Newbie Wakesurfing/Wakeboarding Setup and Info?

[tdonoughue]

So, I am considering trying my hand (foot?) at wakesurfing and/or wakeboarding. I have never even water skied (I am usually driving). I have no equipment (other than a rope) and no skills. And little appetite to drop $1k into something and find out I don't like it or can't do it or whatever. So.

a) Would you recommend wakesurfing or wakeboarding?
b) Can you recommend equipment? Namely, should I start with wakeboarding, skip the ballast, etc. and focus on a board? Or wakesurfing, where I will certainly need ballast bags, etc.?
c) What do I look for in a beginner board? Hopefully not too pricey of one...
d) Any particular tutorial you would recommend for starting out? I know there are a lot of YouTube videos instructing on both... Any you would recommend, particularly?

TIA!

 

[swatski]

Wakeboarding is a lot of fun but it can be brutal; a faceplant - falling on your face - at 20mph (add gravity to it for full impact) can be catastrophic for your health. Not to scare you but it is a consideration; I would start very very slowly - pulling at 16mph, and only trying it when you have glass water, no wind, no wakes from other boats.
Good news is - you just need a board and you can start.
There is wake skating, too, which is supposedly safer, I want to try it but never have. @2kwik4u hopefully can chime in!

Wake surfing requires quite hefty amount of setup, if you want it semi-automated - in our boats; but, it is totally easier on your bones; not impossible but nearly - to seriously hurt yourself.

A wake wedge is (almost) a must. After that, a couple of big bags and you can get going. Say a word, I'll send you a couple of big bags to try (I'm 100% serious - it would be my pleasure and I have some extras), you would probably need to get an "overboard" pump - those are cheap and work well. If you try it and like it, then you can figure out if you want to go crazy modifying the boat with surf mods.
well, you would need a board, too, lol. The Yamaha slingshot coaster is probably the way to go, but I would leave it to @J-RAD to tell you what to do.

Kids, at least in my family, tend to prefer being pulled on wakeboards, ZUP boards, etc.

--

 

[tdonoughue]

Great input--thanks @swatski ! I generally boat on Lake Conroe. So that means that glass is very hard to come by (we can get it very early, but other than that the lake is generally chop-city).

I like the idea of easier on the bones. These bones are not as young as they once were. Not old yet, but certainly not young.

Appreciate the offer on the bags! Seriously, very generous of you. I will hold on those for more info on the boards and some other opinions. Hate to get them and then to decide the other way (or to do none of them) and then have that offer wasted.

I am certainly not at the 'mod the boat' phase yet (well, not for this at least). More at the 'is this viable and fun' phase.

Again, thanks for the excellent input.

 

[Croker]

If you want to sink 1k go wake boarding you'll love it maybe a have a few lessons to get some good technique. Also make sure someone knows how to drive to your liking. Luckily for me, I was gifted a board from a friend and I use it all the time (altho I'm not very good). If you're unsure about wake surfing use an old second hand surfboard (I got mine for $25 at the dump and all the fibre glass is split) its pretty shit but it gets the job done. Unfortunately, I cannot let go of the rope completely but I've felt the feeling and its something I enjoy and something I want to invest in down the road. I think your right don't sink everything into the sport yet, try it and see how you go.

 

[J-RAD]

@tdonoughue, I suggest you do both... we're not getting any younger. You've already got the most expensive part of the equation (the boat), take advantage if every opportunity you have to enjoy it.

In terms of equipment, wakeboarding is as simple as a board and a rope. Besides that a competent driver, willing to learn along with you. I can make a recommendation for a board. The majority of my inventory isn't coming in for a while but, we can check availability and bring something in anytime. If it's in the warehouse. O'Brien has some great boards that would be good for beginners up and last you and your family for years.

For tutorials, YouTube is a great resource. Sean Murray has several videos teaching technique.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzW7auimACTo2jYfsUqGqaP0rUqRG6M1w

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzW7auimACTraNEmcMrAVCfhLXcqjyT5d

Wakesurfing can be an more expensive when you begin adding components to your boat. I would consider taking up @swatski on his offer for ballast bags. Your AR240 is capable of generating a great wave when properly ballasted. In reality, you don't have to go whole hog to start. You just a wakesurfer and a surf rope. Sit all your passengers on the rear surf side, power up to 9-10 mph, drive in a wide circle to list the boat surf side, and offset the throttles (back if the surf side and up on the non surf side) to clean up the surf side a bit. The wave will be small, but it's good enough to get a feel and play around with the rope. Lean to communicated with the driver to dial in the speed and see try to find the push. You'll love it, I promise! Just get your credit card ready. You'll be buying a Wake Wedge, custom transom ballast bag, internal ballast, and GPS speed control.

