bye, bye ballast

[Mobe789]

Tige- bye, bye ballast

theyre saying the taps system is a replacement for ballast?

its just a simple wakeplate it doesnt make it bigger or smaller, just changes the shape, at least my wakeplate (moomba) doesn't

are they giving out the wrong idea for taps or what?

[DavidHoff]

Taps shapes the wake and does not make it bigger. Taps in 7 is the same as no Taps, so basically you can only make the wake more ski-able. Since the boat is so heavy and it is a deep hull, the wake is pretty big stock and technically, you don't need ballast for it or any boat. I think the combination of ballast and taps on a Tige puts out some of the sickest wakes I've ridden.

But to answer your question, you could say it's the wrong idea, but really it's not. No boat needs ballast, but It helps and it's definitely not bad to have.

[Mobe789]

DavidHoff, but its saying you dont need ballast at all to make a big wake

[d*RU*nk]

I would say that the tige wake stock with just the taps at 7 is towards the top of the list for best wakes without ballast. Although for me it isnt quite firm enough stock... I usually ride with about 1500 pounds of ballast which puts up a very good wake. Although when you start adding weight you have to back off on the taps or else the wake will be too steep and can wash over a little. I usually ride with the taps around 4 or 5 when I'm fully weighted

[pooser]

Mobe789, you dont. but a wakeboarder is never satisfied with a big wake. it has to be massive. its basically trying to market for the moms and families out there that dont want to crawl over sacs or worry about fillin ballast tanks.

[DavidHoff]

Personally, I think It's a good marketing technique considering how popular wakeboarding is getting and how many new wakeboarder's parents/families are buying new inboards. You don't need ballast, and that might be appealing to some, as it was to my family when we bought our 2004. When me moved up to our 2005 though, our first option was the hard-tanked ballast system.

[Chad H]

That airscoop that some company had out a while back probably would have worked ok. It would have been much better to have a goofy lookin air scoop than having to worry about ballast in my opinion.

[DavidHoff]

[Chad H]

No more stress than someone boarding.

[DavidHoff]

Wakeboarddrumma, Are you serious? Not only would it be the stress of a wakeboarder in tow, but it would be that of the wing added together. Towers are built to support the rider and the angle of their pull, and yes they can probably with-stand the stress of the wing pushing down, but they aren't truly made for that.

[03parksridr]

Wakeboarddrumma,
Wow I can't believe someone would actually say that out loud. First off in order for the wing to have any effect on the wake, it is going to have to put about 1500 lbs of downforce on the tower. I used the 1500lbs number based on what I have seen that the "average" wakeboarder runs. That is 3/4 of a ton of force directed solely to the small feet of your tower, not to mention the weight of the tower itself, and all of the speakers, racks etc. that are on it. What if you are running with a 20 mph tailwind? Then the wing is doing nothing. There is no way that a wing could replace ballast systems, there are too many things that would need to be changed and also there are too many vartiables that could effect the wing's performance. Not gonna happen

[Kewlboarder27r]

03parksridr, what he said

[pooser]

03parksridr, when was the last time you saw someone riding in 20 mph winds.

i remember my friend getting sucked in by one of these ads. he doesnt know much about wakeboarding so when he said "dude, they invented a boat that doesnt need ballast." i was thinking if it makes a big wake without ballast why not throw in 2000 lbs and make a wake.

[03parksridr]

The Headless Chicken, good point on the wind i wasn't really thinking it all the way through just an example though. Still there would be too many factors that could influence it. But how about this scenario, you are out on the lake and all of a sudden a storm rolls in and there are 30-40 mph gusts, the force on you boat woul dbe tremendous, maybe enough to sink your boat. Not good.

[AndyAndy]

and maybe driving around with a giant wing on your boat will make you look like a retard who failed miserably at trying to build an airplane

[Stephan]

The Taps is great for adjusting the shape. We like to ride around the 75-80 foot length & with the Taps at 5 or 6 we add around 1400 pounds of fat sacs plus 3-5 people in a 22i. It's a great wake but using only Taps is a crappy sales tool that says we don't need ballast or a stupid wedge to make a great wake. Sure it makes a wake but it sucks donkey balls without ballast. There is no substitute for more ballast. Unless fat uncle bubba wants to bring his sandwich cart on board or a you wanna park a jet ski in the back seat.

[Wakeguru]

Not having to dicker with the filling of tanks/bags is nice, but there are other advantages to having to put less weight in the boat.

First, you save on gas.

Second, running massive amounts of ballast is becoming more and more risky. By that I mean that the authorities and the public are becoming more aware of this practice and it's not looked on favorably by many people other than boarders. The people who live on the lakes are worried about shore erosion (pfft - sell your house) and the authorities are concerned about safety/overweighting. It seems like I hear about more and more rules being enforced upon wake boats these days.

Maybe, the main thrust was to create a cross-over boat for slalom and wakeboarding. Regardless, good on Tige for thinking outside the box.

[AndyAndy]

i ride behind a mastercraft x2 and to save on gas ive been not filling the ballasts when i ride. The wake without the ballast is still amazing and i think riding behind a slightly less perfect wake is better for me cuz it forces me to perfect my form rather than having the greatest wake ever just throw me into the air

[bpatters]

[Stephan]

There's nothing wrong with having good technique but I ride so infrequently that if I'm gonna do it I'm gonna do it right. Plus any competition I've been in has some monstrous wake, gotta stay fresh for those. Taps is definately a good thing & tige was the first to add it to an inboard but now Moomba & Supra have them and it's been done on other boats for years. Basically you can't get a great wake with only Taps, it helps shape but for more advanced tricks you need more air than an empty Tige will dish out.

[Rheyzar]

First off, from my experience riding behind Tige using Taps, it's not even close to replacing actual ballast. It's like saying sex feels just as good with a condom.

The stock wake off my V215 is excellent by itself. I usually only fill all ballast when we're running serious sets. IMHO, it's actually a set back for beginning riders to be exposed to a full ballast wake. I always crack up when we take first timers out and they actually complain about the wake being too big.

Rheyzar -

[-=LoneStar=-]

I'd say TAPS improves the wake the same way good brakes make a race car go faster. Think about it.