Priest Lake, ID (surfed G23, Wakesetter VLS 23, MB Tom 21')

[willy]

Had an amazing week at Priest Lake last week and had the opportunity to surf behind all three boats. A short comparison of all three from a novice surfer and some questions I'm considering and could use some opinions on:

 

G23: Killer boat! Completely sold me on removing my carpet and installing Seadeck...no brainer! Wave was best overall (decent push and good length).

 

Wakesetter: Huge wave with alot of push but quite short.

 

MB: Comparable height to the G23 but to the naked eye looked a bit smaller. Also comparable length to the G23 but definetly shorter on the back end. Had the least amount of push compared to the three.

 

I was not controlling the ballast setup on either the G23 or the Wakesetter so unfortunately I cannot report on them. My MB was full stock ballast surf side along with +800 lb sack in the locker. No bow ballast weight except a 13 year old or two at times which did not seem to make much of a difference. 1/2 to 1/4 full stock on non-surf side. Played around with the wakeplate alot and could not seem to get the spray to stop getting into the eyes of the surfers. When I put the wakeplate up or at 1/4 down the wave had more push but to get rid of the spray I had to put it 3/4 down which really decreased the push and flattened it out.

 

Conclusions:

 

1. I hated throwing the pump over the side. If I NEED more ballast I'm going to install integrated pumps/sacks.

2. Loved the gates and non-listed boats, I have to do this.

 

Questions I could use some assistance with:

 

1. How do I stop the spray from the wakeplate?

2. What would the recommendation be to keep the wave length but get (alot) more push from the wave? Seriously, the Wakesetter wave was HUGE!

3. Knowing these issues, would gates alone solve my problem or would I also need to install integrated pumps/ballast as well?

 

Sorry no videos to post.

Thanks for the help in advance. And for any of the PNW guys considering a trip Priest Lake it is the best lake...hit me up if you have any questions or looking for advice. I booked my stay again next year, same place/same week.

[dbrayton1]

I had the spray issue. Thinking back and seeing what other folks are reporting I think my fix was a lot more weight to get the running gear further down in the water. I have GSA with 750's in the lockers totally full with factory full as well. No more wash/spray. No bow weight and I almost never put the wake plate down unless someone requests a flatter, more mellow wake shape.