How do I get rid of the rooster tail?

[Kristi 0]

We  have an '83 Ski Centurion Tru Trac. It's a 19 foot. We aren't planing well and are considering smart tabs. We have too much wake and rooster tail for happy single skiing. Will the smart tabs help us with less wake, rooster tail? As I have been looking at all other discussions on forums, looks like I'm looking for the opposite of everyone else in this world. Looking for less wake.

 

[Timr71 30]

Your wake should start to flatten out at any speed greater than 28 mph.  What rope length are you using? You should be starting at 15 off...that's 60 feet.  That should put you beyond the rooster tail.  Are you running the stock prop?  If yes, a new CNC nibral prop like the ACME 541 will reduce the rooster tail.  Contact either ACME and/or Eric at OJ props for assistance with selecting the correct prop for your activity.  Also, try to get the back of the boat out of the water...meaning, experiment with less gas in the tank and see what effect that reduction in weight might have. Consequently, you might try putting 80 - 100 pounds in the bow of your boat to see if that causes the nose to rotate down a bit and get the back of the boat to run a little lighter.  Does your wake look like this:

[TexP51 6]

Agree w/ Tim.

Direct Drive boats shouldn’t have the problem once you’re at ski speeds.  Try w/ a spotter to go through and document wake size w/ various speed benchmarks.  Wake should fade away at +18mph or so with no weight in boat.  Your skier size will change things as more load on prop = more rooster tail.  Aim thinking a good specific ski-use tow rope should have you beyond the rooster anyway.