How do wake boats work?

However, wake boats will differ in their ability as to what sort of wake they make. For instance, you’ll want a slow and low wake for someone having a crack at wake surfing for the first time, but something that is steep and angular for someone with a bit of experience wanting a bit of wakeboarding action.

So, how do you choose which wake boat to get? Let’s dig a little deeper.

The first step is that you’ll need to do your research to determine what sort of wake boat you want.

Different wake boat brands build a number of different hulls that are optimised for a mix of sports, such as skiing, crossover (that’s the group of boats that try and cover off both waterskiing and wakeboarding) and wake-specific designs.

It’s important here to be clear about what your family wants to do with the boat, as this will determine the type of hull you’ll select.

How do you do this? Contact a boat dealership and ask to take a test ride behind a boat you think will be right for you. 

Buying a wake boat is often more expensive than buying a new car, so it’s important to learn if the range of abilities the boat has matches what you’ll need it to do.

If skiing isn’t your buzz, go for a boat featuring what the maker will refer to as a wake hull. 

This should be a boat that consistently produces a good-shaped, high water volume wake or wave without the need for add-ons that are used to amplify the wake, such as ballast and wedge tools that are used to artificially increase the volume of water displaced.

Ballast is a means of controlling the size and shape of a wake boat’s wake that flows out behind it.

Ballast is an important tool, as it can almost double the size of the wake that the boat creates.

Getting it right is difficult, so look for an intuitive automated ballast system that takes most of the guesswork out of how much water to take onboard to suit the person being towed or surfing behind the boat.

As well as controlling the volume and size of the wake, the distribution of ballast from the front to the back of the boat can also be used to control the shapes of the wake, anywhere between tall and steep to long and mellow.

Ballast does this by changing the attitude of the wake boat relative to the water as it drives through it.

Choosing the right wake boat can be important for young families, as the ability to progressively build up the size and shape of the wake will allow the boat to keep pace as those towed or surfing behind it become more skilled.

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