Surfing behind 255XD

[jcyamaharider]

That's what you use on the transom of your 242X or a 255X?

850lbs seems excessive. That would shorten the surf pocket quite a bit.

I only use a 200 lb bag.

Actually we have been doing this for several years now and are co branded with Fatsac on producing these bags. It is actually what the boat needs too surf very well and one of the most popular items for Yamaha jet boats. Our pocket is not short and we are able to do plenty of playing on the wave.

 

[Wicked92]

This might be true with stock ballast but the addition of the 25ft transom bag and listing the boat have had some outstanding surf waves....

i second this. Maybe on just stock ballast thats the way t

That's what you use on the transom of your 242X or a 255X?

850lbs seems excessive. That would shorten the surf pocket quite a bit.

I only use a 200 lb bag.

850 on the back of my 255xd from gantlin, i also run 300 to 350 up front. Just running the 850 in the back indeed makes a shorter wave but generally u will be moving people up front or adding weight up front. Wave is all about displacement....pitch, and roll.

 

[Williamsone46]

Actually we have been doing this for several years now and are co branded with Fatsac on producing these bags. It is actually what the boat needs too surf very well and one of the most popular items for Yamaha jet boats. Our pocket is not short and we are able to do plenty of playing on the wave.

What kind of increase would you say it adds?

 

[Williamsone46]

i second this. Maybe on just stock ballast thats the way t

850 on the back of my 255xd from gantlin, i also run 300 to 350 up front. Just running the 850 in the back indeed makes a shorter wave but generally u will be moving people up front or adding weight up front. Wave is all about displacement....pitch, and roll.

I was going to say, adding that kind of weight you'd have to add front weight.

 

[Wicked92]

I was going to say, adding that kind of weight you'd have to add front weight.

yup and the wave gets even bigger, most of us are chasing the biggest longest we can acquire lol. I even went as far as paying attention with a clinometer what my roll and pitch is to duplicate a wave when i get it on point.

 

[NewBoater]

What was the numbers you got on the meter for pitch and roll for the best wave?

 

[Wicked92]

What was the numbers you got on the meter for pitch and roll for the best wave?

havent honed in yet on the magic number, but right now ive been trying to weight the boat to get 3* roll and 9* pitch to start. Just started playing with it. Also im at a severe disadvantage as im low depth challenged lol. We got 6-12ft water in our area. Ive been ropeless in 6-7 and it gets better in the 9-10 range an actually having fun working the wave. So my numbers even after finding em, might not work for you guys with that killer 20ft + depth.

 

[DonnyC]

What you have been told is not very accurate. At surfing speeds you will get backflow pools and the CO can and does pool on the platform. I put 2 CO detectors on my boat. One on the platform and one just above cockpit drain on the back wall. I have experimented at all different speeds. I have had them both go off. It depends on speed and wind direction as well as what is in the cockpit creating different vortexes and pockets. Not safe at any speed to be on the back platform, imho.

some threads here we talked about it.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/if-you-ever-thought-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-could-not-happen-on-your-boat-read-this.30209/

Also, since the half life on carboxyhemoglobin is approximately 5 hours, just by running around at a higher speed for a bit doesn't vacate the CO out of your body so it can and will become cumulative if you are exposed throughout a boating day. And that is what happens for a grave circumstance to occur. Once you reach a certain level in your blood, there is no turning back, no amount of "Fresh" air will help and death is eminent.

Here is a grid and some additional info if anyone is interested.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2022-yahama-195s-deposit.32765/post-537600

Information is the best Prevention!

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely buy a detector.

 

[Klover]

Had a good surfing day yesterday (other than the smoke/haze). Getting our 255xd surf wave dialed in. Just my wife and I and our two sons and one of their friends (so not much weight as far as riders) and no extra weight other than the factory ballast filled as in the attached pic. Proud of my son as he really got the hang of going ropeless today. He had several few min ropeless runs. I also had several slack and ropeless runs.
He’s got the surfing bug now and he’s been asking “can we go boating today?” Lol

 

[Williamsone46]

Here is from last weekend.

