Wakeboard & Surf 2007 Recommendations

[matthewfraase]

Hello all! I am new to the jet boat community. We purchased a 2007 AR210. It has a 400lb ballast sack and a pump.

What else would be needed for a solid Wakeboard surf for boarding? And what would be needed to actually wake surf?

Thanks in advance for all the help!
Matt

 

[anmut]

To surf: A lot more ballast (1500-2k lbs) and a wake shaper. GPS speed control is a necessity too.

To wakeboard: Depends on what your goal is - steep and rampy wakes are hard on a twin engine jet, but adding ballast helps. Otherwise if you just want to go and carve, you can do that behind any boat.

Welcome to the fam!

 

[matthewfraase]

To surf: A lot more ballast (1500-2k lbs) and a wake shaper. GPS speed control is a necessity too.

To wakeboard: Depends on what your goal is - steep and rampy wakes are hard on a twin engine jet, but adding ballast helps. Otherwise if you just want to go and carve, you can do that behind any boat.

Welcome to the fam!

Appreciate that reply sir!

for the surf -any good recommendations for a wake shaper and ballast bags/straps?

for the wakeboarding - honestly, would just love to just have enough pop to go across the wake and clear it, not into tricks or anything crazy

 

[buckbuck]

I, perhaps, am a bit more conservative in my recommendation. @matthewfraase . While what @anmut suggested will certainly get you there I would suggest you start at a slower pace. I basically have the same boat. Same hull just bigger engines. We surf in 4'-6' of water with 400lbs of ballast on the port side. We do have a Wake Wedge (@jcyamaharider ) which helps give more push. As you get more advanced you will want more ballast.
For your boat I do not recommend speed control. It is remarkably easy to maintain surf speeds. Wakeboarding will be more difficult the closer you get to 16mph. Once you get to 19-20mph there will be less effort to keep it there. So I just suggest you hold off on that until you see how much you get into watersports.
We have a Hyperlite Broadcast board. It fits what we do. Hit up @J-RAD for detailed advice on boards
You are going to have a fun summer with the items you already have. Remember, we like pictures of families enjoying the water.

 

[matthewfraase]

I, perhaps, am a bit more conservative in my recommendation. @matthewfraase . While what @anmut suggested will certainly get you there I would suggest you start at a slower pace. I basically have the same boat. Same hull just bigger engines. We surf in 4'-6' of water with 400lbs of ballast on the port side. We do have a Wake Wedge (@jcyamaharider ) which helps give more push. As you get more advanced you will want more ballast.
For your boat I do not recommend speed control. It is remarkably easy to maintain surf speeds. Wakeboarding will be more difficult the closer you get to 16mph. Once you get to 19-20mph there will be less effort to keep it there. So I just suggest you hold off on that until you see how much you get into watersports.
We have a Hyperlite Broadcast board. It fits what we do. Hit up @J-RAD for detailed advice on boards
You are going to have a fun summer with the items you already have. Remember, we like pictures of families enjoying the water.

Amazing information! We are complete Intro surfers so that’s great Intel, we have wakeboarded for quite a few years but aren’t crazy talented by any means. Really appreciate the reply and thoughtful words!

 

[buckbuck]

You guys will love surfing

 

[matthewfraase]

You guys will love surfing

Wow! Looks amazing! We basically have the same stuff besides a year older boat; we don’t have the Gantlin Wake Wedge though; will that be a deal breaker? Looks like they’re pretty spendy around $1,000.

Thank you so much for sharing that video!

 

[buckbuck]

You won't get the same quality of wave without it. If you are on a large body of water you can create a better wave by piloting in a gentle arc to port. Just get out there and try with the things you have now.
But judging from our reputation here, we will talk you into spending more money on the boat. Sorry about that.

 

[matthewfraase]

You won't get the same quality of wave without it. If you are on a large body of water you can create a better wave by piloting in a gentle arc to port. Just get out there and try with the things you have now.
But judging from our reputation here, we will talk you into spending more money on the boat. Sorry about that.

Lol! Not a big deal to be convinced to do the right thing. Tried googling a link for that wedge but couldn’t find it, do they still sell it? A link would be great if you have one

 

[buckbuck]

@jcyamaharider ...come in @jcyamaharider ...you out there?

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Is the wake wedge or the one that Yamaha offers better? @buckbuck will be next summer for us. Just bought the boat and buying wake boards, vest, ropes, etc has already got me tapped. Just planning ahead. I have a 2021 AR210.

 

[buckbuck]

There are differing opinions on this. My era of boat does not have an option.
Yamaha's Wake Booster will have to be removed when done surfing. My experience aboard my friends 2017 212X is very positive. He can surf with no ballast as long as he has 5 feet or more of water.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

There are differing opinions on this. My era of boat does not have an option.
Yamaha's Wake Booster will have to be removed when done surfing. My experience aboard my friends 2017 212X is very positive. He can surf with no ballast as long as he has 5 feet or more of water.

your friend can with the Yamaha or the wake wedge on his 212? Thanks!

 

[matthewfraase]

Wow! Looks amazing! We basically have the same stuff besides a year older boat; we don’t have the Gantlin Wake Wedge though; will that be a deal breaker? Looks like they’re pretty spendy around $1,000.

Thank you so much for sharing that video!

With your wedge, can you leave it on when you water ski or wakeboard? With no additional ballast can it stay on and not affect the wake? Thanks for all your help!

 

[jcyamahariders wife]

Lol! Not a big deal to be convinced to do the right thing. Tried googling a link for that wedge but couldn’t find it, do they still sell it? A link would be great if you have one

Here is the link to the wake wedge website.
Wake Wedge for Yamaha Jet Boats

Definitely hit Jerry @jcyamaharider up if you need ballast/shaper info his number is listed on the bottom of his web page or you can message him.

 

[jcyamahariders wife]

With your wedge, can you leave it on when you water ski or wakeboard? With no additional ballast can it stay on and not affect the wake? Thanks for all your help!

Wake wedge can be left on all day. When the boat is on plain the wedge doesn't touch the water. We also have a universal wedge version for surfing both goofy and regular side. But people remove it after use because it blocks the ladder. We tell people to buy the wake wedge with ladder access if they do not have needs to surf both sides.

 

[jcyamaharider]

Like @buckbuck said you can defiantly do it and start off small. If you are just getting into it I would get a 21ft transom bag. You will need at least 10ft of water for a good solid wave and shape to be formed. You do not need the Wake Wedge if you do a turn to the surfer but that gets old quick. For straight line surfing a WW is a must. Look at the slingshot coaster board that @J-RAD has on sale now, those are great all around boards.

 

[J-RAD]

@matthewfraase, you're getting plenty of good advice in surfing here. Let me see if I can add a little by consolidating some of it.

#1 ballast is what builds the wave. The more water the hull displaces the larger the wake will be. The location of that ballast in the boat will effect the shape of the wave. Surfing requires accentuating the wave on one side. To do this on a Yamaha you'll need to focus the majority of the weight in the rear on the surf side. The custom swimdeck bag is the ideal for this, it puts the right amount of weight in the right place. Although having additional weight in the bow is going to improve it even further displacing more of the hull and increasing the length of the wave. Your 400lb bag on its own will have a minimal effect on its own.

#2 Jet drives make messy waves. The devices created specifically for the Yamaha's like the wake wedge and wakebooster (aka wake enhancer) work best because the target the jetwash specifically. The generic shapers that stick to the hull are less effective or do nothing on jet boats.

@jcyamaharider is the creator of the wake wedge. In my opinion, his device with the proper amount of ballast is the ideal setup. It has offers the cleanest wave with the most push and offers the ability to adjust the pitch and effect on the wave.

