Articles
   
       
Pics/Video
       
Wake 101
   
       
       
Shop
Search
 
 
 
 
 
Home   Articles   Pics/Video   Gear   Wake 101   Events   Community   Forums   Classifieds   Contests   Shop   Search
WakeWorld Home
Email Password
Go Back   WakeWorld > Boats, Accessories & Tow Vehicles

Share 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old     (SugarFree)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-20-2010, 7:45 PM Reply   
New to these forums. my dad just bought a sea doo utopia 205 and ive been learning how to wakeboard behind it. unfortunately this boat throws up nearly no wake, I was wondering if anybody knows a way to help this jet boat get a better wake? will balasting really make any difference on this boat? Thx in advance
Old     (brichter14)      Join Date: Jul 2010       08-20-2010, 9:33 PM Reply   
the best way to get a wake out of a jet boat is to sell it and get something else, sorry to say it...
Old     (tripsw)      Join Date: May 2006       08-20-2010, 9:42 PM Reply   
^ I'm afraid he's right
Old     (Shooter)      Join Date: Apr 2010       08-20-2010, 9:52 PM Reply   
The guys are right, but it doesnt mean you cant enjoy the jet. I learned the basic (including a tantrum) behind a outboard with a very small wake. You could also take up wakeskating.
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       08-20-2010, 10:35 PM Reply   
You can wakeboard behind any boat. I spent many of hours on a board behind a 25 HP aluminum flatboat and had lots of fun. If I really worked for it I could get 3-4' of air off of that wake with 3-4 friends in the boat.. Later my dad got a 19' center console with a 112 HP outboard and I thought I was in heaven with that wake and was able to get 6-8' of air off of that and throw the occasional botched invert. Now that I'm a big boy I have a 23' Mastercraft and know what I've been missing all of my life.

I've been running my Mastercraft with no tower and just 2 350 lb bags and my passengers tell me that I'm getting about 12' of air off of that. I want a tower and more ballast bad but I'd rather progressively improve my boat and let my skills improve with the boat rather than just getting out there on a monster wake and never really appreciate how to jump properly.

They used to have wakeboard tournaments behind 2 and 3 seater PWCs and those dudes would pull some basic inverts even on that wake. Getting time on the water with a board behind any boat will help you to get better.

Get a couple of those cheap Aerial 350 or 550 lb ballast bags off of eBay and a pump. Experiment with them around the boat. I'd start with one in the rear and one in the bow depending on how many people you have in there and how much you can move them around. It will make the wake bigger but at some point the boat will not be able to plane off and you'll have to back the weight off some. If the wake seems flat move the weight to the rear until it causes the boat not to be able to plane. If the wake is to soft and foamy and/or the boat has trouble planing put more weight towards the front.


Today's boarders are spoiled by the wakes offered by modern wake specific boats. Spend about $200 on some bags and a pump and use what you have and have fun. Next time you're ready to change boats if you're really into boarding get an inboard but I wouldn't run out and sell the boat just to get a better wake.
Old     (SugarFree)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-21-2010, 10:57 AM Reply   
@Ben and Sander - dad loves the boat so unfortunately getting a new one isnt an option... unless i do it on my own dollar, but im a broke college student so no dice on that option.

@Jeff - thanks for taking your time for that awesome reply dude. you're absolutely right. i should enjoy what i have, and def will try and find some cheap bags and start messin around with that. and the whole progressing with your boat sounds like a pretty good idea also. i have another question. if i could find an affordable wake tower would it even be worth it to put one on the jet boat?
Old     (loudsubz)      Join Date: Aug 2001       08-21-2010, 11:55 AM Reply   
work on your basic carving, jumping skills behind that jet boat and you will be good to go. If you learn good technique you will learn to get the most out of that small wake
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       08-21-2010, 1:57 PM Reply   
A tower would be worth it for both your air and appeal to buyers when it comes time to sell it. I wouldn't go out and get a $2,500 tower for it but if you have an extra $1,000 for an Aerial or Monster tower I say do it. More than anything it will increase your hangtime. It will also give you a little bit more air.

I haven't actually boarded behind a jet boat with a tower though. I'm sure an experienced wakeboarder would pull the boat around a fair bit without a tower and probably even more with the leverage provided by a tower since those boats don't really have anything sticking down into the water (Fins, rudder, propeller, outdrive, etc). Sea Doo puts towers on their boats from the factory so I would assume that it wouldn't be absolutely terrible or unsafe, just not ideal.

Also, keep an eye on craigslist, the trash, and freecycle for soft side waterbed tubes. They are only about 90-100 lbs each full but if you can get them for free they're great to stash under the seats in the bow or in the ski locker. Unfortunately for me I donated a full set of these tubes to a thrift store before the boat was a blip on my radar. Now that I want a couple I haven't seen any.
Old     (SugarFree)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-21-2010, 2:21 PM Reply   
yah maybe ill hold off on the tower for now... but ill keep lookin around from time to time to see if i can find a good deal on a used one. I'll wait for my skill level to increase a little more.

but the waterbed tubes idea is brilliant. i think with some of those and a few extra people in the boat i might be able to get a free ballast system going until i can drop a lil coin on some bags. and that way ill find out if the difference in the wake is even really worth throwing some money at.

