How To Set Ballast: The Best Wakesurf Boat Guide For 2023

By  //  June 9, 2023

An incorrectly set wakesurf boat ballast is one way to ruin your wakesurfing experience. Without proper placement, configuration, and calculation of ballast, your wakesurfing boat won’t be able to displace enough water to make a consistent and big enough wake.

Even worse, you might even have a hard time driving your boat and ruining your wakesurfing experience.

For those of  you who want to start setting up the ballast on your wakesurf boat, here is a simple yet comprehensive guide for you!

Types Of Wakesurf Boat Ballast

First of all, three types of ballast could add weight to your boat, factory ballast, passenger ballast, and wakesurf boat ballast bag. Each can contribute to a different position on your boat and give a contrasting effect to the wake displacement.

  1. Factory Ballast

A factory ballast is simply the ballast that comes naturally with the wakesurf boat that you bought. Some wakesurf boats might even have enough ballast all ready for you to drive and make a proper wake displacement. 

However, some of the wakesurf boats don’t   have enough ballast weight to make a bigger wave. If that’s the case, then you will need the other two types of additional ballast.

  1. Passengers On Board

Passengers that occupy your wakesurfing boat can also be calculated as a ballast since they also add weight onto your wake surf boat. Passengers are also one of the most versatile and easily adjustable ballast since you just have to arrange the seating position to make a proper modification to your wakesurf boat’s weight disposition. 

  1. Wakesurf Boat Ballast Bag

Last but not least is an additional wakesurf boat ballast bag. These are the types of ballast that you can buy in the market if you need additional weight for your boat (either there are not enough passengers or the factory ballast isn’t enough). Furthermore, having additional ballast is convenient because you can adjust the weight as you need it to make sure that the wake displacement matches your wakesurfing skill.

Wakesurf Boat Ballast Placement Guide

Now, where you need to place the wakesurfing boat ballast on your boat is another crucial matter. It’s because different placements can affect the shape and contour of the wake displacement significantly. Here’s a simple guide for you.

X-Axis Ballast Placement

Some people might think that an evenly placed ballast on your wakesurf boat is all you need. However, that’s not true. It’s because the placement of ballast on the X-Axis of your wakesurf boat can also affect the shape and size of the wake displacement. 

Even though some of the pros would want an even wave on both sides of the boat to jump across, it’s not the case when you’re new; It’s best to just stay on one side of the wakesurf boat. Hence, the ballast placement of the X-Axis is important because adjusting the ballast to be heavier on one side can give you a bigger wake without needing too much additional weight on your boat. 

Y-Axis Ballast Placement

The placement of the Y-Axis will have a direct effect on the size and shape of the wake behind your wakesurf boat. When you place the ballast further on the back of your wakesurf boat, it will immediately make a bigger yet shorter wake. On the other side, when you place the ballast further on the front of your wakesurfing boat, it will make the wake shallower but longer.

Balance of Placement

To make the perfect wake for your wakesurfing experience, the key isn’t always to place the ballast to make the biggest wake possible. However, it’s finding the balance between the depth and size of the wake, with the length of it, to make a wake that’s suitable for your wakesurfing skill.

Want To Buy All-In-One Fantastic Wakesurf Boat? Supra Boat At Your Service

Now you know how to properly set up the ballast on your wakesurfing boat. However, it will still be a hassle to configure the placement of ballast on your own wakesurf boat. Not to mention it is really hard to do them on your own.

Nevertheless, that’s a problem no more with the lineup of wakesurfing boats from Supra Boat. With Supra Boat, you can choose any type of boat that you need, from the small, versatile, and dynamic Supra SR which has 20.11 ft in length and could occupy up to 14 people, to the luxurious, refined, and powerful Supra SE which has 24.5 ft in length and could occupy up to 18 people;

Cannot find the perfect fit for you? No need to worryt! With Supra Boat, you can customize a wakesurf boat as you need it. From the engine type, steering options, exterior, interior, towers, and many more.