 

[DonnyC]

We had our best luck yesterday with 100 / 70 / 40 ballast distribution at 11.8 MPH. 10 people in the boat with just stock ballast. No one went totally rope-less, but everyone had a great time surfing back and forth into the wave.

 

[dapowerelectric]

Aloha got a fly high fatsac 800lbs to add to my 255xd. Anybody dialed down with this that can share any info? Also any airpump you recomend to set fatsac in Right position before pumping water to it? It looks like bag moves a lot if dont set it up eith air prior to water and gets pretty damn heavy once it has some water on it!
Also stock ballast settings with the xtra bag? And anyone recommend and jetwash deflector? Trying to get the best wake possible. Im in hawaii so have 100 + feet of depth.

 

[Wicked92]

Aloha got a fly high fatsac 800lbs to add to my 255xd. Anybody dialed down with this that can share any info? Also any airpump you recomend to set fatsac in Right position before pumping water to it? It looks like bag moves a lot if dont set it up eith air prior to water and gets pretty damn heavy once it has some water on it!
Also stock ballast settings with the xtra bag? And anyone recommend and jetwash deflector? Trying to get the best wake possible. Im in hawaii so have 100 + feet of depth.

100% in all ballast tanks, and you will need some ballast up front in the bow.

I air my bag up in place and strap it in place before putting water in. Fill to the very top, no air pockets and it shouldnt move after that.


You can play with non surf side factory tank % to list the boat harder to the surf side if you dont have many people on the boat.


You will need relatively calm flat water also.

 

[Dleconey]

2 adults on back swim platform works well but introduces carbon monoxide risk. If you can get 2 back there and 2 more adults in that cockpit rear surf corner sitting down and rest of passengers in cockpit standing up toward left side of boat you should have a really good surf wave. Might even work without the 2 people on the swim platform. But having the extra weight back there on the swim platform is clutch for a big wave.

Also maybe try 100% ballast surf side and 100% ski locker and 0% ballast non surf side. That might also help dig the surf side corner of the boat in the water.

Here’s a photo from Gantlin page to show how you really need that angle of the boat and the back of the boat dug in the water to get that big wave.

Good luck and keep us posted!

So we got our XD July 2021 and was also disappointed with the wake to start, but improved it a bit every time out. Our recipe with NO added ballast is:

Fill the gas tank for more weight
100%-100%- on surf side and center, then vary the non surf ballast 0 to 80% depending on surfer preference.
We put two people out on the surf platform, this is a must but probably illegal on most lakes. YOU are the captain so require them to wear a life jacket and DO NOT run the fan or it will flood them with CO.
Put another person in the corner inside seat surf side and if you have more people in the boat crowd them to that corner if possible.
11 mph


this will allow most people under 190 lbs to surf ropeless, especially if water is otherwise pretty calm.
I’m 160 and it gives me a great push and a fairly long wake to play on.
Experienced surfer and driver also helps a lot.
The size of board and surfer weight distribution is also pretty important to go ropeless.
Hope this helps all of you!

 

[zipper]

So we got our XD July 2021 and was also disappointed with the wake to start, but improved it a bit every time out. Our recipe with NO added ballast is:

Fill the gas tank for more weight
100%-100%- on surf side and center, then vary the non surf ballast 0 to 80% depending on surfer preference.
We put two people out on the surf platform, this is a must but probably illegal on most lakes. YOU are the captain so require them to wear a life jacket and DO NOT run the fan or it will flood them with CO.
Put another person in the corner inside seat surf side and if you have more people in the boat crowd them to that corner if possible.
11 mph


this will allow most people under 190 lbs to surf ropeless, especially if water is otherwise pretty calm.
I’m 160 and it gives me a great push and a fairly long wake to play on.
Experienced surfer and driver also helps a lot.
The size of board and surfer weight distribution is also pretty important to go ropeless.
Hope this helps all of you!

