Surfing jet boat

[Kmich1972]

Hey everyone, I am looking into buys a jet boat mainly for the purpose of surfing. I love the styling of the Yamaha and there are a few for sale in my area. I have read a bit about the surf wedge from Yamaha but I read it’s only for 2017 and up. Can anyone confirm that? Do I have to get into a new boat to enjoy surfing in a jet boat or can I make do with a 2010-2013 212x and still do ropeless surfing ?

 

[Ratket]

^ that’s a loaded question.
Can it be done? Yes
Is it as simple as flipping a switch? - Nope.
Ballast ballast ballast. That’s what it takes to surf rope less.
Then you need a proper “ Cruise assist” like ride steady/perfect pass
Then some type of wake shaper.
I believe surfing to be easilyer achieved with the newer boats in factory form, but they are spendy. The newer “ wake surf kit” from Yamaha does only fit the newer boats, but there are some after market versions kicking around. If surfing is going to be ur main thing, you may want to look right at a surf specific boat. But if it’s going to be an occasional thing, the Yamahas may work out for you.

 

[Osric]

If it's styling+surfing you're after, there are plenty of attractive non-jet options that I think will be better on both fronts than a jet boat.

If it's an all-round jack of all trades master of none crowd pleaser, I've been very happy with my 2017 242X E-Series ... it's noisy as hell, drinks gas like there's no tomorrow, but does everything and my family does everything it does. I do wish it was quieter.

 

[J-RAD]

Hey everyone, I am looking into buys a jet boat mainly for the purpose of surfing. I love the styling of the Yamaha and there are a few for sale in my area. I have read a bit about the surf wedge from Yamaha but I read it’s only for 2017 and up. Can anyone confirm that? Do I have to get into a new boat to enjoy surfing in a jet boat or can I make do with a 2010-2013 212x and still do ropeless surfing ?

Hi @Kmich1972 welcome to the best boats forum on the internet. Surfing the model boats you are considering is totally possible. However there are challenges and you're not going to have much (or any) success with a stock boat.

The problems with surfing a Yamaha jet boat are 1) Jets make a messy wake 2) They're light weight and therefore don't displace enough water for a great surf wave 3) speed control.

The problems can be solved if you're willing to put forth the effort and investment. What your going to need is a shaper of some kind, the right ballast, and an after market speed control.

You've obviously heard a little of the available shapers. There are 3 main devices available and a few DIY. The main devices are the Yamaha WakeBooster kit (only fits newer models), the Gantlin Products Wake Wedge, and the new to market Thrust Vector Wakes. So 2 that fit the model years your referring to. In my opinion you can't beat the Wake Wedge when paired with the right ballast.

Ballast is the next thing to address. If you purchase a model with built in ballast under the seats and ski locker then 3/4 if the work is done for you, but it's been proven that more weight is needed on the surf side of the swim deck. Gantlin Products also sells a custom transom bag that is perfect for that. Paired with their Wake Wedge, the results are phenomenal.


It's important to maintain a consistent speed while surfing. You'll find the tenancy for these boats to creep up and down in speed. Add a GPS speed control system like the Hydrophase Ridesteady and your set.

Last and final item I've left off is the right board. I'm a watersports products dealer and have a unique knowledge of how boards perform on these waves. Message me when you're ready and I'll shoot you a discount code.

Transom Watersports | Wakeboard | Wakesurf | Vest | SUP

Best gear behind any boat for wakeboarding, wakesurfing, wakefoil, wakesurffoil and SUP. Life is better behind a boat with Transom Watersports.

www.transomwatersports.com

 

[OrangeTJ]

If you are buying a boat mainly for the purpose of surfing, as you said, I highly recommend going straight to a purpose built v-drive wake boat. Moomba, MB, Supreme, Sanger, ATX all make boats that will sell in the same general price range as a 242x. Not small $s, to be sure, but also not deep into the 100k range like some brands. Buying used obviously stretches your money as well.

 

[Kmich1972]

Thank guys very good information! I’m leaning towards a 212x just for the fact that they are lighter to tow. My truck pulls the camper and wife’s suv tow’s the boat. I like the idea of a multipurpose boat. I like to surf and wife does to but we have small kids so I’m sure there will be lots of tubeing in our trips as well.
I’ve heard a lot about the noise aspect are they really that much louder than an inboard/v drive.
Has anyone ever compared fuel consultation to say a v-drive, I was under the impression they are fairly thirst rigs?

 

[jsg73]

I am also looking at a 212x as a surf/ski/tube boat so I appreciate the comments as well.

 

[Recoveringfiberglassaddic]

Has anyone ever compared fuel consultation to say a v-drive, I was under the impression they are fairly thirst rigs?

I couldnt give you a direct comparison to jet boats but I'm sure it's similar to Vdrive/towboats that I'm used to(in regards to duty cycle/use not necessarily GPH). Fuel consumption with the inboard is basically linear. The more you start loading the boat up and running more ballast the more fuel you are going to chew through. Running a bigger crew on the boat means everyones going to want to surf so you are going to spend even more of your day filled with water/lead + more body weight in the boat.

If using vdrive HARD you can burn up to and above 10 gph easy. If you are running around on plane with small crew/tubing you can burn around half as much. Fuel consumption also depends on how boat is configured as well. An older 23ft with a 350/5.7 SBC will use more fuel than some of the newer configured boats that started moving to the 6.0L and 6.2s in my experience.

Depending on the SUV your wife drives and what vdrive you looked at it can easily be done.

 

[haknslash]

Thank guys very good information! I’m leaning towards a 212x just for the fact that they are lighter to tow. My truck pulls the camper and wife’s suv tow’s the boat. I like the idea of a multipurpose boat. I like to surf and wife does to but we have small kids so I’m sure there will be lots of tubeing in our trips as well.
I’ve heard a lot about the noise aspect are they really that much louder than an inboard/v drive.
Has anyone ever compared fuel consultation to say a v-drive, I was under the impression they are fairly thirst rigs?

I haven't checked fuel consumption very closely since we went to vdrive but I what I do know is that I'm burning less fuel than I did in my 192 even when running 3k lbs of ballast mixed in with cruising and putting around. I usually make it a point to always keep a 1/2 tank of fuel in my boat and that's when I refuel. I have been doing that less often than when I would fill up in the 192. The vdrive has a 65 gallon tank and the 192 had a 30 gallon tank. I fill up my Max maybe every other outing or more sometimes and on the 192 I filled up every outing and would last until the next outing. So basically I'm burning 30 gallons at a slower rate with the same usage and driving style as I did with my 192 if that all makes sense.

In terms of sound it's completely different both in harmonics and frequency. The Yamaha's are loud but I guess not much louder than an outboard boat if you've been on those but it's the frequency they scream at which just resonates all in the cockpit and can be difficult at times (having to scream to passengers). My vdrive by comparison is much quieter. You can actually have a conversation at cruising speeds where that wasn't possible on the Yamaha. The only time it's loud with my Raptor is when I'm launching the boat running a lot of ballast to get on plane or just romping down on it for the heck of it. The thing is though that when it's loud it is not loud like the Yamaha was because the frequency is much different (lower) with the throaty V8.

Here's some videos to give you an idea of sound differences...

My Yamaha AR192...

Compared to the Raptor 400...

 

[bobbie]

2014 212x. No wedge...only ballast and i surf all day.

 

[swatski]

Here is a 2016 AR240, w/ballast and wedge.


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