Not Getting Good Push!

[Jwredmon101]

Hey guys I went ahead and traded the 14 Mondo for a 16 Craz... I didn't have a surf system on the Mondo so I just listed the boat to one side and dialed it in that way.... I had a ton of push and could easily get my 280 pound friend riding rope less... I had never rode a surf system boat until I bought this Craz. After riding and messing with the wave I just cant seem to get the push that I had with the smaller Mondo.. Looking for a little help here... I had surf side 900 bag 100% full ... had NON surf 900 bag at 80 percent ,had bow 100 % and wake plate all the way up... Also had the auto flow 2.0 set at 85% on the plate and running 10.5 mph (GPS) . I wondering what everyone else is doing. I find it hard to believe that my little listed Mondo can push harder than my new Craz!

Thanks,
Josh

[07STI]

Did you try the non-surf bag at 100%, or only at 80%? Did you mess around with the wake plate at all?

Couple other questions, as I’m going to be upgrading rear bags and adding an ibs this week:

1) So you have upgraded stock rears to 900s? Do you have room for 1,100s?
2) When you say front, is that the optional 500, or did you put something else in? If so, what weight?

[Jwredmon101]

Tried the wake plate at all levels ... when I say front that means 700 in the hard tank under the floor and the 500 surf bag in the nose... and height wise yes 1100 would fit, length wise .. not a chance ... the 900s are almost to long them selfs.

[Jon]

Jwredmon101,

Where are your passengers placed in the boat?

Also, here are few tips for setting up your boat for wakesurfing with the Auto Flow 2:

Ballast and passenger placement: Rear weight will add to the height of the wave and typically give you more push. Additional bow weight will lengthen the wave but will decrease some of the height. On the Craz I would recommend filling rear ballast 100% on each side and favor a passenger or 2 towards the surf side. If you feel there isn't enough push with all ballast full in the boat, drain the bow bag some to achieve a taller wave with more push. It is also important to keep in mind passenger placement in this equation. Sitting passengers in the rear vs the bow will result in the same way as ballast.
Wakeplate Position: The wakeplate in a higher position will result a taller wave with more push. A lower wakeplate setting will lengthen the wave but you will lose some push.
Speed: Ideal speed will vary based on the amount of ballast and passengers you have in the boat. A slower speed will give you a taller wave with more push. Higher speeds will give you a longer wave. You typically want to speed up some when you have heavy ballast and/or passenger load. I would recommend running between 10.2 and 10.8 mph verified by GPS on the Craz, again depending on your weight configuration.
Auto Flow 2 settings: Much like the wakeplate, the position of the Auto Flow 2 plates can change the shape of the wave. The Craz stock settings are 65% for port side surfing and 75% for starboard side. For reference, 0% is all the way up (not deployed) and 100% is fully deployed. Lower percentages than that of stock will result in a taller wave with more push. Higher percentages than stock will result in a longer, more mellow wave, more ideal for a lighter or skim style rider.

Based on your described setup, what you are looking for, and following the tips above, I would recommend the following:

Speed at 10.4 mph
Ballast 100% in both rear bags and around 60% on the gauge for the front/middle.
Wakeplate all the way up.
Auto Flow 2 settings at 60% for port side and 70% for starboard side surfing.
Passengers number is a variable so I would just start by placing them in the cockpit, again maybe 1 extra person favoring the surf side. If you have a heavy passenger load, distribute some to the bow or fill the bow ballast more.

Hopefully those tips will help you out. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[07STI]

Okay, the 900's and 1,100's I'm looking at are the same length...1,100's are 2" wider and 2" taller than the 900's, so it sounds like I should be able to go with 1,100's.

Based on Zim's (Mike) review of the Craz, I thought all that was needed was larger rear bags. The demo boat he received was using 900's.

It's disappointing to hear that you tried all setups and were still unable to get him going ropeless. Only thing I can think of is trying 1,100's or taking more weight out of the opposite bag.

