Props and tower affecting wake??

[big lake]

I bought a 2001 Outback spring 2008 and test drove it one rainy saturday... I swear (driving) the wakes looked smooth and flat. Bought it, brought it home, took it out...the wakes look like mountains! We ski most of the time. The only thing I can think of is that the tower may have been removed when I test drove- I had inspected the boat in the guy's driveway- in the sun- and as a first time boat buyer, I didn't notice what kind of prop was on it.

When we drove it- it was raining pretty good and I know we didn't put the bimini top out, we had the front cover on with a tone of gear stowed up there, and just me and the owner were in the boat. ONly thing I can figure to explain the wake difference is the weight of the tower.

I'm getting old- love the boat for popping me out of the water, (compared to my dad's Bayliner, but my legs can't handle the wakes. What's a girl to do?
Will changing the four blade prop to a three make that much difference?? Are there towers made for skiiers that are lighter? The previous owner was into boarding and I'm sure didn't mind the weight as I am now also the proud owner of a monster ballast sac that I have no idea what to do with

Any ideas to flatten my wakes would be appreciated- I bought the boat based on the recs from this board and what I saw on the rainy test drive- haven't gotten to experience the perfect ski run yet.....I'm still optimistic and love my boat. Worth every penny to watch my triplet 5 year-olds jumping off the back and tubing yesterday!! Sorry so long and thanks for listening to my ramblings!- Korie

[snowboardcorey]

The weight of the tower will have a minor affect on the wake but really nothing that the recreational skier would notice. My guess is that you were driving faster during the test drive than the speed you are skiing.

A couple of things can help change the wake up. First is not running a full tank of gas, this should help lighten the rear of the boat. Moving any heavy gear out of the back helps as well, heck you can even remove the rear seat to shave some lbs.

The second thing you can do is stash some weight as far forward in the bow as possible. My buddy typically runs about 75-90lbs of lead up in the very front, again this helps pick the back end out of the water a bit shrinking the wakes a little.

Hope this helps,

Corey

[c.rix]

does the boat have a wakeplate???

If so when skiing make sure its all the way down

[deerfield]

big lake - What is the boat speed? If 30 or below, there will be a larger wake. At 32 and up the wake flattens out. I prefer to ski with a half tank of gas and only the driver and spotter on board. I leave stuff on the pier. I suspect the factory tower on my 2007 Outback does not have a material effect on wake size. However, since the tower has never been off the boat, I don't really know. Just a guess on my part. Try skiing at something less than the full 75 foot length of tow rope. Try 15 or 22 off. This might move you up into a flatter section of the wake. There are some accomplished skiers here. So hopefully they will chime in. Glad to hear you are skiing and have little ones who love the water. - Deerfield

[kaneboats]

[QUOTE=big lake;70858 Worth every penny to watch my triplet 5 year-olds jumping off the back and tubing yesterday!! Sorry so long and thanks for listening to my ramblings!- Korie[/QUOTE]

I hope you get it worked out. But, in the meantime, how about some pics of the Moomba triplets?

[BensonWdby]

What are you coming off of? If you are accustomed to outboard wakes you can expect some surprises at speeds below 32 as mentioned above. I also recommend 15 off to start. I skip 22 off on most inboards - not liking the bump in the bubbles (all inboards have to some degree).

Lots of things can contribute to the wake causing problems, aside from it just being bigger (or different). Style and ski setup (which impacts style) can have a lot of influence. If you are on your edge with long arms and hands low across the back of the boat, you don't notice the wake much.

Another thing to be aware of is bilge water. Try to completely drain the boat whenever possible.

[maxpower220]

First, get a GPS and determine your actual speed. You speedos may be way off and you are skiing way slower than you think. Make sure that you don't have extra weight in the boat, the previous owner may have lead weights in the corners, under the seat, so take a look for that type stuff.
The tower will weigh about 100 lbs or less. Definately less than a person, so that will have little to no effect on the wake.
You boat probably doesn't have a wake plate, but it may have an extender plate that is manually adjusted out of the water. The previous owner may have adjusted it for boarding.

These are a few ideas for your situation. If you are coming from a MC 197 or CC 196, yeah you may be disappointed. From a Bayliner, no comparision.

[Mikey]

I agree that the tower should have little effect. As mentioned above try to run as light as possible,including the 1/2 gas if possible. I find as well with my Outback that plate should be UP running flat/horizontal with boat as Pure ski boats don't come with plates at all.The plate down helps get the back up more so on other models that tend to run deeper in the water or if you are running heavy it helps a bit.
Best is running empty with driver, spotter and a skier with minimal gear just as they do in Ski tournaments. My .02 worth.

[big lake]

Thanks for all the advice- we are packing up today to head over to Wenatchee, WA to Lincoln Rock State Park tomorrow. I will do some snooping around to see where my weight is placed and do a little experimenting. It's supposed to be in the 90's-100's- so we'll be out alot!!

Thanks for all the help- Moomba owners are the best!

[OldeBoy]

Did the previous owner have any ballast bags installed that could be inavertently filling?