Rough handling in crossing wake

[Harshhobgoblin]

I use my sx190 on the CT River so we encounter crossing boat wake frequently.

If I am cruising along at WOT and don't slow down significantly (~ 1/2 - 1/4 throttle) the wake becomes unbearable. I generally turn to take the wake somewhere between a 45-90 degree angle. Last night I went out with my wife sitting in the bow and I was literally able to see under her at she bounced from the wake.

I'm coming from a 19' Four Winns with a Deep V hull which handled wake just fine. I'm beginning to get frustrated with this Yamaha because its annoying to slow to significantly every time I encounter a wake. Is this just shallow hull design, or is their a better approach to taking on wake with this boat?

 

[Julian]

You will always want to quarter wakes and come at them from 45% angles. I'll bet your 19' Four Winns was 500-1000 pounds heavier than your Yamaha, so you are correct, the Yamaha will not dig into wakes as well. On the flip side (as you've pointed out)....your Yamaha hauls A@#....so every boat is a balance of performance/stability/agility. My 242X is WAY more stable than my SX230, has very little if any movement even crossing big wakesurfing wakes, but she doesn't spin like my SX used to either....so its all give and take.

 

[Bruce]

@swatski, @ThatJeepGuy, you guys handled the Gulf Stream crossing to and from Bimini exceptionally well in your 190s! Can you give @Harshhobgoblin some tips?

 

[Bruce]

Trim tabs allow you push the bow down so that you cut through the wake more and bounce less. I installed these three summers ago https://jetboaters.net/threads/lectrotab-trim-tabs.71/

 

[Zeus2013]

Had a 190 and up grade to a 240 because we got tossed around in big wakes. Crossing any big wake in the 190 was tough. I usually slowed down as not to bounce hard on the back side of the wake. My wife wanted me to basically stop at a wake, I refused.

 

[MrMoose]

Different hulls for sure. Yamaha is a slapper/bouncer. Four Winns and other non-wake non-ski boats with deeper v hulls are slicers. In addition to the point that @ClemsonTiger made about the deadrise, weight and thickness of the hull play a big part in all of this in reducing the impact that the wave will have. @Andy S might want to chime in. If you want a smooth ride in seas above 1.5-2 feet, you have the wrong boat. If you want superb acceleration and handling, you got the right boat. My wife would prefer a smoother ride. I accept the trade-off. Anytime that I open it up on our lake, my boys get in the bow, grip the hand rail and enjoy getting airborn... but not my wife.
When navigating the ICW in Ft. Lauderdale last June, my wife and father-in-law were in the bow, enjoying the nice cruise. I crossed the wake of an oncoming boat, just over a foot in height, and they looked at me as if I was driving like a maniac.

 

[Andy S]

Going from a '07 Yamaha SX230 to a '16 Cobalt R5 (25' 8") I/O, there is a world of difference in the boat ride. Like @MrMoose said the Yamaha slaps the water as it comes down, whereas my Cobalt, which is heavier, longer, and deeper v in the bow area, came down much softer. On the return leg of the 2015 Bimini trip, in our Yamaha we hit some rogue waves that caused us to land very hard, hard enough to injury the wife's back while she was seated behind the passengers seat. So for the 2016 Exuma trip, she was going to fly most of the legs to limit the possibility of getting injured until we purchased the Cobalt. The difference in the ride between our Yamaha and the Cobalt is similar to the difference between a sport car and a luxury sedan, which is what @zeus is probably experiencing since he went from a 19' to a 24'.

 

[robert843]

How big of wakes are you hitting at WOT?

 

[captras]

I came from a 21' Four Winns to a 24' Yamaha, and dont see any difference in the handling of rough water/wakes. Both boats with deep v hull and a 20 degree deadrise. I am looking into installing the Nauticus Smart Tabs, which should help most any boat.

