Wake boarding behind a 97 Speedster

[Banditgrrr]

I have a 97 Speedster. I went out with some friends this weekend and we took out the knee board and wake board. The boat had absolutely no issues getting someone out of the water on the knee board. The wake board was a different story. We were using the small metal pole behind the seats to attach the rope since I do not have a tower. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like the boat had enough power to pull us out of the water at the start. This was my first time trying to wake board so I'm not sure if it's me, or if it's the lack of having a tower. I prefer not to buy and install a tower until I can try to get up on a wake board and see if I like it. Can anyone confirm if they've been able to get a wake board out of the water with this boat? I'm 170 pounds and didn't think it would be an issue.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Knee boards WANT to rise up and ride on top of the water. Where the wake board is started in the water considerably deeper. This creates much resistance and causes the boat to struggle to get the wake up on top of the water..

Alter your way that you get up and it will help. Try to start off like a surfboard more so than a wake board.. Line the board up with the boat instead of perpendicular. Once the board starts to rise up, then pivot the board like you would normally do to a wake board..

 

[Banditgrrr]

Thanks Joe. Do you mean to start off almost like a slalom ski where the board is aligned to the boat rather than perpendicular to the boat?

 

[Coastiejoe]

Correct,,, MUCH less drag. Once you start to come out press the nose down and you will be up.

 

[snikwad003]

Place your weight on your back foot as you tuck it to straighten out the board and stay balled up

 

[Danosll]

made that pole to wakeboard. total coast $25.including trailer ball. aluminum pole is 1" x 5 feet. i had like 6" turned down to i believe 3/4" to fit in receptacle of my 97 single engine challenger which uses the same pole as your speedster. my twin engine challenger is larger so the pole fits perfectly.used a 1/4 aluminum plate i attached a trailer ball to it and that makes it adjustable.. can pull wakeboarders up all day long with 6 heavy people in twin engine. unfortunatly pole is up at the cottage but if you would like better pics or exact measurements i can do that on the weekend for you

 

[LawnDart]

Are your pumps cavitating? My sportster (twin 720s) can pull up two wakeboarders, a 200 lb adult and a 100 lb teen, at the same time. Something mechanical going on?

 

[Banditgrrr]

Are your pumps cavitating? My sportster (twin 720s) can pull up two wakeboarders, a 200 lb adult and a 100 lb teen, at the same time. Something mechanical going on?

Yes, the pumps are cavitating. I just had the boat in the shop for a tune up and they said everything is in good condition so not sure what else to try. I thought having a tower would help as it pull you up and would possibly decrease the drag. That doesn't really solve the cavitation issue though.

 

[LawnDart]

Yes, the pumps are cavitating. I just had the boat in the shop for a tune up and they said everything is in good condition so not sure what else to try. I thought having a tower would help as it pull you up and would possibly decrease the drag. That doesn't really solve the cavitation issue though.

Did they check your carbon seals?

 

[Banditgrrr]

I'm not sure. I know they took it out to the lake to drive it but I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to working on the boat. It's a 97 Speedster and they told me it only has 114 hours on it. I'm trying to do some research on how to replace the seals and impeller. Would those two make a difference and is there a way to check the seal without having to replace it?

 

[Coastiejoe]

Crawl under the boat and from the intake grates, take pictures of the impellers and wear ring try to get a good pic of any gap that may exist between the impeller and wear ring.

 

[Banditgrrr]

Here are the best pictures I can get from the intake grates. The first picture is the port side and the 2nd picture is the starboard side.

 

[Coastiejoe]

#1 pic. The top is worn more than the other areas and I see a gap on the other side. Leads me to think the engine is not aligned. At a minimum, the wear ring needs replaced based on the gap. But I believe you need to pull the pump(s) and check engine alignment using an alignment tool.

 

[snikwad003]

There are some good sized chunks missing out of that #2 wear ring