The wakebooster has also proven effective. By comparison from what I've heard and seen, the WakeBooster directs water passing along the side of the hull and redirects it across the wake. This does a reasonable job shaping the wave but also introduces a lot of air which actually softens the wave some giving it less push.

Surfing without a shaper is possible, but you have to cheat a bit. Diving in a gradual circle surf side will accentuate the wave on the inside of the turn. You can also offset the throttles, powering up on the non surf side and down on the the surf side.

#3 Speed. Your typical surf speed behind your Yamaha should be between 9.5-11pm. The help of a GPS based speed control system like Ridesteady wil be a big help in all water sports. It's awesome!

#4 board choice can be criticaleven it covers to smaller waves. Boat info, ballast setup, rider weight, and shaper are all factors.

As others have mentioned, I have a side hustle. As a watersports dealer. I've helped outfit many members here with boards and other equipment. I'd be happy to give a recommendation. I'd just need a little more info. We have a great buy on some last year model Slingshot Coasters right now.
Here's a link to our site:

Wakesurf Boards | Transom Watersports

No matter what boat you have we have a wakesurf board that can surf both large wakes and small wakes. Beginner to advanced riders. Let the fun begin with Transom Watersports.

www.transomwatersports.com

 

[Scottintexas]

@matthewfraase if you update your profile with your location there may be a member close by that can take you out for the afternoon and show you first hand how easy it is,


.

 

[matthewfraase]

@matthewfraase, you're getting plenty of good advice in surfing here. Let me see if I can add a little by consolidating some of it.

#1 ballast is what builds the wave. The more water the hull displaces the larger the wake will be. The location of that ballast in the boat will effect the shape of the wave. Surfing requires accentuating the wave on one side. To do this on a Yamaha you'll need to focus the majority of the weight in the rear on the surf side. The custom swimdeck bag is the ideal for this, it puts the right amount of weight in the right place. Although having additional weight in the bow is going to improve it even further displacing more of the hull and increasing the length of the wave. Your 400lb bag on its own will have a minimal effect on its own.

#2 Jet drives make messy waves. The devices created specifically for the Yamaha's like the wake wedge and wakebooster (aka wake enhancer) work best because the target the jetwash specifically. The generic shapers that stick to the hull are less effective or do nothing on jet boats.

@jcyamaharider is the creator of the wake wedge. In my opinion, his device with the proper amount of ballast is the ideal setup. It has offers the cleanest wave with the most push and offers the ability to adjust the pitch and effect on the wave.

The wakebooster has also proven effective. By comparison from what I've heard and seen, the WakeBooster directs water passing along the side of the hull and redirects it across the wake. This does a reasonable job shaping the wave but also introduces a lot of air which actually softens the wave some giving it less push.

Surfing without a shaper is possible, but you have to cheat a bit. Diving in a gradual circle surf side will accentuate the wave on the inside of the turn. You can also offset the throttles, powering up on the non surf side and down on the the surf side.

#3 Speed. Your typical surf speed behind your Yamaha should be between 9.5-11pm. The help of a GPS based speed control system like Ridesteady wil be a big help in all water sports. It's awesome!

#4 board choice can be criticaleven it covers to smaller waves. Boat info, ballast setup, rider weight, and shaper are all factors.

As others have mentioned, I have a side hustle. As a watersports dealer. I've helped outfit many members here with boards and other equipment. I'd be happy to give a recommendation. I'd just need a little more info. We have a great buy on some last year model Slingshot Coasters right now.
Here's a link to our site:

Wakesurf Boards | Transom Watersports

No matter what boat you have we have a wakesurf board that can surf both large wakes and small wakes. Beginner to advanced riders. Let the fun begin with Transom Watersports.

www.transomwatersports.com

Amazing Intel sir! Truly appreciate it, we bought the Gantlin Wake Wedge and a custom 750 lb ballast sac for the rear deck of the boat! Hoping to get it soon and test it out!