Wakebooster and Thrust Vectors

[Chris D]

A wakesurf fail for me. I have a 2017 AR195 and I have added the following. transom fatsac, wake shaper (based one Yamaha diy), and coaster xr. I felt very little push from the wake and I’m unsure if I’m ever gonna be happy with it. I tried removing the booster and leaving the fatsac and noted a slight depth change in the wake but still no dice. I’m sure with more practice it could be better but staying in one spot to go ropeless seems kinda boring to me. On top of this the boat is being maxed out at 11mph with the fatsac and/or wake shaper. This seems to be putting way too much strain on the pump and engine. Well time to sell everything lol. On a side note who knows anything about a wake foil on a 19 foot?
Pic is wake shaper (diy) and transom fatsac at 11 mph.

 

[anmut]

A wakesurf fail for me. I have a 2017 AR195 and I have added the following. transom fatsac, wake shaper (based one Yamaha diy), and coaster xr. I felt very little push from the wake and I’m unsure if I’m ever gonna be happy with it. I tried removing the booster and leaving the fatsac and noted a slight depth change in the wake but still no dice. I’m sure with more practice it could be better but staying in one spot to go ropeless seems kinda boring to me. On top of this the boat is being maxed out at 11mph with the fatsac and/or wake shaper. This seems to be putting way too much strain on the pump and engine. Well time to sell everything lol. On a side note who knows anything about a wake foil on a 19 foot?
Pic is wake shaper (diy) and transom fatsac at 11 mph.
View attachment 130631

How much total water ballast?

How deep of water?

How many people on board?

Speed control set by a device or doing it by hand?

Your wave looks surfable albeit small and lengthy. Try building your wave before getting in the water to find the right MPH. Start at 9mph and gradually increase the speed until you start seeing the top of the wake curl. Also, at least in your pic, move into the curl of the wake and get off your back foot some (back foot is brake). Your front foot should be nearly at a right angle to the heel-side edge of the board too, which will help you be able to shift your weight forward.

 

[Chris D]

Hello.
Water depth 90ft and 4 on board. Manual throttle which stayed pretty consistent between 10-11mph. At 8-9 mph there was a lot of wash. I’m 130 pounds. I did shorten the rope after this pic to around your red arrow area but still have little push. Yes I agree position can be improved in this pic.

How much total water ballast?

How deep of water?

How many people on board?

Speed control set by a device or doing it by hand?

Your wave looks surfable albeit small and lengthy. Try building your wave before getting in the water to find the right MPH. Start at 9mph and gradually increase the speed until you start seeing the top of the wake curl. Also, at least in your pic, move into the curl of the wake and get off your back foot some (back foot is brake). Your front foot should be nearly at a right angle to the heel-side edge of the board too, which will help you be able to shift your weight forward.

View attachment 130642

 

[anmut]

Hello.
Water depth 90ft and 4 on board. Manual throttle which stayed pretty consistent between 10-11mph. At 8-9 mph there was a lot of wash. I’m 130 pounds. I did shorten the rope after this pic to around your red arrow area but still have little push. Yes I agree position can be improved in this pic.

It's costly, but I would HIGHLY suggest either Ride Steady or Perfect Pass. While you can "hold between 10-11 mph" manually on these boats, a great wave needs a consistent speed within +/- 1mph to really dial it in. I paid $1400 for Ride Steady, PP is a bit cheaper but you don't get engine sync with it. I installed it in about four hours and has been THE BEST mod for our boat because you can dial your wave within tenths of a MPH. Allows me to setup my wave before I jump in the water, then my wife can fine tune it while I'm riding to my liking by using an easy dial on the RS device instead of having to work the throttle levers. Wave maker + marriage saver all in one.

Also, I didn't find a really good surfing wake until I got 2k lbs of ballast in the boat. Put a Fat Sac in your ski locker and a Fat Sac on the floor of the tub behind the driver and, along with your transom bag, you'll be in surf heaven. Hard to tell from your picture, but make sure you fill those bags until they bulge to get the most weight out of them. You're ready to surf when the surf-side transom deck is a half inch below the water line.

 

[Chris D]

Hmmm more ballast ehh I don’t think the boat will go past 9mph with more weight lol. The deck was at water level. I can see an offer up post in the near future.

It's costly, but I would HIGHLY suggest either Ride Steady or Perfect Pass. While you can "hold between 10-11 mph" manually on these boats, a great wave needs a consistent speed within +/- 1mph to really dial it in. I paid $1400 for Ride Steady, PP is a bit cheaper but you don't get engine sync with it. I installed it in about four hours and has been THE BEST mod for our boat because you can dial your wave within tenths of a MPH. Allows me to setup my wave before I jump in the water, then my wife can fine tune it while I'm riding to my liking by using an easy dial on the RS device instead of having to work the throttle levers. Wave maker + marriage saver all in one.

