Three absolutely great surf boats and boards to fit every riding style, amazing.

Thanks Wake Nine (Robert), CMS, Mello Marine, Inland Surfer, and Phase 5. I had a great time riding with Eric, Robert, David, and I think it was Nick? I’ve known some of you via WW and email correspondence. It was good to finally meet Dennis, Robert, RJ, and Frank.
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-18-2011, 8:52 PM Reply   
Thanks, and we will have more boats next year. Both Sanger and MB have let us know they want to be involved. Not only do you get to demo the boats, but we make sure they are weighted well. So many dealers out there just don't know how to weight their boats for a great wake.

15 boards in one day, that's pretty amazing you got through that many boards. It was great to meet you 2 Ed after only "posting" with you.
Old     (donnieb)      Join Date: Nov 2006       10-19-2011, 12:00 AM Reply   
Wow! What fun! I want to go next year!

Here's a question. I’ve read a lot of posts where people say you need a reverse prop rotation on an Enzo to get a good goofy wake.

Well, I’ve heard that, with the new 2012 Enzo 244’s, the regular and goofy wakes are both great – that Centurion has fixed this issue. All one has to do is make a one-time minor adjustment to the rudder (???) with an Allen wrench and then you don’t have to mess with it again.

I realize you demoed a Centurion 211, but I thought I'd ask how the goofy wake was. And....does anyone have experience with this "good goofy and regular" wake from a regular-prop rotation Enzo?

Thanks.
Old     (wofrankwo)      Join Date: Jul 2009       10-19-2011, 12:04 AM Reply   
Definitely was a Great Time!! Bunch of new friends along with the old ones!! Its so laid back and fun all weekend!! So many Boards!! Cool Boats!! Great People!!

Big congrats to robert and his family at wake9 and grant and tammy from CMS and dennis for having a great event for us to participate in!!! It just seems to get better and funner!!
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-19-2011, 12:42 AM Reply   
Thanks Frank, no event is the same without you. Hopefully you can make it out on Saturday.

@donnieB I am 90% sure that the 2011 boats had this rudder feature. I don't know about an allen wrench though. Bret was telling me about it. That you can adjust the rudder to one side and it helps the goofy wake, but then the boat wants to steer to that side, and so you have to hold it straight. Someone who knows more about this can chime in, lakesurfer maybe?

Anyway, as far as I know the centurion at last year's polar bear was equipped like this and this method was in use. So you can watch and read comments from last year's polar bear here, and watch the video from both sides.

http://wake9.com/polar-bear-2010/

We are actually up late working on the first video from this year, and will have goofy, regular, and AMAZING chase video from all boats. Dennis driving the pontoon for chase has really stepped up our chase video quality, not to mention the camera we use. The chase video is actually in 1080P.

The pontoon chase has been so valuable to me, that I am actually working to upgrade our pontoon. Its a nice pontoon but only goes 17mph max, need 25mph to chase down all of these boats.

Lastly, we work really hard at wake9 to level the playing field. We put all video cameras on the boats in the same place, at same resolution, use the same riders across all boats, etc. We also spend time going through every bit of video making sure we get the best footage of each boat. There are always those times when someone moves and the wake washes out a bit, etc. We try very hard to keep it as fair and equal as possible.

I think very highly of any manufacturer, like Centurion, Supreme, Tige, and hopefully soon Sanger and MB that are willing to bring their boats to this. This is not a brochure shoot. Its more of a Pepsi Challenge. Every one has their preferences and they get to demo and find their favorite board or boat in a relaxed family friendly environment.

We are going to be doing this again next year for sure, and will be doing these types of demos at our West Coast Open which is the weekend before memorial day weekend. So you should have 2 opportunities next year. Nothing beats the polar bear though. The thought of rain or shine brings out the die hards. Love it.
Old     (lakesurfer)      Join Date: Jul 2009       10-19-2011, 7:14 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ragboy View Post
@donnieB I am 90% sure that the 2011 boats had this rudder feature. I don't know about an allen wrench though. Bret was telling me about it. That you can adjust the rudder to one side and it helps the goofy wake, but then the boat wants to steer to that side, and so you have to hold it straight. Someone who knows more about this can chime in, lakesurfer maybe?
.
I have not had a chance to set up my Enzo 244 on the Goofy side and my guess is that it will be a while before I do (in the 3 summers I owned my Avy I only did it once). When I do, I will post some video/pics. I do have high hopes for the goofy side. With the new quick fill and big lockers, I should be able to get nearly 1,500lbs in the back locker and about 700lbs under the surf seat. So I am estimating that you can have at least 2,000lbs under the seats in the Enzo 240+ or 244.