Ridesteady is having a sale for members now, I'd highly recommend it for both wakeboarding and surfing. Managing speed can take a lot of attention from the driver. The Ridesteady allows them to set the speed and focus on driving. Consistency makes it SO much better as rider. It's pricey, but it's one of those things you'll wonder what you ever did without.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/hydrophase-ridesteady-gps-speed-control-jetboaters-net-member-discount-jan-2021.31139/

Feel free to ask questions.

 

[kgower]

I have wake boarded for years. I'm told wake surfing is easier. Looking forward to trying when the boat arrives. @tdonoughue but your right I think the set up will run me $2K, ballast, board et cetera.

 

[anmut]

You should ask someone that has a wakeboard to take you out so you can borrow their gear and have them drive. It's a whole learning experience. That said, I waterskied as a kid and decided with our boat purchase last January that I wanted to teach myself to wakeboard in 2020. It took some gumption but I picked it up. More importantly, my wife was awesome at driving. After wakeboarding I decided to try surfing - same thing that it took a few tries but I got it, and it was a ton of fun.

Honestly, neither of them will be inexpensive (welcome to boating). If you like wakeboarding, buy a 2020 model board (not junk off of FB) that treats you right, which will put you back $300-400. Decent rope is $60-100. Decent Jacket is $60-100. If you progress out of just getting up and cutting the wakes you'll want to add some ballast and a pump to the ski locker to improve your wave height ($200) and get Ride Steady for your driver ($1200) so wakeboarding doesn't end in divorce.

Surfing is a black hole of money: Board is $300-400 to start with, you'll have probably $500-700 invested in ballast, and you'll absolutely need the $1200 Ride Steady to hold your speed perfectly. Wake shaper is $800-1000. Rope is different so another $60-100, jacket is the same obviously.

On top of this don't forget you'll want some decent racks to hold all this crap - $200 for a wakeboard/surf combo.

I did as others stated, I watched a TON of YouTube how-to's for both, and they really helped. By the middle of last summer I was teaching others how to board and surf. Boarding, in my opinion, is more thrilling. But surfing is fun and the falls are super easy. Wakeboarding setup is "hang rope and strap on" - I usually put in on the way to the sandbar just to get a set in. Surfing on these jet boats can be 30 minutes of setup but well worth it once you get that wave dialed.

Another thing to consider is your location - wakeboarding you can do in any depth of water that you can run your boat in. Surfing needs 8+ feet of water to get a decent wave, but realistically you want 12+ feet for a great wave. Subsequently, having the ability to do both allows you to enjoy watersports with varying weather conditions. If it's a low wind day, wakeboard all day on that beautiful glass. High wind or lots of boat traffic, sink the transom and go surfing.

Either way you won't regret it. We bought our 212S with the tower because of resale with zero intention to do watersports. However it has created so much fun for our family that the money doesn't even matter. Watching your six year old daughter get up on her wakeboard the first time? Priceless. Taking her on the surfboard with you and going ropeless for 15 minutes while you and her have a 100% connected time together behind this big, loud, expensive money pit? PRICELESS.

 

[kgower]

You should ask someone that has a wakeboard to take you out so you can borrow their gear and have them drive. It's a whole learning experience. That said, I waterskied as a kid and decided with our boat purchase last January that I wanted to teach myself to wakeboard in 2020. It took some gumption but I picked it up. More importantly, my wife was awesome at driving. After wakeboarding I decided to try surfing - same thing that it took a few tries but I got it, and it was a ton of fun.

Honestly, neither of them will be inexpensive (welcome to boating). If you like wakeboarding, buy a 2020 model board (not junk off of FB) that treats you right, which will put you back $300-400. Decent rope is $60-100. Decent Jacket is $60-100. If you progress out of just getting up and cutting the wakes you'll want to add some ballast and a pump to the ski locker to improve your wave height ($200) and get Ride Steady for your driver ($1200) so wakeboarding doesn't end in divorce.

Surfing is a black hole of money: Board is $300-400 to start with, you'll have probably $500-700 invested in ballast, and you'll absolutely need the $1200 Ride Steady to hold your speed perfectly. Wake shaper is $800-1000. Rope is different so another $60-100, jacket is the same obviously.

On top of this don't forget you'll want some decent racks to hold all this crap - $200 for a wakeboard/surf combo.

I did as others stated, I watched a TON of YouTube how-to's for both, and they really helped. By the middle of last summer I was teaching others how to board and surf. Boarding, in my opinion, is more thrilling. But surfing is fun and the falls are super easy. Wakeboarding setup is "hang rope and strap on" - I usually put in on the way to the sandbar just to get a set in. Surfing on these jet boats can be 30 minutes of setup but well worth it once you get that wave dialed.

Another thing to consider is your location - wakeboarding you can do in any depth of water that you can run your boat in. Surfing needs 8+ feet of water to get a decent wave, but realistically you want 12+ feet for a great wave. Subsequently, having the ability to do both allows you to enjoy watersports with varying weather conditions. If it's a low wind day, wakeboard all day on that beautiful glass. High wind or lots of boat traffic, sink the transom and go surfing.

