03' x-30 surfing set up

[gabbygogo]

trying to set up surfing behind our 03' x-30, never set up surfing before so pretty clueless. tried one time but got frustrated... where do i start? do we for sure need sacks? if so what do i go out and buy???

[madmuffin]

gabbygogo,
I have a 07 X-30 so our boats are a little different... Standard ballast by itself is a challenge to surf unless you keep the rope and/or ride a large board. Nothing like ballast when it comes to surfing. Last year I used standard ballast plus one 750 Fly High in the back port locker. I was able to free surf but the sweet spot was limited unless I could get a number of adults in the boat. I am 6'1" 185# and was a riding a Hyperlite Broadcast 5-6 then.

This summer I added another 750 which I placed on the seat on the port side. I also have two FH 155 "bricks" that I've been playing with between the bow or back by the 750 on the seat. The wake and sweetspot have been great this year and both my wife and 10 y.o. son free surf now also. There are no sweet spot problems with this setup. Still, I noticed that adding more adults in the boat can make it even better. So, I've added beyond this at the end of season. Note I can ride smaller boards ropeless this year that I couldn't last year at the same weight and I stay in the sweet spot with little effort. For one, a 4'3" Hyperlite Swell even though the board is a little small for me.

I can't really tell you an exact setup for your boat but in adding ballast sacs, generally start in the rear corner you are surfing and work your way forward adding more weight in back and up the side you are surfing. If you have a trim plate, use it to clean up the wake if it is washy. Speeding up can also help clean the the wake and stretch the sweet spot. You may also experiment with driving in a slight arc towards the side you're surfing and see if that helps. I had to do this last year when I had less ballast. With all the weight I have this year, I prefer the a straighter line. I hope this helps!

[prostar205]

I have an '02 X-30 and have found the best setup to be a 750lb sac in the rear trunk and a custom ski locker sac weighing roughly 475lbs. Please note, I removed the hard tanks from both rear lockers - they only hold 175 lbs each and eat up alot of room. With those removed, you can easily fit a 750 lb sac in each side. If you surf on the port (passenger) side of the boat, fill the 750 lb sac up all the way, fill the center ski locker sac and add human ballast along the port side. It is VERY important to add at least a full sized adult (200 lbs) to the bow seating area. This will elongate the your wake and clean it up alot. Have fun, while this hull was not really optimized for surfing, it will surf pretty well with enough weight placed in correct locations.