First try at surfing

[rostap]

Spent the last part of our day giving surfing a try. I now realize there is a LOT more to building a good surf wake than i had thought. I now see the balancing act we are going to have to play between weight in the back and up front. Our main problem was that we had trouble keeping enough speed to let go of the rope, however, with what little setup we had... it's going to be a blast for sure once we get it dialed in.

We only had one 400 lb ballast bag in the rear v drive locker and 350 lbs of passangers plus 165 lb driver. Taps at 6 to 6.5 and between 10-11 mph. Im thinking once we get some more weight in the rear locker, we'll be in good shape.

What do ya think of the wake for what little setup we have?

Also,

1) we bought a liquid force venture 5.0 the whole family can use. Super easy to get up on. Will taking out the third fin help generate some speed?

2) Does wax on the bottome help as on a real surfboard?

Thanks
Rick

[Ryannjena]

It actually looks like a decent wake to me. I'm just learning myself, but at the beginning we had difficulty letting go of the rope until we learned how to ride a little better. I personally do not use any wax and I'm not sure about the third fin. Will be interesting to see what other say. By the way: I love the quote you have at the bottom of your post. Couldn't agree more.

[somebodyelse5]

Right on man, surfing is a blast. Looks like you have caught the bug.....we dont bring anything but surf boards out anymore, idk if my boat still goes over 12mph haha

My dad rides that exact board, took out the back fin last time and had some trouble keeping it straight. We messed with the fins, have 2 of the white fins (same fin that comes factory as center) on the outsides. Cant give first hand experience, I never liked the board, so I never ride it, but I would say keep the middle fin in for now.
With that board, make sure to tighten the screws holding the fins in every now and then, we ended up losing a center and side fin a few months back.

Wax wont help you much, but there is a product called surf nano or something like that, I know people have tried but hasnt made much of a difference. I can dig up a link for you if you want.

Pocket on your wave looks really long, its surfable but wont be easy to learn on.
Focus on weighting the back surfside, get as much weight as you can back there. Dont worry much about weighting the front untill you have significant weight in back.

Weight in back = height weight in front=length Speed=length

So get the height from weighting the back, add a small amount up front, and then use speed to get the length.

for us, 10.7mph is the best speed for people learning. I ride at 11.5 but depending on people weight will go 11.2 or 11.7.

We have 1100# in locker, 2 7gal jugs, 200# up front, #400 that goes on the seat +plus whoever comes out that day. Taps at about 4.5 Its a nice wave
dont have picswith that set up, but have some vid.

http://vimeo.com/13942224
(cant embed vimeo videos on TO yet)

http://vimeo.com/13347104
(towards the end of this vid that wave looks the best)

[chpthril]

From personal experience, you will find that the Liquid Force is slow and will hard to get enough speed to get and maintain a slack rope.

[AdaminMN]

I have the same board. I experimented with wax last year, do not wax it. It will feel as if your surfing on a piece of plywood if you do.

Instead, remove the fins, wipe the bottom down w/ acetone to remove any surface oils, releases, or waxes. Then wet sand the bottom with 1200-1500 grit sandpaper in 4-6" circles. (I used 1500 grit) Do this until the water does not bead up on the bottom surface. Then put the fins back on. This is what SurfDad recomended to do. There is a "Waxing a Wakesurfer" thread too.

Now we can free ride that board with my slm comp w/ 900# ballast and my buddy's pre1250.

[NICKYPOO]

I have the same board. I experimented with wax last year, do not wax it. It will feel as if your surfing on a piece of plywood if you do.

Instead, remove the fins, wipe the bottom down w/ acetone to remove any surface oils, releases, or waxes. Then wet sand the bottom with 1200-1500 grit sandpaper in 4-6" circles. (I used 1500 grit) Do this until the water does not bead up on the bottom surface. Then put the fins back on. This is what SurfDad recomended to do. There is a "Waxing a Wakesurfer" thread too.

Now we can free ride that board with my slm comp w/ 900# ballast and my buddy's pre1250.

Great tip!

[rostap]

Thanks for the help guys. Bummer on the board being a slow one I'll definately have to try the sandpaper route. What effect does the sanding have anyways?

@somebodyelse..what board is that youre riding, the wave looks sweet!

[Fiveflat]

I'm curious what board somebodyelse is riding also...

[scarface]

I'm riding a CWB tsunami not having ne luck leting go of the rope getting ballset system thur. hopfully my wake gets big enough to go rope less!

[ragboy]

@rostap, you are very close, come on up, we have some boards you can try. A few extra sacs also. I have a 750 you can borrow, and 2 extra 400s. What are the heights and weights of riders?

[ragboy]

That looks like a shredstixx elevation. Looks a bit long, but def shredstixx.

How come you are riding backside somebody, just curious?