There isn't too much debate here, wake shapers definitely work and will cause you to have a great time! Wake shapers attach to one side of your boat and re-route water to create a great wake to surf. A high-quality wake shaper will produce a continuous, reliable, and predictable wake so that you can easily surf it.
No, you cannot use a wake shaper on every boat. If the boat has an outboard motor or stern drive it will not be safe for use. You will be too close to the propeller and could be seriously injured or even die. You want an inboard motor; specifically a V-Drive, direct-drive, reverse drive, or jet to be able to wake surf.
You want to put the wake shaper on the opposite side of the boat that you are wake surfing on. The wake shaper will be placed as far back as possible on the boat and a few inches below the water line when fully submerged/ballasted.
The best speed for wakesurfing is 9-14 mph. There will be some variables such as the length of the boat, ballast weight and any current. The slower you go the steeper the wake will be. This will give you a shorter pocket with plenty of push. As you increase the speed the height of the wake will be smaller but it will be longer; you will also normally have less push.
To create a great wake-surfing wake, remember to pay attention to details when setting up your boat. You start by adding ballast to the boat to create the wake. Adding about 60% to the back and 40% to the front is a good place to start. If you want to increase the height of the wake you can add more to the back of the boat.
Next, you will have to experiment with speed and get that dialed in to your liking. Boat speed generates the majority of the push that keeps the wake surfer moving forward in the wake. Water depth is another factor, as deeper waters will create a more consistent wake. We like to see a minimum of 15 feet of water depth, but you can make it work at about 10 feet.
Both wakeboarding and wakesurfing take some practice to get comfortable, but once you do there is a lot of fun to be had with both. Both require balance and core muscle engagement. Once you get used to it, it will become second nature, but at first, there will be some struggles.
Injuries can be more common in wakeboarding because the boat and the wakeboarder will be traveling at higher speeds than when wake surfing. This means that you will fall harder when wakeboarding, whereas with wake surfing it is a much more gentle retreat into the water normally.
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