Yamaha Wake Booster kit

[Jeromy Gaudy]

Looking for ratings and reviews of the yamaha wake booster. Dont wanna drop that much $ unless it works for wake boarding and surfing.

 

[BigAbe75]

For surfing only. You have to take it back off to travel at wakeboard speeds.

Also, not sure it will fit on an '09 21' boat.... if that's what you're wanting to use it on, you may want to double-check that.

 

[Jeromy Gaudy]

Gotcha. That stinks. Was hoping to use it for both. I got a 2017 212. So is it worth the $$ to surf? Is the wave decent?

 

[BigAbe75]

Here's a review written from a 2017 212x perspective:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/honest-review-of-the-wake-booster.21950/

I believe that's what @Brian eilrich still uses. @buckbuck

Although, I believe he has added the transom ballast bag to improve the wake.

FATSAC CUSTOM TRANSOM BALLAST BAG - United States Shipping

FATSAC CUSTOM TRANSOM BALLAST BAG DESIGNED ONLY FOR YAMAHA JET BOATS 19 FT 550 LBS 21 FT & 23 FT 750 LBS 24 FT 800 LBS Helpful Tips . . . . Use an air pump to inflate the ballast bag and then secure the bag with ropes before filling bag with water. As you fill the bag with water open the air...

wakewedge.surf

In a nutshell, you'll want more weight on the transom to list the boat, than what the stock 212X (or 242X) provide. There are other options for adding that weight (like lead bags, other bags, etc), but the custom shaped transom bag is the best bang for the buck, in my opinion.

Personally, I prefer the WakeWedge (also from Gantlin Products) over the WakeBooster, but both are viable options. Also, the 3rd option is the Thrust Vector Wake solution from JetBoatPilot (which also requires more ballast on the transom).

Oh, one last thing... everybody I know loves that Slingshot Coaster board that comes with the WakeBooster kit as a beginner board. That's easily worth $450+ of the purchase price. @J-RAD has a bunch of videos riding the board, and can also sell the Slingshot version (same thing.... just doesn't say Yamaha on it)

 

[Jeromy Gaudy]

Right on man. Thanks for all the info. Gives me plenty to think about. I have heard of all the other wake brands but tha helps too. I wanted to just buy the Yamaha X wakeboard boat but $$$$ talks haha. We may just stick to wakeboards till I can upgrade. But I'm sure the boys and wife will make that decision for me. ? thnx

 

[Stevenpigsooie]

I’ll second the board. Great to learn on and fun to ride. I’ve had a couple buddies surf it behind their Malibu and loved it too.

 

[Whisky]

We are running it on a 2017 212X and feel it definitely does make a differenice, with the board and all, we feel it was worth it. Is it a miracle worker, no, but definitely a marked improvement. We run it with just the stock ballast for now, once we add some additional weight, I am confident it will be even more awesome.

 

[Jeromy Gaudy]

Right on. That's the boat I wanted but we went with the 2017 212 s ltd so we have no ballast system.

 

[BigAbe75]

Right on. That's the boat I wanted but we went with the 2017 212 s ltd so we have no ballast system.

In that case, I think you're going to want a ballast bag for your ski locker, and the transom bag... and that should get you darn close to where you want to be. And, fairly inexpensively.

You can probably find somebody here selling an 800lb bag for your ski locker, and occasionally a transom bag. Or, get a transom bag new and the pump... then you can adjust fittings on the ski locker bag to match the other bag and just use your over the side pump for both bags.

As you progress, you may get more impatient and start adding pumps (I have 2 over the side pumps, plus the built-in pump)... but that stuff isn't necessary to get rolling.

Also, you will find that as you get started, it is so much better to get more of the family involved. When we started it was just my wife and I... and it was so time consuming to fill up the bags, get everything stowed just right, etc... often times she would be like "it's not worth it, just blow up the tube for the kids and lets do that instead". Now that we have the oldest daughter (13) surfing, and my son (7) getting started... it's a lot more fun.

 

[Jeromy Gaudy]

Thnx for the info. I get that too. We are fam of 5 with 15 9 & 8 boys

 

[BigAbe75]

Sweet!! You'll get all 3 of them riding and that will be a blast. My 7yr old tried last year toward the end of the season. He'll get it down this year, I'm sure. We've got a 4yr old, as well. She'll ride the tube with mom a little, so far. Not quite ready for other stuff, yet.

Edit: I bought this little board last year for my then 6yr old. Might be a tad small for your crew, though. It's going to get a lot of use this year (I hope).

Connelly Dash Wakesurf Board - Kids' 2024

Read or share reviews of the Connelly Dash Wakesurf Board - Kids' 2024 or shop similar Wakesurf Boards

www.evo.com

Evo.com has a good selection of boards, and has a great compilation of Size Charts for all the board manufacturers. It gives you a good range for skill level and rider size.

 

[Jeromy Gaudy]

??

 

[marcham]

Here's my take, although on a smaller boat (AR195). I have 2x 200 lbs bags and 1x 370 lb bag along with Yamaha's wake booster. I prefer with the Yamaha WakeEnhancer installed. I can install it easily from the transom or from the water. My total time from start to ready to surf is under 10 minutes including ballast and the WakeEnhancer.

