Possible New Buyer Questions (Wake-surfing)

[Trevin Spencer]

Good afternoon all. I just have a couple questions about wake surfing that I am trying to find answers on before I purchase a new boat.

We own a 21ft Bayliner I/O that we bought new in 2002 and have been very satisfied over the years. Great family boat for watersports. Lately we have wanted to venter into the wake surfing world so we have been thinking about a new boat. I love what Yamaha has been doing lately. Your boats are beautiful and very well designed!

I have been looking at the new AR192's and really love them. They look like that are a great all around boat for every type of watersport. I really can justify purchasing an expensive surf/wakeboard specific boat. I have been following this forum for a while and have read others ask numerous times if the 19 foot boats will make a big enough wake to surf behind. The answers are usually yes, with around 800lbs of ballast. But I never really see any real photos or proof of people going rope-less.

I have also looked into the 21foot variety which I see tons of video f people surfing behind, but I would love to not jump into the $50,000 range... That is basically $20,000 more just to do this one sport.

It seams to me the AR192's supercharged engine is powerful enough to add a good deal of ballast and still move around ok. With the combination of added ballast and a large board like the Hyperlite Landlock it looks possible. It also seams the addition of a wake wedge just shapes the wave, but not actually makes it bigger. I could be totally wrong on this though. I just wanted to get a couple opinions before making the purchase.

Thank you very much!

 

[CFD3Captain]

There are a good bit of variables to consider. It is doable and it has been documented here a few times (have to use google search instead of search here) @jcyamaharider had some pics in a thread of him rope less behind a SX190. The beauty of it is you do not need a wake wedge as the twins do (The wedge is only used to clean the jet wash up, it's not needed on the single engine model) With that said, with 800lbs I made a decent wave (there is a video of it here probably back in May) I have surfed with the rope a good bit, have gotten slack in the rope, but have never thrown the rope in. It's still fun though. The variables are simply physics. Weight of rider and the board being ridden. I am a big guy and maybe that and the combination of the board we have is why I can't do it. I think if I would have listened and bought the Hyperlite Landlock or the Inland Surfer Red Rocket, it might have been easier. But I only wanted one board that anyone could use and it may be too small for me. With that said, others have used the same board and have gotten slack but none have tried to toss the rope. As far as the engine, 800lbs ballast is about the max. You might get away with a little more, but not much. With the two 400 bags I have it's nice, because when we have more "human" ballast, I could just fill one bag.

As you might have noticed, mine is for sale. It's primarily because we want to surf and want all of the ballast hidden. The other things is my wife doesn't like the swim platform that well and wants a "sun pad" to lay on. We weren't really in position to buy a wake boat before and are able to now. But in all honestly hate selling this boat as I have done a lot of mods to make it about perfect.

 

[CFD3Captain]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/ar192-perfect-pass-and-ballast-testing-gopro-footage.5493/

Thread with my comparison video.

And I found this thread too
https://jetboaters.net/threads/ropeless-behind-my-sx190.2980/

 

[RiverRat]

My crew just started surfing on my 192 mid September this year. I've filled up to 1800 lbs of bags, mostly to see if I could, and it could, but the best wave seems to be right around 800 lbs surf side like @CFD3Captain said. I imagine some of us will be rope less early next season. But even with the rope it's still a blast.

Interior space of the 192 is probably pretty close to that of your 21' Bayliner, due to the low mounted engine with cockpit seating on top. I came from an '06 Bayliner 175 and the 192 feels twice as big.

That being said, if you can go used and find a AR210/212X you like, I suggest going that way. Especially if you're looking to surf with a decent size crew on board.

 

[RiverRat]

Not sure if @sx210owner is still looking to move his, but Mark set his up really nice for surfing!

