Boat Wakes

[lkb]

I generally think that Nautique has the smallest softest wake. I am Nautique through and through and as long as the price stays w/i reason will always buy them.  But if you put away your brand loyalty for a minute and look at it strictly from a skiers' performance  standpoint can you honestly say that one manufacturer truly has a better wake than another? When I ski as technically correct as I can, and slice through the wake with good outbound energy I end up thinking that if there is a difference that it just isn't enough to matter. What do you'll think?

[Horton]

I only notice the difference in firmness of pull between boats. Besides that it is all the same to me.

[Ed_Obermeier]

I agree with John for the most part, I notice firmness of pull more than wake.  There are a few I've skied behind with noticably bigger or harder wakes (MC 205's come to mind) but out of the top 6 - 8 basically dedicated slalom boats, put me in the water, throw me a rope, and hit it.  If it's got a motor in the middle and is (generally) under 21 feet I'm good to go.

I think we all have some personal peferrences, probably due to what you ski behind most or what you've become used to.  But as you said, put away your brand loyality and just ski and you probably wouldn't really care what brand name the boat sports.

I ski regularly behind a buddies 2000 Moomba Outback LS and I ski as well behind it as I do another buddies new-every-year MC 197 promo.   Driving it and the points-for-snot factor are certainly different, but I get as many buoys behind the Moomba as I do the MC's.

Ed

[Horton]

Driving is a whole other matter. Guys who can go from boat to boat and find the middle every time amaze me.

[Old MS Accout]

I feel the best behind the 196, but my big scores come behind the 197. For driving a boat, you cannot beat the 196 sports car feel. When I drive our RLXI I feel like I am sitting down in a big tub with my hands on the wheel up above my chin and I am 5'10.    

[eleeski]

The boat can make a difference! Remember the Disastercraft of a few years ago? Horrible hard pull plus a huge hard wake. MC fixed the problem and retrofitted all the old boats so you probably won't find any of these toxic wakes.

Nautique currently has a toxic wake for tricks. The hydrogate is a weak fix. But the slalom wake and pull is great so they don't want to change.

The old Magnum Skier was great with 1/4 tank and just a driver for slalom but when loaded with a full tank and a heavy full crew the rooster tail felt like concrete (I know - I had one).

My 04 MC is the firmest pull I have skied behind. Of course, I like KX- PX10 and my switch has never worked quite right so that might be a factor.

The current crop of CC MC and Malibu all have nice slalom wakes. And they all drive slalom nicely (all are equally horrible for tricks). This year LKB is right (only for slalom), but next year is another question.

Eric

[Horton]

Eric,

I love you man

Horton

 

[lkb]

the question about next year that worries me is speed control. what the heck are we going to do if we practice behind ZO and get pulled by PP at a tournament? Seems like there's definitely gonna be some unhappy campers out there.

Is Stargazer approved for tourney use? If it's not I assume it will be since it's such an easy mod to PP

[tsixam]

I usually never feel any difference between the wakes on different boats. But I remember when I was less experienced and was skiing the longer lines, like 15 and 22 off then the wake was a big issue. I believe that on shorter lines, from 28 off and shorter most of us will not feel any bigger difference.

Tsixam

[eleeski]

LKB, that's what the local tournaments and the promo programs are for. Ski behind the other systems and figure out what setting feels best for you (or most like your practice setup - not my horrible practice setup though). As long as the pull has skier settings you should be OK after just a few runs to find settings you are familiar with. As long as the system has a Dale StJohn, Phil Adams or Will Bush setting I'll be OK.

A boat with a big wake or bad rooster tail often had a big hole at deep shortline. And spray becomes a bigger factor as the rope gets shorter. Boat design is important. But currently they have it right for slalom.

Eric

[Horton]

Eric,

I don't know. The Z0 boat I skied behind this fall was amazing. No amount of KX/PX has ever made a PP boat feel like that.  I am going to want the Z0 CC at every tounement next summer.

By the way Eric I just could not help myself.

Horton

[eleeski]

Thanks, John. It's been years since I wore Mickey Mouse ears in a tournament. But I'm glad you remembered.

Eric

[Horton]

A Horton Never Forgets

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b8/HortonHearsAWhoBookCover.jpg/180px-HortonHearsAWhoBookCover.jpg

[DW]

Intersting subject.  Here is a little quiz, free ski behind three different boats then decide it you can or can't feel the difference.  The wakes on the boats are all different and I think it makes a difference but might not show up in buoy count, as the skier will adjust to the given wake.  Once skiing through the course and focusing on that aspect the wake difference seems to disappear.  If you look at pictures, the skier cutting through the wake, the ski gets totally airborne.  That is not a good thing to make the best wake crossing possible.  Certainly, the pull has just as much effect as the difference in wakes so it all matters, just how much is the question.