We surfed (and wiped out) on my 192!

[OptiLee]

What are you talking about in regards to the wake shaper? The thing people make/buy that suctions on the side of their boat? my buddy back in Buffalo put one on the side of his tahoe just to see what it would do, and it didn't do a thing to the haul. He was just playing around, had no intention of surfing because it's I/O. If that's what you're talking about...if not well then I don't know. Ha.

I've been eyeing wake boats for a while, but then I read a post somewhere where they said if you're not going to use the boat 100% for surfing then why get a surf boat? And that's true...I'm not going to use it for surfing 100% of the time. I've got an 8 year old who's really afraid of the water and he likes to tube right now...so my hope is that he may ease in to skiing or boarding by means of surfing because you're a little bit closer, and not going so fast. Our lakes here in central ohio are really shallow, so the jet boat is ideal. I've always liked them, and was considering them before I considered the surf boats...Guess I have a hard time making decisions, or maybe I try to look at all my options? I like to think the latter...haha. I do appreciate the input. I'd really like to get up surfing behind one of these boats. Trying to do my research just a BIT more. I may have to ask for some input on where your ballast placement is...best? Time will tell. I'd be really interested in sharing ideas once i get mine (hoping soon) and testing it out all weekends long

 

[haknslash]

The dedicated surf boats are expensive and if you're not using it for what their designed for then it would be hard for me to stomach the cost of them and added maintenance with the drivetrain.

Many people have had great success with wake shapers on v drive boats. Even the DIY $30 ones have been successful. Check any of the dedicated wake forums and you'll see tons of threads and info on them. However the only one that has been tried on here is the Ronix. I'd like to see what the DIY suck gates do along with gates like the Mission Delta, Nauticurl, etc. They all work the same by delaying the convergence of the wave which helps shape one side to be cleaner and larger. One of the issues I see with our boats is many of them have graphics on the hull and this would likely have an affect on how strong the suction could be over vinyl. I also have a little concern with the flex these hulls have and if the pressure on the side of the hull could cause any issues but we haven't seen any with the Ronix so perhaps all is good. I spoke with Nauticurl about the vinyl and they said the only time they've seen issues with using their product over vinyl is if there was a seam and on my graphics I don't have any seams where I would place the wake shaper. They offer a 60 day money back return if you're not satisfied so I may be the Guinea pig and try one out this summer.

Best of luck on your boat searching. The Yamaha boats really are a great jack of all trades kind of boat and great for the family. We have had a blast with ours and it's been good for the family fun. Safer for them swimming around the boat too which was a big factor with my 7 year old daughter. The surfing thing for me is only when I'm with some friends and not something I do the most of my time. Others on here who surf much more than me can give you better advice than I could for ballast placement and surf details. As of right now I only have a single 750 lb fat sac that I place on the surf side rear seat. I plan to add another 400-750 lb bag for the rear and maybe one for the ski locker.

 

[Scuba_ref]

I had a mission delta for two months last summer and it actually made the wake worse. As you alluded to, we are limited on where we can attach such a device. At the end of the day it just didn't do what it was supposed to do for the money.