I would give the guys at Inland Surfer a call. They have a new 244 and have always had Enzo that seem to perform well on the Goofy side (they are not reverse prop boats).
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-19-2011, 10:32 AM Reply   
I know that Mark Sher of inland had told me the new ones make a better goofy wake, and I think he attributed it to this new feature.
Old     (wakemitch)      Join Date: Jun 2005       10-19-2011, 11:15 AM Reply   
In regards to the ezno goofy and regular wake: just wait for the video and rider reviews and check it out for yourselves. Also we have video footage up from last years event where you can see both wakes on a 2011 Enzo 230+
Old     (h20king)      Join Date: Dec 2009       10-19-2011, 6:25 PM Reply   
Robert is this an open event ??looks like lots of fun.Would love to come next year
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-19-2011, 8:24 PM Reply   
Yes, its open, but we have a limit to the number of riders. This year we made the decision to do it and started promoting only like 3 weeks before the event, but we are going to put next years Polar Bear on the calendar shortly.

It is open to any board or boat manufacturer also. Boat manuf. need to contact me and there are a few stipulations, but other than that it is open. The boat manuf. and board manuf. just have to have the attitude, "let my product speak for itself".
Old     (dennish)      Join Date: May 2005       10-19-2011, 8:57 PM Reply   
I have to say that of all the events I organize this is my favorite by far. To have 3 World Class wakesurf boats and 30 boards from various manufacturers is unheard of in this sport. Because of the efforts of Robert and Wake9, along with the Fulford's from California Marine Sports, this event is the model of what wakesurf events should be. Good boats, Good boards and above all Good people.
Old     (getssum)      Join Date: Jul 2005       10-20-2011, 8:05 PM Reply   
Ragboy:

First off, thanks a lot for this event, I had an AMAZING time and hated that #1 I had to leave early, and #2 that I couldn't make it back for Sunday! I've NEVER ridden that many sets in a day, my legs were hurting the next day!

Also, I'm trying to fill out my review, can you tell me which board I'm riding in the first pic you posted (Soulcraft, but which model?)

Thanks!
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-20-2011, 8:15 PM Reply   
Your welcome man, and it was nice to meet you. Mitch? Which one is that? Its not the Jetty.
Old     (Soulcraft)      Join Date: Sep 2010       10-21-2011, 7:43 AM Reply   
Eric, If that board had a swallow tail it was the Terramar, If it had a round tail it was the Neptune. Hope you enjoyed the boards.
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-21-2011, 12:52 PM Reply   
Weather is 80 again this weekend, so amazing. We are heading down to Camp Far West again to break in the new RZ4 tomorrow. Sounds like a couple of other boats just coming up for fun. If you are in the area, could be fun!
Old     (wofrankwo)      Join Date: Jul 2009       10-21-2011, 4:43 PM Reply   
oh yea draggin the old sanger out of the delta up to the lake ...... rob and wife and kids ...... dan wife and kid ...... they are bringin their boat ...... couple more calls out waitin to hear back from people ...... im already wonderin on why i just dont spend the night again!!
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-21-2011, 4:50 PM Reply   
very cool. You mean the Harringtons and Dan Alexander?
Old     (wofrankwo)      Join Date: Jul 2009       10-21-2011, 5:07 PM Reply   
people have last names? rob the pilot from chico and dan from chico they were at the polar bear!!
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-24-2011, 1:32 AM Reply   
We finished the first video, came out real well. 3 more coming this week, one for each boat. We also should be done next week with collating rider comments and such and posting. Still waiting for a few comments from riders.
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-28-2011, 10:57 AM Reply   
Individual boat videos are done, centurion is viewable now, supreme tomorrow, then tige on this weekend. I should have all the comments sorted and updated by sunday night.
Old     (wakemitch)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-07-2011, 4:36 PM Reply   
The videos are now up from the event www.wake9.com/polar-bear

The wakes were AMAZING
Old     (ragboy)      Join Date: Aug 2007       11-07-2011, 4:40 PM Reply   
Geez mitch, were you sitting by your computer and checking? lol, RJ just finished the page, not only videos but all rider's comments are now up, some great stuff. It took a while to get everyone's comments submitted. Also about 300 images that are all tagged for each boat, rider, etc on flickr now.

Enjoy!

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