[Jwredmon101]

Thanks for all the replies.. So what your saying Jon is if I am looking for more push while im surfing the port side ... I need to lower the percentage from 85% to lets say 60 percent in order to create more push?

[Jon]

Yes, lowering the Auto Flow 2 settings will help but that is just one part of the equation. Make sure all other items are set correctly as well. Follow my final suggestions in my post above and you should see good results.

[07STI]

Jwredmon101,

Where are your passengers placed in the boat?

Also, here are few tips for setting up your boat for wakesurfing with the Auto Flow 2:

Ballast and passenger placement: Rear weight will add to the height of the wave and typically give you more push. Additional bow weight will lengthen the wave but will decrease some of the height. On the Craz I would recommend filling rear ballast 100% on each side and favor a passenger or 2 towards the surf side. If you feel there isn't enough push with all ballast full in the boat, drain the bow bag some to achieve a taller wave with more push. It is also important to keep in mind passenger placement in this equation. Sitting passengers in the rear vs the bow will result in the same way as ballast.
Wakeplate Position: The wakeplate in a higher position will result a taller wave with more push. A lower wakeplate setting will lengthen the wave but you will lose some push.
Speed: Ideal speed will vary based on the amount of ballast and passengers you have in the boat. A slower speed will give you a taller wave with more push. Higher speeds will give you a longer wave. You typically want to speed up some when you have heavy ballast and/or passenger load. I would recommend running between 10.2 and 10.8 mph verified by GPS on the Craz, again depending on your weight configuration.
Auto Flow 2 settings: Much like the wakeplate, the position of the Auto Flow 2 plates can change the shape of the wave. The Craz stock settings are 65% for port side surfing and 75% for starboard side. For reference, 0% is all the way up (not deployed) and 100% is fully deployed. Lower percentages than that of stock will result in a taller wave with more push. Higher percentages than stock will result in a longer, more mellow wave, more ideal for a lighter or skim style rider.

Based on your described setup, what you are looking for, and following the tips above, I would recommend the following:

Speed at 10.4 mph
Ballast 100% in both rear bags and around 60% on the gauge for the front/middle.
Wakeplate all the way up.
Auto Flow 2 settings at 60% for port side and 70% for starboard side surfing.
Passengers number is a variable so I would just start by placing them in the cockpit, again maybe 1 extra person favoring the surf side. If you have a heavy passenger load, distribute some to the bow or fill the bow ballast more.

Hopefully those tips will help you out. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Great info.

I'm a little confused about the bow bag though. My Craz did not come with the optional 500# bow bag. Based on what you've noted, if I had the 500# bow bag, that would really only serve to lengthen the wave and not provide much push (all other things being the same as stock). So is the bow bag really needed? If I upgrade rear bags, that should increase the height and corresponding push. However, if I also add weight to the bow, that will lengthen the wave and make it shorter (height perspective)...essentially counteracting the increased rear ballast?

My hope is that if I go from 650's in the back to 1,100's, but also add 650 to the front, the net 300# increase in the back will be enough to keep a relatively long wave, but also increase height/push. I'll have the ability to reduce the front weight if needed, as well as adjust the autoflow setting.

Do you have any recommendations for upgrading the bags?

Thanks

[Jon]

07STI,

I would highly recommend adding the bow bag for surfing, especially if you are upgrading the rear bags to 1,100's. If you were to fill the 1,100's full and have 6-7 people all sitting in the cockpit area, that is too much rear weight. You will want to add bow weight to lengthen the wave and get the bow down. With surfing it's all about finding YOUR perfect combination of length and height on a wave. I stress the YOUR part because different riders are looking for different waves. Beginners want a tall wave with tons of push for learning. More advanced riders typically want a big wave with a longer wave face for tricks. Over time you will find that perfect combination of rear and bow weight that will work best for you.

[07STI]

Sounds good. I appreciate the feedback and that all makes sense. This info should really be stickied somewhere...Or put into a manual that comes with the boat.