Wakesurf Ballast Calculator
Pick your boat, set rider weight and wave preference, and get a starting ballast, speed, and rope setup. A starting point to dial in from — not a substitute for your boat's own manual.
Your setup
Suggested starting point
- Surf-side ballast
- 1,500–1,900 lbs
- Off-side ballast
- Light / empty, then trim to clean the wash
- Boat speed
- 11.0–11.3 mph
- Rope length
- 18–22 ft
Generic estimate — pick a boat for a capacity-aware suggestion. Bias weight to the surf side, then fine-tune speed in ±0.2 mph steps until the wave cleans up. This is a starting point, not a rule.
Ballast changes how a boat sits and how big a wake it throws. Stay inside your boat’s rated capacity, keep everyone seated while under way, and hold the shoreline setback your state requires — see the wake-sport rules by state. Then pick water with the depth and room to take it: where to wakesurf.
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