2014 Z3 Wakesurf setup.

[Brianmitrisin]

Hey everyone,

Just purchased a 2014 Z3 with full front and rear ballast. What is the best settings for Surfing? Do I need to add more weight? Thanks!

Brian

[sandm]

still figuring mine out coming from a 2012 22ve.
you have the convex vx on the bottom of the swim platform?
do you have upgraded bags already?

if no upgraded bags-and yes you will need/want them- reach out to chpthrl on here as he's the resident ballast expert for all things upgrades.

mine surfs pretty good at 11.6, vx installed, and have the upgraded enzo style sacs. surf side filled, non surf side empty. tige's historically don't need a ton of bow weight so factory is usually all you need.

good luck and as they say, pics or you really didn't buy it

[chpthril]

IIRC, the 2014 could have come equipped with 1600 Surf level or 2000 pro level ballast. If running listed, then yes, you need more weight. Running evenly weighted aft and running a surf device, yeah, I think you need more weight

[Brianmitrisin]

Yes, I have the convex vx on the bottom of the swim platform. It has both front and rear bags. I am not sure if it has the 1600 or 2000 pro. I sounds like I need more weight... bummed, thought the boat had it all...

[sandm]

front is fine. get chp to sell you the rears and if it was me add second fill/drain pumps and away you go. he's a 1 stop shop and his directions for wiring in second pumps to the medallion panel were simple and thorough.

not many boats out there come factory with enough ballast to get the best wave out of the hull. they have to stay within the capacity plate. mb was one I recall in recent years that offered a ton of weight but they are not/ or were not nmma certified. for some reason I thought centurion was the same way but not for sure on that one.

[bsreid]

Get some custom rear bags 1100s min and a suck gate and you will be golden

[Brianmitrisin]

can't find chp on here...

can't find chp on here...

[sandm]

chpthril. posted a few posts above. he's the resident ballast expert and will hook ya up with everything you need including amazing customer support if you're adding additional pumps(you want to)...

[Ryanmorgan1984]

After adding larger rear bags to my Z3 with the VX, I found I had almost too much rear weight and the wave became short/steep. This was with Pro surf option up front, 450 or 550 in each bow bag. As time went on these bags would get more and more twisted or disoriented and I’m sure hold less then their original capacity.

The best thing I have ever changed with my set up for a good wave was to add more bow weight. One of my bow bags tore at the fitting so I replaced bow bags with one triangle sack at 1000lb and added a few hundred lbs of lead. This extra weight made the wave face cleaner, added about a foot or two more of rideable length and made the adjustments with TAPS more useable. I will still try to convince people to move to the bow during my sesh to add more weight.

Modifying the VX and adding a custom TAPS plate further improved the wave, but rear bags first, more bow weight second should get you on the right path. Just like sandm said, not many boats have enough ballast from the factory. Google the most recent wake9 video, he reviews about every new wakeboard at an event in Powell and almost every one has additional lead in the boat.

As you plan out your expense for the bigger bags, remember you might need a different prop to adjust for the heavier load. Since my original high elevation prop, I’ve made two additional prop changes to compensate.