Either way you won't regret it. We bought our 212S with the tower because of resale with zero intention to do watersports. However it has created so much fun for our family that the money doesn't even matter. Watching your six year old daughter get up on her wakeboard the first time? Priceless. Taking her on the surfboard with you and going ropeless for 15 minutes while you and her have a 100% connected time together behind this big, loud, expensive money pit? PRICELESS.

Is adding ballast to the transom on a 19" enough with a shaper to improve the wave or would also adding ballast to the ski locker make a significant difference?

 

[gallobg]

Is adding ballast to the transom on a 19" enough with a shaper to improve the wave or would also adding ballast to the ski locker make a significant difference?

My most successful session last year in a 2019 AR195 had the following layout:

650lb bag on transom, centered
200lb cube on rear seat, surf side
200lb cube in bow floor, centered
One adult driver and two small kids taking videos of themselves instead of me
Ridesteady GPS 9.5mph

I found the extra weight in the bow helped to bring the nose down and lengthened the surf pocket. The 650 bag is the "Gantlin custom" bag, and the 200 cubes were from the Yamaha Wakebooster kit.

Just keep in mind these 19' boats are surfable, but they are not surf boats. It takes extra equipment and trial/error. Go into it with that mindset and you'll have a great time.

 

[anmut]

Is adding ballast to the transom on a 19" enough with a shaper to improve the wave or would also adding ballast to the ski locker make a significant difference?

Here's a thread I did on my 21' 212S - you can see the progression of the wave as you add more weight, a shaper, and GPS speed control. Weight is key for the wave creation, shaper is key for wave shape and flow, and GPS speed control is key for keeping those two pieces together for extended and ropeless surfing. It took 2k lbs of water ballast to dial in the 21' boat. I think 19's you can get away with less.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2020-212s-wakesurfing-dialing-in-the-wave.28735/

 

[tdonoughue]

First off, thank you very much for all of the replies and thoughts. Lots of gold in them-thar comments.

A couple of other input points and some of my conclusions...

First, kids are on the verge of being grown and gone (that is, the youngest is a senior in HS). So I will not see my 6 yo surf--that day is passed. But on the upside, momma doesn't usually do the boat thing (unless we bring out another family, then she may tolerate it). But she certainly doesn't drive. So I now start thinking about these possibilities because 2 of the 3 sons are now authorized to pilot the craft. And all of them are nearby at least a good part of the year.

Second, I already have the rack! Finally installed it. Gotta use it. I also have a couple of good jackets (and a cheapo rope for skiing that I suppose could be repurposed).

Third, great insights on the money end. I do like the ideas of trying out things before I buy. I will check out some local options there, too.

Looks like trying wakeboarding is the most viable start (and then grow from there, if it takes). I love the idea of RideSteady. Love it. Just simply can't justify the cost at this point. But it is well in the front of my mind...

Ok, time to check out some of those videos so I can drool. Thanks again, folks!

 

[Scottintexas]

We need to set up a date, I'd be glad to drive down with my boat to give you an idea what fun it is,

If nothing else I've got some extra fat sacs and board I can lend you to see if you enjoy it or want to sink more money into it,



.

 

[anmut]

Second, I already have the rack! Finally installed it. Gotta use it. I also have a couple of good jackets (and a cheapo rope for skiing that I suppose could be repurposed).

Don't use a skiing rope for wakeboarding because you don't want stretch in the line when you're wakeboarding. You could use it for wakesurfing if you cut it down and re-looped it.

 

[tdonoughue]

Those videos are awesome... @J-RAD

 

[marcham]

My bills from last year for wakesurfing:

(Canadian dollars, before tax)
3 boards: 1800
Rope: 60
Board rack: 185
Yamaha wakebooster, 400lbs water ballast and pump: 1500
Extra water ballast: 750
Fuel: about 10 gal/hr while surfing... looks like we had almost 25hrs of surf time last summer.... (about 60hrs in the boat) that's about $1200 in fuel just for surfing!
Ridesteady speed control (essential) : 1900


If you're not sure, start with wakeboarding. You can get a decent board with adjustable bindings for usd 400-500. A rope maybe 50$. That's it!


Falls can hurt a lot at wakeboard speed (18-22mph). I've landed on the wakesurfboard a few times, it's not pleasant. Generally, I'd say surfing is much easier on my old bones....but it depends how hard you push. All activities have risks. The rewards of water sports are hard to beat.

 

[white2kstang]

I don't ever want to actually add up what I've spent on accessories for the boat. Thats scary. Lol

 

[dels]

@J-RAD I sent you a PM a few days back regarding boards if you have a chance to look at it TIA!

 

[J-RAD]

@J-RAD I sent you a PM a few days back regarding boards if you have a chance to look at it TIA!

Hmmm, I searched and can't seem to find a message from you... I'll shoot you one now and see what all were can recommend.