New Boat Questions / Suggestions

I'm getting ready to step up the boat ladder a little bit at some point in the next month or two and could use some input. Currently i have an '05 Centurion Cyclone C4, which i've enjoyed but i think it is time to move to something bigger and better.

Right now i think we split time about 50/50 between surfing and boarding so the new boat would certainly have to accomodate both. Creating a nice surf wave is probably more important than a boarding wake because i'm never going to need an enormous pro style wake.

Two things i don't like about the cyclone that i'll be happy to see go away are : one side of wake is always washed out, and it takes over 2000 lbs ( then add 8 passengers ) to get a big surf wave with a decent sized pocket. Definitely wouldn't want to have these problems again.

I haven't had any time to test drive yet, but trying to narrow down a reasonable list of boats that would suit what i want. Considering the following:

Malibu XLV
Centurion Enzo
Centurion Avalanche
Supra 22SSV

Any comments, suggestions, etc? Good, bad, indifferent?

"2000 lbs ( then add 8 passengers ) to get a big surf wave with a decent sized pocket."

Wow On my 2005 Cyclone I put 500 lbs on the passenger side of the engine and 4 or 5 people and we are good to go?????????????

(Message edited by krbaugh on September 16, 2006)

Steve - I think the Enzo would be the answer..especially with the interior update for 07...You need to demo that boat! The Avalanche is sweet too. That is my personal favorite but we are about 75%board and 25% Surf.

Steve I'm interested to see how your question gets answered. I’ve got an 04 Centurion Lightning, and I’ve been surfing behind it a lot. It’s difficult to get a good wake for the goofy surfers. With a crew of three and about 2,200 lbs of ballast the goofy wake is so-so. I’ve made temporary modifications to my boat that helps even the regular and goofy wakes. The regular wake is OK not stellar with 1800 lbs and the same crew of three.

We ran a VLX for the wakesurfing tow boat at the Scioto Wakefest, in Columbus this year. The VLX gave us very good wakes on both sides with less ballast than my Lightning. The goofy stance riders gave the wake very good marks. We had 11 goofy stance riders and 10 regular stance riders and the wakesurfing competition. That’s a much higher percentage than the typical 30% that I hear ride with a goofy stance; so I was very pleased that the VLX wake met their expectations. For me the regular wake was very good, though I’d like to ride it more and experiment with ballast setups a bit more.

The operator of http://www.wakeboardmidwest.com/ has a goofy stance and a Supra 22SSV. I haven’t ridden behind his boat but he’s pretty happy with the goofy surfing wake.

I’d really like to ride behind an Avalanche and a 23 foot Enzo. Both of these hulls are supposed to be very good for wakesurfing.

I’d like to trade up to a better hull, but I don’t know how to break it to my wife. So I’ve given you what I know about surfing boat hulls, can you help me with getting my wife on board?

For those who want a goofy side wake on the Centurions this year you can order Right hand rotation V drive tranny.

This is my Cyclone with one fat sac an 4 people in the boat 9 or 10 mph

Enzo wake Surfing from board stock

http://www.wakesurfmag.com/files/boardstock2.wmv

http://www.wakesurfmag.com/files/boardstock3.wmv

I don't want good goofy or good regular wakes, I want good wakes on both sides, it can be done.

The wake on the Lighting is best when you bury the Centurion lettering.

An OK goofy wake

And OK regular wake; I recovered from back here...

and got back in the pocket

Just to be clear your boat is the Lighning not the Lighning C4 with the new hull right?

"I want good wakes on both sides, it can be done"

Ok but Don't you have to dump tons of weight and refill to do that?

I am not sure what the goofy wake is like on my boat or how much weight it would take. I just surf when the water is to rough for footing or boarding so I just stick with the one side

Not a C4 – my boat has the old ski hull. I suspect that the C4 hull is a much better hull than the ski boat Lightning that I have. The ski boat hull has lots of structure including a hull extension and spray pockets and other shapes that I think are bad for surfing. A clean wakeboard boat hull like the C4 Lightning and the balance of current the Centurion line up are all probably better for surfing.

For pictures I just posted I had:
Center tank 230 lbs
Port/starboard locker 750 lbs
Tower mounted weights 80 lbs
Pop bags 270 lbs.
Crew of seven

Regular wakeplate up
Goofy wakeplate down.

Today we rode with a crew of 6 and with ballast on the order of one ton. Setting up all the ballast is a pain and takes time. I'm getting a great workout moving all the weight around. I want a boat that surfs well on both wakes without all the fussing around that I have to do now.

I’m pretty sure that the difference between regular and goofy wakes can be corrected or at least made much closer. I ran a couple of hull experiments this season, the last experiment demonstrating hardware that could make on the fly surf wake equalizations. I’m out of time for this season to make extend the hardware modification providing for a more dynamic demonstration and for a process fully vetting these ideas.

I’d also say that the VLX hull made a pretty good wake on both side with relatively little fussing. I have no experience with the top shelf Avy and Enzo Centurion surf boats. I’d love to see if those hulls rate as well as the VLX did for both my goofy crew and my regular self. Most of my crew ride with a goofy stance, I’m not buying a boat with a goofy set up just for them, but it would be nice if one boat made good wakes on both sides, or nearly as good on both sides.

At the Scioto Wakefest we had 11 goofy stance surfers and 10 regular stance surfers! Unless you make regular stance riders ride the goofy wake for points, making goofy stance surfing ride the regular side in a competition isn’t even closely fair. I know that in a select few national competitions two identical boats are set up with LH and RH props, not all comps and make that arrangement. I think it would be a significant advancement if you could make a boat for both surfing stances.

I would agree it would be ideal if prop rotation did not affect the wake.

Even if it did not you would still have to either move the weight around or dump ballast on one side and fill on the other

I think that prop rotation has two primary effects and I think they can be at least partly countered.

Ok maybe so but you still have to move all the weight

No I don't think so, or not as much needs to be moved.

Ok now you have me scratching my head. So you don't want the boat to lean to one side or the other?? Now if you can pull that off you need to call Tim Lopes at Centurion and sell them your innovation!

No doubt!

Well, thanks for the comments all. I think i'm just going to have to do some demos and see whats what.

Had 2000 lbs + 5 passengers today but no camera to take a picture of what the Cyclone looks like with that kind of weight. I'd say the wave is about mid thigh on me at the tallest point ( i'm 6'4 ). Same problem - pocket just isn't nearly as long as i see on some of the pictures posted various places.

Ed - although i'm not married yet, i'd go with the theory of it's easy to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.

Demo is always the way to go!

Just curious Are you trying to make the Cyclone Goofy or regular??

"Ed - although i'm not married yet, i'd go with the theory of it's easy to beg forgiveness than to ask permission."

AND now we know why you are not married

The idea isn't fully vetted, sounds like I'm talking out of my you know what.

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/328728.html?1153416641

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/341814.html?1152539360

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/336617.html?1150980182

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/335942.html?1150566599

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87668/324096.html?1147101749

With the fillers you are building the new hull Cyclone, lighning C4 Avalanche etc with no Ski stuff going on spray pockets etc.....I think its time to have the TALK with the wife

Definitely not married!!! My wife could be happy the rest of her life if she never set foot on another boat. Honey guess what followed me home from work today. The fact that she went along with replacing my 1993 I/O with the Mighty Centurion Lightning shocked me. Acctually I went to the local boat show to buy a tower for the I/O.

I'll talk to my local dealer, Mike, next year, maybe if I start warming her up now there will be a new boat in 08. That will give me 07 to better test my ideas.

Now that sounds like a plan!

So CBK that's your Avy on eBay? If so, too bad my local dealer is pretty good and I'm inclined to buy close to home (in 08).

I would agree buy from your local dealer!

But if you want a deal my dealer has this 05 left http://www.clarkboatmotor.com/detail.asp?product_id=fnej1466k405

Its about 20 minutes form St Louis :-()

Kevin, I thought you were in the upper Midwest, Minnesota, Wisconsin...

No thats Millertyme on http://www.wakesiderides.com/centurion/

Ick, my boat is much better looking, boats are for fun, they should look good too. Some of the 07s look pretty cool, though I'm not a NASCAR fan.

Ya, I see Millertyme on wakeside rides a lot.

So not everyone is a Lime green fan
The Be Sticker can be replaced with the
Tribal Centurion sticker

I am with you I like RED, Black the yellow the one I have now is not bad it has black to

(

(Message edited by krbaugh on September 17, 2006)