 

[d_coyne1984]

The 190/192 is a great boat and I have very few complaints about it, but it really isn't a great option for surfing in my opinion. Yes, it is doable, but the single jet, even supercharged runs really hard to be able to move all that weight at slow speed though the water and I don't feel great about taxing the engine that hard for long periods of time. If wake surfing is your primary reason for upgrading and you are trying to stay under $50k, you might have some luck searching for a used Epic or Axis V-Drive. They aren't quite as flashy as the Mastercrafts or Malibus, but still get the job done. That's the way I would go.

 

[jcyamaharider]

I was riding an inland surfer squirt when I did that. It was fun but I would bump up to a bigger used boat. The mature Ar230 boats can be had for around 25,000- 30,000 depending on upgrades and are great boats ( obviously, I have one ) Also yes @sx210owner has his boat up for sale that is decked out in stereo and fully plumbed in ballast. I would just add perfect pass and be done with it.

 

[Chillypilot]

The simple answer. The bigger the boat the bigger the wake, the bigger the wake the bigger the fun. I'd buy used and use the money you saved to buy a wake wedge and 3000lbs of ballast. Here is a couple of shots of the wake behind by SX230.

 

[ar240owner]

I know where there is a sweet sx210 for sale !!! Set up for surfing !!!! Awesome wave !!!!!

 

[Trevin Spencer]

Hey guys! Thank you so much for the replies. This gives me a lot to consider over the winter before next season. Which is tough because it seams like a good deal is to be had in the fall, and not in the spring when everyone is thinking about the water again.
Thank you for your comments @CFD3Captain ! And thank you of the comparison video and photos. Sure looks awesome.

All in all it seams like if I want to just surf as our main activity on the water, the 192 is not the boat for me. But if I want a really great well rounded boat that I can surf a little bit as well (with 800lbs ballast), the 192 is perfect.

And thanks for the photos guys! Those 21's 23's and 24's look awesome!! And looks like you guys can rock huge wakes! A used 21' is certainly a possibility for us, but then I really like the idea of a brand new 19' so I don't deal with anyone else's problems. Not saying yours has any @sx210owner ! haha, but you know what I mean.

@RiverRat When you did your ballast, do you have any photos of your bag placement exactly? Do people strap it to the back swim step or try to get multiple bags below the seats? Or just throw them up on the seats? Thanks!

 

[RiverRat]

I put one 350 lb bag under the rear port seat and a 540 lb bag right on top.



If I have more than one other full size adult on the boat while surfing, I won't need to fill the 540 all the way.

 

[Trevin Spencer]

Hahaha that is an awesome photo! Thank you for that!

 

[Bruce]

Buy a 190 instead of a 192 and you will decrease your fuel usage and increase the boats range.

 

[Trevin Spencer]

@Bruce True. But won't the 190 not have enough power to move the 800lbs of ballast and a few adults while someone surfs, or does another watersport?

 

[Bruce]

190 owners will have to answer that. But I understand that its is fairly easy to get a surfable wake behind a 190.

Have you considered a used 212X? Or you can get a previous generation 242 for new 192 money.

 

[Trevin Spencer]

@Bruce There is a 2008 212X in my area that is forsale. I am going to go look at it next week. Like I said higher up, I am comparing the pros and cons of an older boat vs a new 192.
Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[Bruce]

@Bruce There is a 2008 212X in my area that is forsale. I am going to go look at it next week. Like I said higher up, I am comparing the pros and cons of an older boat vs a new 192.
Thank you for the suggestions.

The 212x will burn less fuel and handle a much heavier load. The 192 burns significantly more fuel than any other Yamaha boat. Not sure if the fuel cost is an issue for you. We have enjoyed boating to Bimini, Bahamas the last two years and have felt bad for the 192s having to fuel up on the way while everyone else had plenty left in the tank. Especially for the guy that brought 45 gallons and had to borrow 10 more this year.

We are entering the slow season for boating so you have plenty of opportunity to shop around before spring and should find prices either flexible or already low.

 

[Trevin Spencer]

Hmm, thank you. That is something to consider!