Boat speed and rope length to go to the next level

SMLWinds · Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2012 Posts: 6

I have been wakeboarding going about 19mph with the rope shortened to about 50 feet to put me at the sweet spot. I am now to the point where I jump and the rope is actually pulling me down because I'm getting more air. I have been reading that you need to get further back in order to keep the rope length from holding you back.

My question is, if I speed up a little bit, should it move the "sweet spot" of my wake back further? I have a Chaparral 206 SSI with a factory wakeboard tower and 230hp. Can you change the sweet spot on the wake to make it further back on all boats or just certain ones?

Thanks for the help!

ediotism · Outlaw Joined: 14 Sep 2011 Posts: 124

speeding up DOES move the sweetspot, however, a lot of things are inter correlated so you can't just do one thing most times.

i'd recommend trying to adjust ONE of the following factor at a time to re-adjust:

1. speed - 19 is a bit low, many progressing riders are comfy at around 21-22, so just speed up the boat first and see how the wake turns out at that speed.

2. weight placement - the wake goes higher (but more "loopy") if you have more weight at the back of the boat, and the sweet spot goes further back (away from the boat) the more weight you have near the bow. personally my sweet spot is to be at 2-3 feet in front of the loopy bit/whitewash of the wake, so i usually get the boat up to my 22 riding speed with my rope at 65ft, then get people in the boat to sit further back/forward to adjust the shape of the wake.

it may be easier for you to adjust if you first decide on the speed (21 ish is a good speed) AND the rope length (58-65 for those progressing up, further when you get better), and then adjust the weight in the boat as you ride.

FunkyBunch · Outlaw Joined: 01 Aug 2011 Posts: 206 City: The Colony

Really have zero exp with an IO. But generally speaking for every 5ft we let the rope out we speed the boat up at least .5mph on the perfect pass. I personally do a lot of this as I am trying different things I will shorten the rope and slow down to try something new then speed back up to dial it in. 50 ft rope is very short though.

FlatH20 · Outlaw Joined: 12 Oct 2009 Posts: 167

not much experience with an I/O - I know the the V-drive the wake changes with speed - ediotism has a good path - one thing at a time. check the wake at the higher speeds and adjust accordingly - teaching my kid to go W2W - we would l pull in the rope and bump the speed - then let the rope out after consistently landing.. - flips we'll slow down and turn the boat to increase the lip - point being - it depends on what you're looking to do as well... get a few sacs and play around with the placement - and don't forget to load the front of the boat....

SMLWinds · Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2012 Posts: 6

Thanks for the advice. I have been wakeboarding for about 2 months but I have an extensive athletic background and decent God given ability so I'm probably able to progress pretty fast. To be honest, I am perfectly fine riding at 21 or 22. There are 2 reasons I was shooting for 19mph....#1 a guy I know who is better than me said that was the right speed and #2 the wake size/shape. At about 18mph, the wake is high peaking and I get great air but barely make it to the other side of the wake. At 19mph, I get enough air on a good jump that the rope is pulling me down and I have no trouble clearing the wake. If I turn up the speed to 21 or so, the wake flattens a bit and I don't get as much height but I literally land about 15 feet on the other side of the wake. I guess maybe I should try that speed and see what the wake looks like a little further back.

Any further thoughts or comments are appreciated. It is good to know what speed the "pros" go so I know where I ultimately should be. Thanks again!

FunkyBunch · Outlaw Joined: 01 Aug 2011 Posts: 206 City: The Colony

I would not get carried away about the pro's speed, some of them ride north of 25mph. That is due to the crazy weight they run in the boats.

brichter14 · Addict Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 705

We run around 21 mph at 60 feet on my 18 foot I/O. Put weight in the front of the boat 60/40 in an I/O and experiment with speed.

skye120 · Criminal Joined: 12 Aug 2010 Posts: 74 City: Knoxville

This is a great write up it should help you alot it did me. There are three different pages so make sure you read all three.

http://wakeboardingmag.com/how-to/higher-learning-wakeboarding/2011/09/17/how-to-dial-in-your-perfect-rope-length/