24ve Wakesurfing Ballast Q

[Cali_Wakes]

Hey, hows it going, just came across this site and it seems everyone is super informative. Got some questions, i got a '06 24ve, i weigh about 250lbs. i got a 500lbs sac and a 250lbs that i actually get to approx 700. Its almost always the same usual bunch of monkeys that come out with me, puttin about another 250lbs from 2 peoples weight. Cruisin at about 11, with TAPS at 5, i can get a clean curl and nice wake. I started the end of last season, i feel really confident in carving and cutting and boardsliding and riding switch. I started on a Liquid Force Venture, a 5'6" long board that felt fun, about 2 months ago i picked up the Hyperlite Swell 4'3". i love it, more than the Liquid, i feel like i have a way better center on it. But my issue is i can never ride ropless. I watch videos, experiment all the time, i can get slack in the rope but never truely feel like i can throw it back, as well as i feel im too close to the deck. I was told to get the Enzo 1400lbs sac and run it to about as close to 1k i can get, and slow to 9 or 10. This good advice? or is there some crazy technique im not catching, my buds who are much lighter than me can hit ropless by droppin knee no prob, first time out, lol. good, bad? any advice would help, thanks!

[chpthril]

Hey, hows it going, just came across this site and it seems everyone is super informative. Got some questions, i got a '06 24ve, i weigh about 250lbs. i got a 500lbs sac and a 250lbs that i actually get to approx 700. Its almost always the same usual bunch of monkeys that come out with me, puttin about another 250lbs from 2 peoples weight. Cruisin at about 11, with TAPS at 5, i can get a clean curl and nice wake. I started the end of last season, i feel really confident in carving and cutting and boardsliding and riding switch. I started on a Liquid Force Venture, a 5'6" long board that felt fun, about 2 months ago i picked up the Hyperlite Swell 4'3". i love it, more than the Liquid, i feel like i have a way better center on it. But my issue is i can never ride ropless. I watch videos, experiment all the time, i can get slack in the rope but never truely feel like i can throw it back, as well as i feel im too close to the deck. I was told to get the Enzo 1400lbs sac and run it to about as close to 1k i can get, and slow to 9 or 10. This good advice? or is there some crazy technique im not catching, my buds who are much lighter than me can hit ropless by droppin knee no prob, first time out, lol. good, bad? any advice would help, thanks!

Do you have a pic of your current wake? Definitely do not slow down, the wake will crumble on that boat. IMO, it's the small board and your size. The enzo sac will give you more weight, which equals a bigger wake, but I do not think that will solve your current problem. I would actually try speeding up a hair, this will lengthen the pocket. This may let you build some speed with out feeling like you are going to run up the transom.

[Cali_Wakes]

I got no problem in length, and when we speed up it actually starts to lose wake and i start to fall out of the pocket. I really dislike my long board to be real, its hard for me to find the sweet spot to even get some some push from the wake. But when i use my short board its onnnn, i can feel more control as well as get that ropeless feeling. Did you look up the specs on the boards? My liquid is able to handle 250 and the specs on the Hyperlite say it can handle all weights, its also wider than my Liquid wich is another reason why i think it rides better. I just found this site about 2 days ago, no photos, this weekend is suppose to be crumby here, so i should have some by next week. ill try some different things, i dont think i need anymore length in the wake, as i can start to get farther out, i feel like i need more height on the wake, we've ran it up to 15mph just for sh*ts and giggles to see and its way too fast, i had my bud pull me between 9-13 mph, 11 seemed the best so far, 9 felt like it gave me a lot more height and push behind me, but it just got so washy you could hardly go up the wake, and around 12-13 felt like i was just being pulled, i couldnt find a sweet spot at all.

P.S. To clarify, i cant do ropeless on the Liquid Force either, just noticed how i worded some things and didnt want that miss understood. My friends havnt ridden my Hyperlite but have ridden the Liquid Force also.

[wakerider3989]

With a smaller board your going to need more wake especially for that board and your size. IMO a big wakesurf wake can be enjoyed by all levels of experience unlike when your wakeboarding, so investing in some additional fat sacks would not be a bad idea.