Hi
@4michael, I've been meaning to reply to this since I first saw you post. Sorry it took so long. There's more options than ever to make your boat surfable. Shapers a part of the equation but there are some universal requirements that most Yamaha's need to make them surfable.
#1 is ballast, as you touched on a bit in your post, the one kit that has the 2 small bags is solely designed for the 19' models. Mainly because there are no 19' models with stick ballast.
These boats are constructed to be very light weight compared to other boats in their class. Bottom line is they need more weight in order to displace the amount of water necessary to create a large surfable wave. Even the X model boasts are barely adequate. For your 242SE, the simplest way to get the right amount of appropriate ballast would be by adding the custom swim deck bag designed by
@jcyamaharider and should by his company Gantlin Products.
Straight-line Surfing on Yamaha Jet Boats with the Wake Wedge and custom Transom Ballast Bags. Est. in 2014 and going strong with many satisfied customers !
wakewedge.surf
Then pair that 850lb bag with additional ballast in the ski locker. I have a 900lb bag in the locker of my AR240.
What you want to achieve is both leaning the boat surf side and weighing down the surf side corner of the swim deck. The rear surf side corner is where the majority of the weight is needed to favor the wave surf side. The boat becomes very tail heavy with just that bag, so adding the bag in the ski locker will help bring the nose down, help the boat plane, and enlarge the wave.
#2 is a shaper. You have a couple options. Gantlin Products also created the the Wake Wedge. When paired with the right ballast it is arguably the best at creating a clean wave. There's tons of content on it here. There's also the newer WakeBooster you mentioned which does pretty well, just not quite as clean. Lastly there's the Thrust Vector Wake with deflector. It's still being proven in my opinion. (All required ballast to be effective.
#3 GPS speed control. It's not a requirement, but it's very helpful. Consistent speed is pretty critical to help the rider stay on the wave. I believe the E-series boasts have seen integrated system already. Most surf around 10.5-11mph.
#4 a great board. Please message me before you go out and buy one. I'm a board dealer, Yamaha owner, and wakesurfer. I can hook you up with the best board for your needs. I even sell the same Slingshot Coaster you can get with the WakeBooster package, minus the Yamaha branding, with a significant savings.
Best gear behind any boat for wakeboarding, wakesurfing, wakefoil, wakesurffoil and SUP. Life is better behind a boat with Transom Watersports.
www.transomwatersports.com
