A day of learning

[majestic]

Today was my first real day out this year and this is what I learned:

1. The Island Surfer Blue Lake is a great board, got up the first time and was very easy to ride.

2. The Fly high surf sac is not heavy enough with only a few people in the boat.

3. Surf Rack is a must.

4. Manually filling Ballast blows.

So I need to work on dialing in the Ballast, figure out why I couldn't get rid of the rope, and need to get the pocket further back from the boat. It felt like I as on top of the platform Taps at 5 speed 11mph.

[da.bell]

Did you take pictures? That would definitely help out when it comes to figuring out the wake, speed of the boat, and why you can't let go of the rope.

[talltigeguy]

If you have the fly high surf sac, you should have plenty of ballast, even without lots of people.

I am sure you have seen the threads on ballast installation. It can be done with a little bit of patience and good reading.

[chpthril]

Today was my first real day out this year and this is what I learned:

1. The Island Surfer Blue Lake is a great board, got up the first time and was very easy to ride.

2. The Fly high surf sac is not heavy enough with only a few people in the boat.

3. Surf Rack is a must.

4. Manually filling Ballast blows.

So I need to work on dialing in the Ballast, figure out why I couldn't get rid of the rope, and need to get the pocket further back from the boat. It felt like I as on top of the platform Taps at 5 speed 11mph.

Well, I'm just a little familiar with the setup you are running

A single sac is not enough, as you discovered. Fill the "L" shaped sac, then fill a V-drive on top of it. If you only have a few peeps, then fill the other v-drive in the seats. The more weight you add the TAPS can be dropped down, this will help with the pocket.

[chpthril]

If you have the fly high surf sac, you should have plenty of ballast, even without lots of people.

I am sure you have seen the threads on ballast installation. It can be done with a little bit of patience and good reading.

What he has is Fly High's old DD surf sac. The have it listed at 700lbs but it comes out to about 455 based on measurements.

[talltigeguy]

What he has is Fly High's old DD surf sac. The have it listed at 700lbs but it comes out to about 455 based on measurements.

I see...said the blind man.

I agree, you are probably gonna need 1,000 pounds to have a good surf wake...more is always better.

[BrownClown]

Fwiw, when I bought my blue lake over the winter, I spoke with one of their guys at the factory about the setup. I think they use mostly Centurions, so he said my setup would be different of course. He said he rode the Blue lake the most and ran the boat at 13 mph. He said the wake wasn't as big, but the pocket was longer and the wake was firmer. I haven't been able to test this out myself as my boat is still T.U.
Ragboy's link to his blog on kids wakeboarding was really informative and also applied to adults.

[majestic]

I really didn't think the wake was that bad, we did get a decent list I just think we needed a couple hundred more pounds. I did put a 400lb sack in the walkway didn't seem to improve. I am going to keep working on tweaking it and will finish the automated system in the next few weeks


Chpthril, Since they are your old sacks do you think I will have any issues stacking sacks with the valves on top of the surf sac? I'm sure I will have you get me a custom sack next season but I'm tapped out this year with FAE, Bimini, Surf board, Ballast parts, tower speakers and Amp.

[chpthril]

We stacked all the time. I suppose there is the possibility of breaking a fitting.

We found that speed did more to increase the length of the pocket then adding weight up front. Instead of the walkway, put that 2nd 400'r in the seat right behind you, or in the floor along that seat.