Ballasted XLV and lower speeds

[you da man]

I've never add alot of ballast to wakeboard behind my XLV...just a little here and there to clean the wake. Anyone in here have an XLV that they fill up the rear ballast and ride at say 20-21mph? Is it even possible to have a large wake that slow without it being all wash on the lip? That's probably the only complaint about having the big boat.

[Chefwong]

If you want to ride a big boy wake you have to ride at a big boy speed! The XLV with no weight can be clean at 20-21, I regularly have between 3 and 4000 pounds of weight which puts me anywhere between 24.2-25.5mph. Thats how any boat is when weighted correctly.

The stock ballast you can probably run at 22.5-23.5, Thats the Nicest thing about a Moomba is the stock ballast actually puts out a decent wake. Other boats you have to upgrade the ballast straight from the factory

[Ian Brantford]

I looked the description of the boat in your signature. Where are those extra 400 lb sacs? With the 1100's in the rear, your boat might be weighted too heavily at the rear for anything other than wakesurfing.

I can get a clean wake on one side and some wash on the other (that's the way I like it because I often fall short on a jump) with 500 in each rear sac and the 1180 center sac full. This works anywhere from 20+ MPH.

To get the wake more reliably clean, including on both sides, has for me always required having an extra 300 lbs or so in the bow. Until now, I have done this using people, but I might upgrade to put one of the original 250 lbs sacs up front. Filling the rear sacs much past 500 lbs, having more weight on the bow is important to balance the boat.

I seldom have tried to get the wake clean on both sides, and don't recall trying below 22 MPH. Properly balanced, it's probably doable at 20.

[you da man]

The extra 400's are just for surfing. I was just wondering if you can get a clean wake in an XLV with full ballast at 20-21mph. Mainly it's just for giggles to see how rampy the wake would be.

[Lawdog]

I just got off the river today and had the 400's filled as well as the center bag. The center is the 1100 but not totally filled. I was riding at about 21 mph with the wakeplate at less than half. I'm not the greatest wakeboarder (I think there are 2 or 3 guys better than me....j/k) but the wake seemed to be pretty rampy. It was effortless to go W2W. Hope that helps a little.

[Fman]

I've never add alot of ballast to wakeboard behind my XLV...just a little here and there to clean the wake. Anyone in here have an XLV that they fill up the rear ballast and ride at say 20-21mph? Is it even possible to have a large wake that slow without it being all wash on the lip? That's probably the only complaint about having the big boat.

Another option is to shorten your line length, usually at 65' you can get close enough to the boat to have a clean wake at 21-22mph with little ballast, at least on my Supra 22 this is how it is. Most standard wakeboard ropes are 80' and some 85', so if you are using all the line length try to shorten up to 65'.

One other idea, if you are washing out on one side, start to fill that bags side while towing until it cleans up and shut off the fill. On my 22, I always need more port side weight than starboard.

[bslide]

we ride full stock ballast, wake plate up, 65', and 24.7mph

[kaneboats]

If you are riding at that speed you are one of the few people that needs the XLV. I love that model but I'm glad I didn't get it (came pretty close). My kids are mostly just learning and I'm too old to ever get any good with these knees. I can get a nice clean wake at lower speeds with the LSV and can still load it up to give anyone I know more wake than they can handle. This is a great thread for XLV guys to share their experience for dialing it in at the lower speeds where beginner to novice riders have to ride (most of you have at least a few of them on the boat no matter how good you are). Good work, fellas!

[501]

If you want to set it up to go slow for beginners, empty ALL ballast and you can go much slower. An XLV with NO ballast still has a good enough wake to do all the basic inverts and spins. A fully weighted XLV at 22.5-24.5 is great for intermediate to advanced riders.

[Lawdog]

I'll try it next time I am out, but what if you just fill the center ballast bag and not the rear bags? What would/should that do to the wake?

[you da man]

Over the winter I'll be adding the Acme 1235 prop and I hear that cleans up the lip of the wake.

[jbheuerman]

I usually only fill the center ballast with 3-4 ppl in the boat. Run about 23-24 mph for nice clean wake. 70'-rope.

When we really want to see what the XLV can do...12 ppl, full ballast, have to run about 26mph to get a clean wake at 70'. But damn it is HUGE!

Its all about weight balancing.

[you da man]

Being a beginner myself with only W2W 180 as my best trick it's nice to have a clean wake at lower speeds 18-20 to experiment vs 23+mph. I'm finding it intriguing at how weight sensitive side to side my XLV is. Litterally shifting 50lbs from one side to the other can make or break a clean wake on both sides.