Board Gurus Please...

[Bryan]

After spending last summer learning to wakeboard, my wife and 15 year old daughter have decided this year they want to learn to surf.. They are both about the same size believe it or not.. Wife is 5'3" 105lbs and daughter is just almost the same... Maybe a touch taller.. I have an old hyperlite broadcast 4'9".. I'm thinking like mid 2000's old. It's got the octopus on the back and says 2.9" tip / .8" tail rocker if that rings any bells. I'm sure board tech has changed a ton since this was made. Is it worth it to try to teach them on this board or would I be better off to try and find something else.. If so, recommendations?

[Thegerman618]

How is your wave behind the 22i? its always been my opinion the board you ride has a lot to do with the wave you can produce and how well you can adjust your wave opens the door to many board options. That being said....a learning board is just that a board for those to learn on and they will in time learn which style or direction of board they want. So bottom line teach them on what you got, they won't know the difference between $100 board and $1000 board when learning. Not to mention you could easily spend $700 on a beginner board they will probably out grow or progress past after the first season.

[NICKYPOO]

That board should be just fine for them.

What kind of ballast set up are you running?

[Bryan]

Well honestly I don't surf.. I'm a pretty big dude and I don't know if they make a board for a 6'6" 300lbs+ guy.. The boat came with 3 bags and a pump when we bought it last spring and we only filled them once last summer for my buddy to surf the broadcast. I have the DD with the rear facing engine seat and the transom walk through in the middle, so we put a 250# bag in each side locker and the 450# bag across the two back seats/step.. With my wife driving, and our kids in the bow, and me sitting in the back corner, we had the rub rail at the water line but not under. I was actually impressed with the wave.. I could swear I took a pic but can't find it anywhere. It was above knee to almost mid thigh on him with a clean face.. He rode it without the rope until he didn't want to anymore... I don't know if we got lucky or if it can be duplicated, but I thought it compared nicely to what we had made in his '04 22v riders edition.. If not maybe a little bit cleaner looking.. He liked it a lot

[NICKYPOO]

I haven't really seen any '01+ 22i surf wake pics. I would certainly like too.

There are plenty big guy boards out there. The biggest problem being the big guy and wake surfing is that the wake is always nicer for everyone else because you're in the boat.

Hopefully you have an FAE on your boat?

[NICKYPOO]

I haven't seen one of the Mickacich 22i's in a long time but I think those side trunks would hold a lot more than 250#s. I'd be curious on the dimensions of them the next time you have a tape measure handy. They really are in an exception location for effectiveness. You could have a set of custom sacs made for them pretty cheap. They would just be rectangular and very simple. I went through chpthril to get my custom, rectangular FlyHighs and it was way more affordable than I thought it was going to be. Totally worth it in order to get maximum ballast in a ballast challenged boat.

[Bryan]

Mickacich 22i?? Was this the designers name? I just assumed all Tige's inboards were this way after their intial run of pre_ _ _ models.. As for FAE, not yet, but its something I really want to get. I only used the 250lbs bags in the back because that's what came with the boat, but no it didn't fill the locker. The back side lockers measure 15" x 24" x 48" or 10 cubic feet. Could get more room with a custom sack that could be made to run forwards another foot or two under the little side seat and along the wall. But using that 10 cube feet at 7.5 gallons a cube foot and a gallon of water weighing 8.35lbs... My simple math would say +/- 625lbs per side. Add the 47 gallon fuel tank that runs across the back under the seat.. With a full tank of gas I could have around 1500lbs across the back of the boat.. I would love to have some MLA custom bags and automated ballast system, but I can't justify to the wife yet.. I'm hoping this year she learns to love surfing

[NICKYPOO]

Cobe Mikacich was Tige's first sponsored wakeboarder. He worked with the Tige designers and they came up with the '01 22i. That's the way it was advertised at least. The '00 22i was the only one before that to be designated as the 22i. Before that it was the Pre 2150. Same hull, different name. One year only dash in the '00 as well.

Nice work on the math. While doing my ballast mods I ran those numbers countless times. What I went through for a few extra pounds... It was worth it in the end. My only regret is not taking it even further. I still might one of these days. 625 would be an awesome number to hit. I'd need around another 150. I have a plan for that but not the gumption. Yet. It took a hell of a lot of convincing my wife to cut what floor out I did but, she's a believer now. I'm sure I'll have to climb that mountain again for phase two. Your's is really a no brainer. It'd be super easy and totally worth it. You should try stacking the two 250s on top of each other and see what happens. Then make her fill them up a few times. I bet that move things along in your favor.

[Bryan]

I like the way you mind works... Never thought to make her suffer through the fill and drain.. She would either say "screw it I don't wanna surf" or "ok let's get some switches"... Guess the first step is gonna be to get her loving to surf..she took to wakeboarding a ton more than I figured she would, and when I was thinking we'd been out all day and it was time to call it, she wanted one more ride to the trailer... I loved hearing her say that

[NICKYPOO]

Ha, ya, you gotta stay one step ahead of the female rationale. It's always a chess match.

[wakemitch]

The girls will have an easier time learning how to ride on a smaller board like the Victoria Wake Debut 48" or the Phase 5 Scamp 45". The Debut is only $179 and is perfect for first timers their size and will get them ropeless quick. http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=3640