Tips To Get a Better Wakesurfing Wave

Improve Your Wakesurfing Wake With These Tips

Not everyone can afford the newest wakesurf boats that come with all the bells and whistles.  If you already own an inboard boat with a decent hull then you can still make an awesome wake surfing wake.  If you have built-in ballast you are already one step ahead.  Most people will weigh down the surf side with more weight.  This always brings up the question what is the right way to weigh the boat for surfing?  Since every hull and every boat is slightly different there is no one way to do this correctly.  So let's answer the question of what is the most common way. 

What is the most common way to weigh the boat?

1. Figure out the surfside - are you goofy or regular?  Most surf on the Left side of the wake (left from the surfer's perspective).  You will want to add the most amount of weight to this side's rear corner.  Usually 500 -1,200 pounds or 80-100% full ballast bags.

2. Next, the opposite side will have to be filled as you fill the surfside or when you're complete.  For this side, you will want to have 200-600 pounds or  30%-50% full.  Again ballast bags and boat hulls come in all shapes and sizes so there is not an exact formula for this.

3. Fill the middle and front.  Yeah, the front needs weight to help push the boat down for a longer surf area.  It will also help the boat plane out to get enough speed to surf.  You can overweigh the boat where the engine will have trouble getting up to speed.  The front and middle will be around 200 in the middle and 200-400 in the nose.  Your Ballast bags in the front will be 70-100% full.  

If possible it is best to have a person or some extra ballast that you can move around the boat to adjust the weight on the fly.  The smaller brick ballast bags are perfect for setting on the seats or moving around on the boat floor to help fine-tune the wave. 

You Can Shop for Ballast Bags at 88 Gear 

Wake Shapers Take Some Of The Hassle Out Of Making  a Perfect Wave

 There is an Easier way to get a great Surf Wake without all the hassle. 

Wake shapers can be added to your existing inboard boat and will greatly improve your surfing wake.  There are a couple of different models on the market and they all work in a similar way.  We suggest getting a shaper with suction cups so you can easily move it around on the hull to get a perfect wave.  The other cool thing about shapers is that you can move them from one side to the other if you have goofy or regular foot surfers.  They also make the transition from surfing to wakeboarding quicker because you generally weigh the backend of the boat evenly.  Most Wake Shapers attached on the opposite side you surf.  

  You can find different types of Wake Shapers and surfing accessories for improving your wake

Speed Is Important When Wakesurfing

This one doesn't take much effort besides finetuning your speed or making sure it's consistent.  You can surf at various speeds and sometimes you will have to adjust due to extra people in the boat or different weight with your ballast system.  The common range is around 9-14.  Again every boat, hull and boat weight is different so there isn't a magic number.  If your boat has cruise control and automatic settings you can dial it in once and get pretty close every time you go out.  If not you will be doing some small adjustments on the fly.  Remember to make small adjustments when your adjusting speed, it's safer for the passengers and the person surfing. 

Last Lake Depth Makes All the Difference to A Wakesurf Wake

Have you ever noticed while your surfing or driving the wake shrinks and rises?  Yeah even if you're not changing the weight in your boat the wake will go up and down in size.  It does this because the depth in lakes and rivers change and that has a huge impact on your wake.  

TIp: Surf in the Deepest part of the lake to get the biggest Wave 

You will either have to know the layout of your lake or most boats are equipped with a depth finder.   If you can stay in areas 10ft and deeper your wave will be higher and longer.  Once your past 20 ft you won't notice big changes but going from a 20ft depth to a 6 ft depth you would see drastic changes in the wake size. 

If you're new to surfing we hope you found these tips helpful.  If you need new equipment please check out 88 Gear for all the latest Wakesurf Boards, Surf Ropes, and Wake Shapers

Looking to get into wake surfing or upgrade your equipment we can help give us a call or email to see what's new at 88 Gear