Also, I didn't find a really good surfing wake until I got 2k lbs of ballast in the boat. Put a Fat Sac in your ski locker and a Fat Sac on the floor of the tub behind the driver and, along with your transom bag, you'll be in surf heaven. Hard to tell from your picture, but make sure you fill those bags until they bulge to get the most weight out of them. You're ready to surf when the surf-side transom deck is a half inch below the water line.

 

[anmut]

Hmmm more ballast ehh I don’t think the boat will go past 9mph with more weight lol. The deck was at water level. I can see an offer up post in the near future.

Bow / middle ballast will work with your engine to help increase your speed. If you have all your weight on the back, your angle of attack is higher and your boat is dragging more through the water because you're carving the water at mid-ship. Shorten your AOA by sinking the front some more to allow your boat to carve through the water at the bow while still displacing more water.

 

[gallobg]

I agree on the points above. RideSteady was a game changer in the ability to keep the boat speed steady (for surfing and simply enjoying the boat in general). It also made me understand that the speedo on the boats is off quite a bit. Next time you might try using a free GPS speed app for your phone to really understand what your actual speeds are.

I also agree with moving some ballast more forward in the boat. On my 2019 AR195, I started with just transom weight but wasn't happy. Last time out I used the 650 transom bag surf side and then put a 200 cube in the bow center. That definitely helped lengthen the pocket. Next time out I think I will repeat and possibly put a second 200 cube on the rear floor.

 

[Chris D]

I’ll try out the gps on my phone. How much ballast are we talking? Throwing more money and making this more of a pain lol. Or just sell it all and get a foil. I’m not sure this will be the boat to invest in a ride steady, probably the next bigger boat though.

I agree on the points above. RideSteady was a game changer in the ability to keep the boat speed steady (for surfing and simply enjoying the boat in general). It also made me understand that the speedo on the boats is off quite a bit. Next time you might try using a free GPS speed app for your phone to really understand what your actual speeds are.

I also agree with moving some ballast more forward in the boat. On my 2019 AR195, I started with just transom weight but wasn't happy. Last time out I used the 650 transom bag surf side and then put a 200 cube in the bow center. That definitely helped lengthen the pocket. Next time out I think I will repeat and possibly put a second 200 cube on the rear floor.

 

[gallobg]

I’ll try out the gps on my phone. How much ballast are we talking? Throwing more money and making this more of a pain lol. Or just sell it all and get a foil. I’m not sure this will be the boat to invest in a ride steady, probably the next bigger boat though.

Boats always test your limit to spend! For the RideSteady, I will say that it is hands-down been the best upgrade to our boat. It just makes it so much nicer to drive in all situations, and has made the boat more approachable for my wife to drive.

For ballast, I’m using the custom transom bag (650lbs) and the two 200lb cubes that came with the Wakebooster kit. The 650 is on the swim platform and I’m currently figuring out where else in the boat to put the 200 cubes. One in the bow worked well last time.

As for dialing in the wave, these 19’ can be a surf-able boat but they are not surf boats. It takes work and persistence to figure out the formula for your situation. On the other hand, my boat cost me about half of a true surf boat, so I’m OK with that. At least for now...

 

[anmut]

I’ll try out the gps on my phone. How much ballast are we talking? Throwing more money and making this more of a pain lol. Or just sell it all and get a foil. I’m not sure this will be the boat to invest in a ride steady, probably the next bigger boat though.

I’d say 1500lbs to start. DM me if you want to sell your setup ?

 

[anmut]

On the other hand, my boat cost me about half of a true surf boat, so I’m OK with that. At least for now...

Agreed - I've got a few thousand dollars into a very nice wave right now. Even the 100k boats STILL seem to need extra ballast to get great waves. The only great out-of-box waves are coming from boats in the 150-300k price range. Have to pay to play. Or buy a foil

 

[Lion of Judah]

Thrust vectors... are they worth it for an AR 195 2020 or due to the articulating keel I will see no modification at all

 

[Scottintexas]

Thrust vectors... are they worth it for an AR 195 2020 or due to the articulating keel I will see no modification at all

responded to your question here,

https://jetboaters.net/threads/thrust-vectors-are-they-worth-it.29652/

.

 

[Tayhadasuperjet]

Boats always test your limit to spend! For the RideSteady, I will say that it is hands-down been the best upgrade to our boat. It just makes it so much nicer to drive in all situations, and has made the boat more approachable for my wife to drive.

For ballast, I’m using the custom transom bag (650lbs) and the two 200lb cubes that came with the Wakebooster kit. The 650 is on the swim platform and I’m currently figuring out where else in the boat to put the 200 cubes. One in the bow worked well last time.

As for dialing in the wave, these 19’ can be a surf-able boat but they are not surf boats. It takes work and persistence to figure out the formula for your situation. On the other hand, my boat cost me about half of a true surf boat, so I’m OK with that. At least for now...

I 100% agree on Ridesteady. It was tough to swallow the price, but it is amazing. Such a sweet upgrade.