How to Go Wakesurfing With a Direct Drive Inboard Boat

Did you know that you can have a lot of fun wakesurfing a direct drive inboard boat? Just add a few simple accessories and you'll have a wakesurf boat for cheap. We'll teach you how to add some ballast bags for wakesurfing, attach a wake shaper, and fine-tune your direct drive boat speed. Wakesurfing behind a ski boat can be lots of fun. Check it out!
0:00 Intro
0:15 What is a wake shaper?
0:50 Where to mount the wake shaper?
1:40 Here's what the wake looks like WITHOUT shape and ballast.
1:50 Here's the wave with the shaper added.
2:00 How to use wakesurfing ballast bags and a pump.
3:18 How to evenly weight your boat with ballast bags.
4:00 Here's the wave with the shaper and 250 pounds of ballast.
4:15 Let's add another 500 pounds of ballast.
4:28 Here's the wave WITH shaper and 750 pounds of ballast.
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[@VGofRI]

Been doing that for years using two plastic 55 gal barrels on my ‘95 pro star 190. Load it up with 6-7 people. We’ve inspired many people to get out and try it. A few even loved it so much they went out and bought $100k wake boats. I will stay with my $6k boat and have fun for the four months of lake time in New England.

[@yoderman96]

I have that exact same boat and this gives me so much hope for being able to drop the rope this summer

[@actionwater]

Glad we could help Grant! 😎

[@Bliz219]

Love seeing that boat with that color scheme. I have a 92 ps 190 with the same coloring. It’s a head turner on the trailer and water.

[@actionwater]

An absolute classic look!

[@scottyodell860]

Mines the same exact color this comment makes me second guess changing the color

[@JayFeuerherm]

Will the ballast bags have to stay under the boat limit? I got an old 94 Moomba boomerang and the limit is 680!

[@tylerraymond6180]

So all you guys added was 1000 lbs in back and a wake shaper?

[@fbgomide]

This is awesome! Now I am curious if adding a wake shaper and the ballast bags work on a 1995 Bayliner? If it does I'm definitely in!!! Any recommendations?

[@MaxPayneLane]

Be careful using any boat with an outdrive, your' surfing very close to the back of the boat and the prop is much more exposed then a direct drive boat.

[@steves659]

Can you post a link for the wake shaper you used and those sacks? Thank you

[@actionwater]

Hey Steve, here are the links below: Shaper: www.wakehouse.com/products/mission-delta-2-0-wakesurf-shaper.html Sacks: inboardgarage.com/fat-sac/

[@Kikdrum73]

What kind of RPMs do you suggest starting off with 250lb sack, plus the shaper on a prostar 190 pre 90s model? Great video to help before I go give an arm, maybe a leg for a new wake/ surf vessel.

[@trevormccleery6070]

Zach, I have an 89 Prostar 190 power slot as well as an American skier advance and Supra sun sport from similar years. On the ps190 you will need about 700-1000 pounds of ballast to have a surfable wave, I have the sub$200 origin set with pump, 2 350 pound bags. I run 9.5-10 mph gps speed. The asymmetrical power slot hull shape combined with the prop rotation really fights your ability to surf regular riders. It surfs very well for goofy. Sadly I have to report the power slot era Prostar is not the best pick for a surf boat because it doesn’t do both sides. I bring up the other boats I have because they don’t suffer the same problem. The American skier is the same length and weight, but can surf regular and goofy. The Supra is a bit bigger and better still. The boat they have here is closer in size to my 20’ Supra. Maybe you’ve learned this by experience already, maybe this will be helpful. Maybe you solved the regular side problem in which case please let me know! I only call it surfable if a decent rider can throw the rope consistently and isn’t constantly falling off the back of the wave. Board choice matters too, longer boards with more fin ride the small wakes better.

[@codycuellar]

Need more weight! We rock a '94 Prostar 205 and honestly it rides better and bigger than most stock new boats and fitted out mid-2000s super air nautiques my friends had. We put out easily a close to waist-high wake that rides decently far back. It's got a super clean lip and a nice roll off in the back. It is SUPER aggressive and steep though, and has a bit of a dip from the flats into the bottom of the wave so it's easy to bury your nose if you're not use to it. For our setup we put a 1200lb ballast seat which wraps around the engine compartment (we've removed the bench seat), another 800lb bag on top of that, two 250lb bags between the driver/passenger seat, and a 500lb bag on the floor up in the bow. We also use a suction shaper fin on the side you're riding on. Granted the deck is about 5-6 inches under water and the boat won't get up over 15 mph, so it's purely for surf sessions when set up. We are considering finally upgrading to a new boat such as the x22, but honestly it's tough considering the quality and size of wave we get on this boat and it's paid off only $14,000 and the ability to dump the bags and go slalom skiing. That said, I'd love a push-and-play boat that can surf with more than 1 passenger and hang out all day on, our setup/teardown is a REAL hassle. Just wanted to say - it's possible to get REALLY competitive waves out of old Prostars - you just need be willing to sit them SUPER low in the water.

[@actionwater]

Thanks for the insight Cody! It's fun to figure out how to set up ballast bags and adjust them to get the most out of your wave, but the upgrades such as the Gen 2 Surf system make everything so much simpler. Either way we hope that you and your family enjoy your time on the water! ✌😎

[@andyeighttre]

How about the exhaust?

[@actionwater]

@AJeight3 can you be a little more specific with your question? If you're asking about exhaust fumes while riding, they're not really noticeable at all. Hope this helps! 😎

[@andyeighttre]

Is this boats exhaust underwater or above? I know there use to be warnings on every wake forum that surfing older boats was dangerous. Of course with a few extra feet of distance and the ports pointed at the water or partially submerged would negate this. Your setup is tempting to set up on my dads 1990 Malibu Pro Skier so that I can actually wakeboard behind my 247 lsv instead of all surfing all the passengers.

[@actionwater]

@@andyeighttre The warnings you referring to are specifically directed to people hanging out on the swim platform for long periods of time inhaling fumes or "body" surfing extremely close to the transom of the boat inhaling fumes. However, using the combination of ballast and wake shaping devices, you are no longer "body surfing" as you are standing up completely up and far enough back that it won't be an issue. Let us know if you have anymore questions!"

[@jestinmorse8248]

How much lower does that sit in the water with the extra weight?

[@actionwater]

Great question, it will depend on the make/model. In most circumstances it's a matter of a few inches. We recommend going to the deepest part of the lake you are on and weight the boat accordingly before moving towards shallower parts of the lake. Hope this helps! 👍

[@jestinmorse8248]

Thank you. I’ve got the exact same model and color scheme as the boat in the video!

[@h2oskiaddict]

How to Go Wakesurfing With a Direct Drive Inboard Boat in just 2 easy steps. Step 1. go buy a deep V hull Vdrive boat. Step 2. go wakesurfing.

[@actionwater]

🤣 that's definitely an option!

[@megaeureka7fan]

this video should not have been made. wakesurfing is DESTRYOING the shorelines of many freshwater lakes across the country. wakesurfing should be illegal.

[@actionwater]

Thanks for the comment and we understand your concern. There are actually a lot of resources on how to wakesurf responsibly. Check this link out for more information www.wsia.net/waterway-access-tools/

[@bignateliving4056]

Why don’t you vacation or get a cabin on a non motorized lake then. And leave the fun to the surfers and riders.

[@drumrooster]

Stay off the lakes so people can 🏄‍♀️🏄‍♂️

[@Billy-ye3ge]

BOOOO Karen!!!

[@bignateliving4056]

I’m just about to load up the wakesetter and head out for a lovely afternoon surf and turf!