 

[arew~SX230]

We get some pretty big wakes on the chesapeake, 50+ foot cruisers going 25 or more will do that. Shallow angles 45deg or less, and dipping the throttles just before impact will work most of the time. If you do it just right when pulling out from behind one off these monsters you can actually wake surf with your boat

 

[ThatJeepGuy]

My opinion...
You have to slow down man. Hitting any kind of wave at WOT with the 190 will surly beat the snot out of you.
My boat went from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini at WOT the entire trip, about 2 hours. We were out of the water (and our seats) more than we were in. On the return trip with similar seas we kept it right around 6800 rpm and weren't bothered at all.
Even if you have to slow down for another boaters wake, you can throttle back up and be back at speed in seconds.

 

[swatski]

@swatski, @ThatJeepGuy, you guys handled the Gulf Stream crossing to and from Bimini exceptionally well in your 190s! Can you give @Harshhobgoblin some tips?

Sorry, I missed this thread. I actually think the 190s hull is VERY capable, especially for its size. Probably why Yamaha used it for FSH. You must have reasonable expectations though - it is a 19fter!

I used to live in Boston for many years and, while there, did many great and not so great things out in the ocean, year round. My experience is the 190 handles better than similarly sized whalers, for whatever that's worth.

All that said, I have found that the SX190 stock is pretty miserable when it comes to ride comfort - it is very light without a tower, it is loud as hell, and it makes rattling noises that enhance the wake pounding experience in a very bad way, dramatically. I have found that after installing about 300lbs of soundproofing, eliminating most of the rattling, installing a heavy tower and a bunch more equipment, my SX190 became literally a different boat. I could not stand her stock. But I miss her dearly the way she was sold.

We get some pretty big wakes on the chesapeake, 50+ foot cruisers going 25 or more will do that. Shallow angles 45deg or less, and dipping the throttles just before impact will work most of the time. If you do it just right when pulling out from behind one off these monsters you can actually wake surf with your boat

I couldn't describe it any better!

--

 

[pagekl]

I use my sx190 on the CT River so we encounter crossing boat wake frequently.

If I am cruising along at WOT and don't slow down significantly (~ 1/2 - 1/4 throttle) the wake becomes unbearable. I generally turn to take the wake somewhere between a 45-90 degree angle. Last night I went out with my wife sitting in the bow and I was literally able to see under her at she bounced from the wake.

I'm coming from a 19' Four Winns with a Deep V hull which handled wake just fine. I'm beginning to get frustrated with this Yamaha because its annoying to slow to significantly every time I encounter a wake. Is this just shallow hull design, or is their a better approach to taking on wake with this boat?

@Harshhobgoblin, I boat the CT river as well and while my boat is 24'fter, I still have to slow down when crossing the wakes from the bigger boats. Considering trim tabs to see if it will make a difference when crossing wakes and choppy water.

 

[4x15mph]

Sitting in the bow of my boat, and I would think the 19', is not an option in rougher waters. It is night/day difference when a passenger experiences the ride from the rear seat/couch over the middle to the front of the boat. I know the "evil look" that you speak of since early on, people would want to sit in the bow and then when we went slowly over a larger wave, they would look at me like I was "driving like a nut" (wife's words). I like to keep my boat to 4-5 people for that reason

I don't think these boats ride as smoothly as some of the other I/O or non-bay types and I expect the hull and the comparatively light weight, lack of trim, and drive system are a lot of the reason.

 

[d_coyne1984]

If it's commonly just you and your wife in the boat, you could add some ballast to soften the ride some. I've noticed a tremendous difference in how the 192 handles wakes with 2 people in the boat vs. 4 or 5. Once in a while I go out on Lake Minnetonka (22.7 mi. sq) and there are a lot of large boats flying around in all directions to wakes will hit you from all sides. With 4 to 5 adults in the boat it is actually a lot of fun to hit the wakes at an intermediate speed of about 25-30mph. She'll still get some lift off the back side of a wake, but has a very subdued entrance back into the water. Even so, at full throttle (45-50) I would probably kill us all because stability would be all but gone.