Ballast on Ski Boats

Ski boats, also called wake or wakeboard boats, are designed to tow people practicing various watersports activities, such as water skiing, wakeboarding, wakesurfing, or riding an inner tube. To meet this purpose, ski boats are equipped with several special features that make them more practical for towing, including towing eyes, hydrofoil technology, and ballast. Ballast simply refers to weights that are used to push the stern of the boat deeper into the water, in order to make bigger wakes. Here’s what you need to know about using it.

Types

There are a few different types of ballast available for you to use with your ski boat. Many manufacturers actually provide ballast pre-installed on their ski boats, although you’re going to need additional ballast types in order to adjust your wakes.

“Fat sacks” are simply bags of water that you can fill or empty as needed to alter their weight. You can then simply place these around the perimeter of your boat’s stern to get the results you want. Some people choose to use sand, but you can’t adjust sand levels as well as you can water levels. 

Usage

Where you put your ballast and how much it weighs will change the size and shape of your wake. Try to place it so that it’s suitable for the sport you’re towing. Moving more weight towards the stern will cause your wakes to “pop.” Wakeboarders need bigger wakes, so a 50/50 balance between the middle and end of your boat is good in terms of distribution. Wakesurfers will benefit from more ballast right at the stern.

Come on down to our dealership in Naples, ME, to see our selection of new and used ski boats for sale. New England Water Sports serves our Maine customers in and around Sebago Lake and Long Lake.