Jeff thx again for all your help... i know these questions are pretty noobish haha... how long have you been wakeboarding for and any chance ur in arizona?
Old     (brichter14)      Join Date: Jul 2010       08-21-2010, 4:04 PM Reply   
I have an aerial 550 and a 350 just sittin around ill sell ya for 100 bucks shipped. Never used, just opened and inspected. Let me know
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       08-21-2010, 6:25 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by SugarFree View Post
... how long have you been wakeboarding for and any chance ur in arizona?
I've been wakeboarding since about 1992-93. Was on the water a ton from 7th grade through high school because my parents lived on the water. During the summer we would literally be on the water all day 4-7 days a week. Gas was less than $1 a gallon and when you're running 25-45 hp outboards a little bit goes a long way. I did a little bit for my first two summers during college but then only got to go once a year or so after that. Finally got my own boat just before my 31st birthday and I've been wakeboarding more in the last two months than I have in 10 years.

I'm in Louisiana.
Old     (SugarFree)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-22-2010, 3:36 PM Reply   
Nice... glad u could make it back to such a fun sport... LA huh?... my half brother grew up in slidell.

on a unrelated and very sad note... went to the lake today and strapped the board to the back handle above the swim platform... like i normally do to make room on the boat (no tower=no board racks)... get out a little bit into the lake and go to get ready to do some wakeboarding... ohh wait theres no board there anymore...looked for about 45 minutes then called off the search. hope somebody enjoys my pretty much brand new Pure w/ Torq Bindings... I know i did

I had to get that off my chest... haha

@Ben thanks for the offer man but im gonna hold off for a lil longer on that... no job, no money... and now no board... wah wah
Old     (superair502)      Join Date: Mar 2010       08-22-2010, 9:23 PM Reply   
Twelve foot on a mastercraft x30 with min weight and no tower? Call me skeptical but unless u weigh 100 lbs and are doing double ups on a wake kite I think it's safe to say that's not possible.
Old     (superair502)      Join Date: Mar 2010       08-22-2010, 9:23 PM Reply   
Enjoy having a boat man I started behind a jet ski
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       08-23-2010, 6:29 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by superair502 View Post
Twelve foot on a mastercraft x30 with min weight and no tower? Call me skeptical but unless u weigh 100 lbs and are doing double ups on a wake kite I think it's safe to say that's not possible.
That's what an experienced boarder in the boat was telling me. I'm skeptical too though and need to see some pics of myself to believe it.

I'm 6'1, 195 and all of the guys in the boat were saying that there was at least double my height between the bottom of the board and the water.

That said I I do know that I was getting the most air I've ever gotten in my life and I'm known for charging the wake like a rabid animal. I also know that at 60' (Equivalent to 65-67' with a tower attachment point) I was landing 20+ ft out in the flats.

Not sure about the 12' but I do know that if you spend most of your career working for every bit of air you can get on really small wakes and then go to a 23' inboard with 700 lbs of ballast, 350+ lbs of fuel (61 gallon tank) and 500+ lbs of people it's easy to go big.
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       08-26-2010, 2:29 PM Reply   
To follow up on my 12' claim: it may have been exaggerated a little by my peeps in the boat but I've asked again and they all agree that I get a minimum of 9' with that weight. I was mistaken about the weight of the bags though. They're actually only 280 lbs each (560 lbs for the pair) not 350 each like I said before.

Yesterday we went out and added a second pair of 280 lb bags to the rear and a 600 lb bag in the bow/walkway. With that setup I was getting 10+ feet and at 65' I was clearing 2-3x the width of the wake. Today I feel like I got in 10 car wrecks. Getting old sucks.

Anyway, I'll have to get some pics to validate the 10+ ft. claim w/o a tower but it certainly feels/looks like it.

Back to the OP's boat: I really feel like spending time behind a sub optimal boat for many many hours allowed me to hone my pop handling skills. As I graduated to larger and larger wakes over the years I think that has benefited me more than if I had started out on a monster wake with a tower. I know in high school I would have killed for my dad to buy a boat like he's boarding behind.

The downside is that I have the pop off of the wake perfected but I'm getting way more air than I'm used to and I haven't figured out how to handle it and be spacially aware while in the air. So, I go big but aside from a few grabs here and there I need a lot of work on my inverts and spins. I can't really work on my inverts and spins until I feel more in control when jumping this high though.

Last edited by Jeff; 08-26-2010 at 2:31 PM.
Old     (mastercraf)      Join Date: Jul 2009       08-26-2010, 2:33 PM Reply   
here ya go
Attached Images
 
Old     (SugarFree)      Join Date: Aug 2010       08-30-2010, 8:45 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastercraf View Post
here ya go
that tower looks awesome... who makes it?
Old     (samhanna)      Join Date: Sep 2009       08-31-2010, 1:53 PM Reply   
Some peoples kids.....

Reply
Share 

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 4:46 AM.

Home   Articles   Pics/Video   Gear   Wake 101   Events   Community   Forums   Classifieds   Contests   Shop   Search
Wake World Home

 

© 2019 eWake, Inc.    
Advertise    |    Contact    |    Terms of Use    |    Privacy Policy    |    Report Abuse    |    Conduct    |    About Us