Opposite surf weighting theory

[duffymahoney]

I played around with my 2005 Tige 24v wave a lot this summer, tried all sorts of configurations. I came up with the best, biggest and strongest wave with this ratio. It includes some opposite side weight with a decent sized crew. I came up with a simple way to use opposite weight and still keep a clean wave. Once we get up to surfing speed and the wave has some wash to it, I just start dumping none surf side until the wave is clean and then stop. Gives the wave so much more meat and bite!


Gotta have 4-5 people. With a small crew the wave will get washy, which I hate and my trick doesn't work, I hate filling sacs on the seat so sac on the seat would also work.

Surf side

1800 Custom full to bursting (which I do everytime, even opens the locker door)
250 Bow v-drive sac (guessing 250 or so pounds in it)
300 Lead under the bow filler cushion (large crew I move this or pull it off the boat
300 Lead surf side on the floor in the rear corner.

Surf Side total 2,650

Opposite Side I fill the custom till the finger is full. Which I calculate is around 500-600 pounds.

I surf around 12.2-12.5 (not gps tested) and taps around 4-4.5. The wave was much taller and so much push. Airs were the best of my life and close to what some of the pros can do. Pretty pumped, but sadly winter is coming now

[ragboy]

does the boat accept/behave the same with opposite wake on both sides? I have found on most of the new boats, they like opposite weight when weighting regular, not so much goofy.

[Stingreye]

Wow. That looks pretty sick! Thanks for the tips on setting up my wave after I got the custom 1800's you run. They blew up my locker wall supports but well worth the upgrade!

In rough water, my platform hits that opposite side wave and messes up my wave pretty good when running any extra weight beyond the surfside 1800 and bow sacs full. The surf side is buried in the wave and isn't too bad (still clean), its just that opposite side. After seeing that picture..... it looks like my teak has a date with a saw

I love seeing you push this boat to its limit Duffy!

[shawndoggy]

does the boat accept/behave the same with opposite wake on both sides? I have found on most of the new boats, they like opposite weight when weighting regular, not so much goofy.

with left hand rotation boats, the goofy side always has an advantage, because the prop is forcing that corner into the water already. Bump up to a 15" prop and this effect becomes more pronounced. On our MB we always run opposite weight, and always more when surfing goofy than regular to counteract the prop yaw. On the regular side we usually have to dump quite a bit before the wave cleans up. We do just what duffy describes, weighting the surf side with our supplemental sacks, and then filling both gravity tanks. Once underway, we bleed off weight from the opposite side gravity tank as necessary to clean up the lip. We run a 2315, so more needs to be bled from the goofy side when surfing regular than needs to be bled from the regular side surfing goofy.

[duffymahoney]

My goofy wave can't be harmed. Opposite weight just makes it better. It's a freaking wall. It's taller and has more push. It's not as straight, it kind of hooks a little.

[mnpracing]

does the boat accept/behave the same with opposite wake on both sides? I have found on most of the new boats, they like opposite weight when weighting regular, not so much goofy.

This is what I have found with the Z3, and my previous 2 Moombas, and the Malibu's, Nautiques, and Centurions I've been on.

My goofy wave can't be harmed. Opposite weight just makes it better. It's a freaking wall. It's taller and has more push. It's not as straight, it kind of hooks a little.

I don't follow how this would be true in any LH rotation boat. None that I've been on acted this way.

[shawndoggy]

This is what I have found with the Z3, and my previous 2 Moombas, and the Malibu's, Nautiques, and Centurions I've been on.



I don't follow how this would be true in any LH rotation boat. None that I've been on acted this way.

LH rotation boats are already "opposite weighting" the goofy side all the time. so when setting up to surf regular, weight on the goofy side plus the effect of prop yaw has a much more pronounced effect than surfing goofy, where lots of the opposite weight is just counteracting what the prop's doing.

If LH rotation boat naturally sinks the goofy side more I don't understand what's hard to understand about counterweighting when surfing goofy.

[duffymahoney]

I think I run enough weight for the goofy side to be buried when we are moving forward.

[ragboy]

The 24Ve was that way with opposite weight also.

[IDBoating]

does the boat accept/behave the same with opposite wake on both sides? I have found on most of the new boats, they like opposite weight when weighting regular, not so much goofy.

That's how it is on our 24Ve "ultra ballast", but the effect isn't really strong. We run opposite weight in both normal and goofy, and while I haven't measured it my gut tells me we run a bit less on goofy in keeping with your statement.

WRT the original topic: We played around quite a bit this season with opposite (and forward) weighting too. What we found was that adding weight to the opposite side didn't lessen the height of our wave, but it did stretch it out even farther behind the boat. Adding forward weight enhanced this effect. With things optimized now, my 11YO son can recover from ~20 feet back. There's still enough push back there to allow his lower weight-to-buoyancy ratio to come back forward. Adults can recover from ~15 feet. All the while, the peak-to-trough height is nearly five feet.

The only thing we haven't solved yet is getting rid of the remaining curl on the top of the wave. It's much farther back than in Duffy's photo above - our curl starts about where his inside knee is pointing - but if we could get rid of that it would open up even more play area on the wave face.

[mnpracing]

LH rotation boats are already "opposite weighting" the goofy side all the time. so when setting up to surf regular, weight on the goofy side plus the effect of prop yaw has a much more pronounced effect than surfing goofy, where lots of the opposite weight is just counteracting what the prop's doing.

If LH rotation boat naturally sinks the goofy side more I don't understand what's hard to understand about counterweighting when surfing goofy.

I've just never been in a boat, or had a boat, that accepted port side weight well, when surfing goofy. Always made it washy.

[duffymahoney]

Both my Centurion avalanche and my 24v had better goofy waves, and were less sensitive to weight. Both are deep v's though. And both were heavily weighted. Goofy side I can have people sit where ever. I think two things come into play, prop rotation and the driver.

[shawndoggy]

I've just never been in a boat, or had a boat, that accepted port side weight well, when surfing goofy. Always made it washy.

A 15" prop will "cure" that problem (by creating prop yaw... An issue of its own)

[mnpracing]

A 15" prop will "cure" that problem (by creating prop yaw... An issue of its own)

in your boat, are you listed more when running goofy, or regular?

[shawndoggy]

about the same lean. I don't bring a protractor, but we list "just enough." Doesn't have to be tipped over too much. Just till the wave cleans up, then quit letting go of the weight.

Because of the LH rotation and resulting yaw, the goofy wave can take more counterweight than the regular wave can. In addition to a 750 in the locker and bow sack full, I'd say goofy we have full surf side and probably then 3/4 to full non-surf side, depending on how many people. If there are 6 or more people we can run both sides full and correct the wash with bodies. On the regular side, we probably have to dump half of the goofy side tank. This is the regular wave (coming off plane cuz newb got dropped, so the length is a little short in the pic) with 4 people on board: