Your Guide to Wake Boat Ballast

Wake boats, also known as ski boats or wakeboard boats, are a popular choice for adventurous people who love participating in watersports like water skiing, wakeboarding, inner tubing, or wakesurfing. One of the most important components of a wake boat is its ballast, which is another word for weight. Here’s everything you need to know about wake boat ballast.

What is Ballast?

Ballast simply refers to a system of weights that can be used to weigh down the stern of the boat so that the other features of the boat like its hydrofoil plates, can be used to generate bigger, cleaner wakes for wakesurfers and wakeboarders to jump and perform tricks upon. It may be simple or complex. Many wake boats come with a ballast system installed on them already, but you may wish to use additional ballast on your boat in certain circumstances.

Types

You can find ballast in several different styles, including “fat sacks,” a name for bags filled with water that can be stored very compactly when emptied. These sacks may also be filled with sand, but this isn’t as practical when you’re out in the middle of the water and need to dump some out. Sometimes, you can even use your own passengers as ballast by having them stand strategically around the boat.

Using Ballast

When you use ballast, you’ll have to carefully place it in certain areas to get the results you want. You also need to make sure that you’re not overloading your boat with too much weight. The weight also needs to be evenly distributed around the boat for symmetrical wakes that won’t fall apart.

Visit one of our dealerships in Arizona, California, or Utah to view our wide selection of new and used wake boats for sale. Germaine Marine is proud to serve our customers in the cities of Mesa, AZ, and Norco, CA.