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AdaminMN Newbie
Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 6 City: Stillwater
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Posted: Aug 11, 2009 8:50 pm Post subject: Waxing a wakesurfer |
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Has anyone waxed the bottom of thier wake surf boards? I've heard mixed opinions from a few people, but have had no discussion of the topis itself. I was told it would help speed my board up. On the contrary, I've also heard wax has a higher drag cooefficient than gelcoat, and can therefore slow down a boat. Anyhow, I tried waxing my board, now it seems slower than before. Any opinions out there?
I realize my board (LF Venture 5') isn't a speed demon to begin with. I surfed on a CWB Ride this weekend and that's quite a bit faster than the LF. I'm just trying to squeeze anything I can out of my current to get throught the rest of the summer, then I can look at upgrading over the winter. |
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kyle f Addict
Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 835 City: Norris Lake
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Posted: Aug 17, 2009 9:14 am Post subject: |
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The coatins on wakeboards and Surfboards are not suposed to be waxed. It can lead to delamination.
Also, for speed you want as little surface tnesion as possible... that is why sail boat racers scuff the hulls of their boats so it doesn't stick to the water. _________________ Always looking for others who ride on Norris Lake in TN
MB Sports B52 V23 with 2750lbs of Ballast Capable |
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AdaminMN Newbie
Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 6 City: Stillwater
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Posted: Mar 09, 2010 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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Well here's some answers to the experiment...
I stripped the wax off the board w/ acetone and wet sanded the board with 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Ran water over the board to see if water was still beading. Acetoned and sanded again until no beading occurred.
Filled up the 800# of ballast and gave the board a try. The board that surfed like a slab of plywood last time was a chit load faster. I it was fast enough to free ride, and still pick up enough speed to catch up to the boat and almost hit the platform. The pocket on my wake is quite small and this is the first time I've been able to free ride behind my boat for any length of time. I even got cocky and tried beersurfing. Only a quarter of a beer today.
I'm trying to decide to leave well enough alone and just work on the ballast quantity/placement, or start sanding with 1200 wet/dry to see what happens. I will be board shopping in the spring for something faster, just because it's cheaper than buying a different boat that can produce a larger wake. |
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kyle f Addict
Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 835 City: Norris Lake
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Posted: Mar 10, 2010 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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The smoother the surface gets, the slower the board will be die to surface tension... as said above... there is a reason why these racers scuff their hulls. _________________ Always looking for others who ride on Norris Lake in TN
MB Sports B52 V23 with 2750lbs of Ballast Capable |
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