So far, I don't have a wave I can surf ropeless with my 58" board. I'm 210 lbs. My wife and daughter haven't tried yet, but I'm pretty sure they'll be ok on the existing wave. I kind of feel that Yamaha oversold the 19ft kit with 2x200 lbs as being surfable. Maybe with a 6ft board? How much fun would that be?

There's no replacement for displacement ... so now I'm just waiting for the 650 lb transom bag to come in. Not only is lateral weight important, but getting some weight right on the transom seems to make a big difference. I've spent 5 days moving weight around (port/starboard fore/aft) and trying with and without the WakeEnhancer. Funny thing, I'm regular and if the boat does a gentle right turn the wave gets much bigger and I can just about get rid of the rope. Wakesurf video clip

The WakeEnhancer does clean up the wake a lot and makes the face a little steeper and perhaps a hair less tall. Having tried with and without, I was closer to going ropeless with it installed.

My next test will be 650 lbs on the transom (Yamaha custom bag 650lbs) and then gradually fill the 370lbs in the ski locker to see how that impacts performance. I don't have much crew weight in the boat. 110lb wife and 65lb daughter. These are not dedicated surf boats and I don't expect a hip high wave I just want enough that the family can have fun. We use the boat for many other activities. This ain't my brother's Tige!

My advise: get the ballast and a pump first. Wakesurf boards are like downhill skis. There is such a thing as too big or too small. If you can, try to borrow one before you buy. I've noticed some shops will now allow you to try a board and exchange it if it doesn't work out. You might pay a little more but I think it's well worth it.

Also, don't forget about a rack. You don't want anyone chipping or denting any of those expensive boards.

Speed makes a huge difference. 10MPH is too slow 11.5 MPH is too fast. I'm waiting for a Ridesteady (Hydrophase) to come in. Even for wakeboarding, it's hard to maintain a consistent speed with a relatively small displacement jet boat. It sucks when the boat pull changes just as your about to hit the wake. When I was younger I could maintain 36mph plus or minus nothing through a slalom course with a 250lb skier thanks to the LT1 engine (350hp, 5.7L small block) only minute RPM changes were required as the skier pulled and released PerfectPass didn't exist and wasn't required with a bit of practice. With these jet boats, it's much harder to maintain a consistent speed.

 

[NorCalDutch]

We have a 2015 212x. Just off the phone with Yamaha who couldnt tell me if the Wake Booster is compatible with that year. I suspect so, given @Brian eilrich 's video with the 2017. Anyone know for sure? -Dutch

 

[hokiesax]

Why can't you leave the two 200 lbs bags from the Yamaha surf package on the back while you wakeboard?

 

[marcham]

Update. 650lbs on the middle of the stern deck + 200lbs surfer side + wakebooster adjusted to minimize the angle with the water + 10.5 mph = ropeless surfing and a 6ft long pocket for my 210lbs fat ass!

 

[suke]

Update. 650lbs on the middle of the stern deck + 200lbs surfer side + wakebooster adjusted to minimize the angle with the water + 10.5 mph = ropeless surfing and a 6ft long pocket for my 210lbs fat ass!

Got a Pic of this setup?

 

[Yamadawg66]

I’m on Lake Norman and there are $200k wake boats everywhere. I am a Yamaha PWC dealer and wanted to support my brand so I bought the 242 Limited SE. We bought it just to chill but my 16 and 17 yr old daughters wanted to try surfing. I paid for a 2 hr lesson behind a Nautique and then started researching how to surf behind the Yamaha. So I ordered the WakeBooster kit with Slingshot board. I also ordered 2 fat sacks. A large one for the ski locker and the custom transom bag. Today was our first day out. My daughter’s boyfriend is an experienced surfer and so he came along. Now remember the girls have only ever surfed once. So we filled the bags (took 10/15 min max and that included learning how to install and operate them) we then installed the WakeBooster. It took us a little while to figure out speed. I tried to use the Connext but it wouldn’t allow the boat to go past 10mph which was too slow to create a good wave. So we chose to go manual on throttle using the single throttle feature. Both girls got up and surfed. They got right in the pocket. I actually thought my youngest was going to ride a wave right on to the boat ?. My girls ride goofy footed so we had to make some changes for old buddy to ride. The girls are 105lbs or so 5’2 and 5’5. Clay is 6 ft and probably 190. We moved the bag over to the port side and we went surfing. He had absolutely no trouble dropping the rope and surfing; however the starboard engine did create some spray. We then moved the bag to the center and everybody gave it a second go. The wave was much cleaner with all the weight centered. We surfed for about 2 hrs. This setup (I got from this forum) worked real well and we are newbies. Since I didn’t buy the X, we don’t have the extra ballast. I’m curious what and where more weight might benefit us. Cheers all!

 

[jmargo]

Did anyone figure out why these don't work on the older boats and if there was a work around ?

 

[Scottintexas]

Did anyone figure out why these don't work on the older boats and if there was a work around ?

They mount using the transom tie down loop, older boats the loop is in a different spot so it's not compatible,