Welcome to the forum. Any people out on the swim platform while surfing is illegal per USCG regs. and you will get the attention of whatever LEO is present. They will pull you over. People have succumbed to CO just sitting there while engines are running. I suggest using a swim platform ballast bag. Many people use them here. The fans/blowers exhaust gasoline vapor and pull clean air thru the engine bay for combustion. They can also help cool the engines on a hot day. Any CO is coming from the exhaust outlets under the swim platform, not from the engine bay, unless you have a leak. It may be a warmer place to sit as the exhaust fans expell heat on that side of the swim platform. The other side is the air inlet, two big holes behind the backrest. Trying to keep captain's and their crew safe here. They are crew not guests, because the captain put them there as ballast. There are threads on all these topics, found with a search. https://jetboaters.net/threads/gantlin-fatsac-25ftr-is-in.34491/

https://jetboaters.net/threads/yamaha-boats-featured-on-today-show-story-about-carbon-monoxide.35211/#post-565757

Not trying to be an ass, just trying to keep people safe on their boat. Again, welcome.

 

[ripler]

We put two people out on the surf platform, this is a must but probably illegal on most lakes. YOU are the captain so require them to wear a life jacket and DO NOT run the fan or it will flood them with CO.

You can not be more wrong, riding on the swim platform while the boat is underway is illegal everywhere, the CO fumes do not come from the engine compartment it comes from the exhaust. I'm sorry to be harsh, but like you said you are the captain and you are responsible for your passengers and you should be more aware of the hazards of boating. I see Yamahas on the river I boat on with passengers, including young kids, riding on the swim platform, including one that docks at my marina. I've mentioned to him that he shouldn't be underway with people on the platform and he immediately came back with "I don't have to worry about a prop, my boat is a jetboat." I said it had nothing to do with the prop and it's about CO poisoning, he got an attitude and walked away. At least my conscious is clear since I gave him a warning if he does ever have someone get poisoned.

My MasterCraft is CARB 4 star rated and has catalytic converters, we use a CO monitor when we surf and the alarm goes off often. The alarm setpoint is well below the allowable threshold and it typically goes off when we stop to pick up a downed surfer because the wave pushes the fumes toward the boat. Once we start moving the alarm goes away.

Preventing CO Poisoning While Boating (boat-ed.com)

CO poisoning on a Yamaha boat.
Boat carbon monoxide poisoning: Woman, 21, drowns on lake trip (today.com)

 

[DonnyC]

Totally agree on the safety issue. I also bought a monitor (after seeing posts on this forum), and was shocked at the CO levels on the swim platform. So I bought steel shot bags to use on the swim platform, only because I didn't want the hassle of the water ballast bags. Either way, please use non-people for weight on the swim platform. It makes a huge difference for the wake and keeps everyone safe.

 

[HangOutdoors]

So we got our XD July 2021 and was also disappointed with the wake to start, but improved it a bit every time out. Our recipe with NO added ballast is:

Fill the gas tank for more weight
100%-100%- on surf side and center, then vary the non surf ballast 0 to 80% depending on surfer preference.
We put two people out on the surf platform, this is a must but probably illegal on most lakes. YOU are the captain so require them to wear a life jacket and DO NOT run the fan or it will flood them with CO.
Put another person in the corner inside seat surf side and if you have more people in the boat crowd them to that corner if possible.
11 mph


this will allow most people under 190 lbs to surf ropeless, especially if water is otherwise pretty calm.
I’m 160 and it gives me a great push and a fairly long wake to play on.
Experienced surfer and driver also helps a lot.
The size of board and surfer weight distribution is also pretty important to go ropeless.
Hope this helps all of you!

Do your research. Under no circumstances should anyone ride or be on the swim platform while the engines are running. Every year there are deaths and tradgedies from CO poisoning.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

How to Recognize the Signs of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning on Your Boat

Ally Sidloski, 21, drowned in May after being exposed to toxic fumes near the boat's engine. There are ways to recognize the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.

www.insideedition.com