1jeffgignac

Some of this conversation got thrown over to my other thread about wake shaping devices. Latest picture from a post work surf session: Back lockers: 750# fat sac in each (last night was first night out swapping out 250's in back for 750's: MAGICAL!) Center built-in: 250# Bow: 250# sand that was too volatile to move to back of the boat (normally would not use this bow weight unless the boat was full of people Human weight: 1 driver: 145#; 1 passenger sitting surf side: 145# I am using a DIY wave shaper that works incredibly. As a point of reference for wave height and length. I am 6'1'' and this wave was a solid waste high. The rope length was about 18-20'. When holding on to the handle I was not at the back of the wave yet and there was still plenty of push!

@Flyemerica, For that price, you will not be disappointed. I have an 09 Elite V and truly love the boat. For a small boat it handles rough water very very well. Comfortable boat to ride in. Slam that thing down with about 2,500# of ballast and you will have a fantastic wave. One thing to mention as far as using a wave shaper. They do not replace ballast. They will do a great job of cleaning up a large, crumbling wave for a evenly weighted boat, but will not take a small wave and make it a big wave. For my boat in particular, I needed at least 1,500# in the back third of the boat to get my hull low enough to get a good connection with my shaper on the side of the hull due to contours.

That looks fantastic. I have an 09 Elite V C4 with the same tower and exact same interior. We have had severe oxidation and fading from the sun so it's good to know that we can bring the gelcoat back to life. Did you use the tower that came with the boat or did you source a replacement? Our boat has the same tower but got bent in our lift. We are currently looking to either find a direct replacement or lay down some cash for Roswell Aviator. Keep the progress pics coming!

I have read some reviews of folks having a good experience with Westland covers. Sunbrella fabric over the platform covers are going for <$900 with less heavy duty materials being cheaper. www.westlandcovers.com

@Jake707, The rear tanks are bags that are plumbed in so it will actually be quite easy to swap those out for 750's. When I bought the first 750, I didn't think it would fit rear locker so it has filled up the main cabin floor but have since tested it in a back locker and it is cozy but fits with some room to sparer. Ordering another 750 so I can fill both lockers and going to use the 250 bags throughout the cabin and as surf side weight. I'd like to get 5-6 more feet of length before the curl starts based on the picture above.

@Austin95, lets see some pics of the wave! Good to hear and that confirms the experiment I have tried since last posting. I took the 750# bag that was in my main cabin floor (that I thought would never fit in a rear locker) and put it in one locker and it was cozy but it did fit all the way. I am ordering a second one this week so I can swap out both 250# bags for 750 bags in each locker. I will take those 250's and use them in the cabin or surf side weight if my crew is light. I think that extra 750's, some more lead strategically disbursed, plus a wave shaper and we will have the formula for the Elite V C4 until I go overboard and put a surf tab system in place.

It's been two weeks since I made shaper v3.0 and it has been killing me that I have not been able to try it out......until this past Saturday! Extended family has been at the lake house and I have not been able take the boat out. Durability: The shaper remained attached to the side of the boat for roughly 3 hours worth of surfing on a busy Saturday in a heavily trafficked cove. This included starting and stopping, riding through other boats wake and waves. The shaper stayed attached the entire time and never once had to be tinkered with. Reducing the cutting board angle has made this shaper rock solid. As opposed to tethering to the boat I took everyone's advice and attached to a bumber to avoid having the shaper swing back and hit the hull. Boat setup: 250 rear lockers, 250 built in center cabin, 750 fat sac center cabin, 350 lbs sand and lead in nose, 7 adults spread throughout the boat. This outing had too much bow weight as two of the larger adults were up front which took a bit of push out of the back of the wave (I think). Shape: As to be expected with the less severe angle, the impact on the wave was a bit less drastic. The shaper still did an EXCELLENT job cleaning up the wave and allowing for the boat to remain evenly weighted for a more comfortable ride for passengers.

Wakemakers.com has been a really good resource with videos of how ballast systems all get plumbed in and have all of the products that you need to either do yourself or have a dealer install for you. Here is a post that totally sold me on InfinityWave surf tabs. Pretty extensive review by a dude who is everywhere in this forum. I've spoken to Eric at InfinityWave about getting them for my boat and he walked me through every consideration I would need to make. He knows Centurion models and hulls well and would be able to get you set up nicely in the offseason. That is the biggest item on my to-do list for the winter.

If there is one thing I have learned this summer, is that you can still get a hell of a wake/wave out of older boats. I have an 09 Centurion Elite V with no frills but perfect pass and a 250 hard tank ballast in the center of the boat that came stock. There are so many aftermarket upgrades that are available now that were not when I got my boat back in 2010. I have used aftermarket ballast and wakeshapers to get my surf wave dialed in really well. You can replace trim plates with A-plates that do wonders for the goofy surf wave that can either be made r purchased. Trim tabs are also available for level weighted surfing like newer boats. All of this to say, as long as the hull shape is tried and true such as an avy/enzo, much of the technology can be added to your older platform that are reasonably affordable compared to purchasing a 100K plus boat.

@freddiefokker, check the link below. These bulbs are a direct replacement for each of the housings shown in the link. Red Led courtesy replacement bulb Now I need to pop out the bulbs on each side illuminating the cup holders to see which bulb that is. Compatible red LEDs for this style bulb anyone?

@Austin95, hope you have gotten everything dialed in. I have an 09 Elite V C4 and it is really hard for me to picture getting more than a 400-500 lb fat sac in the rear locker of my V-drive. Have you had any luck? Currently running 300 in the bow, 260 in each back locker, 210 in the built-in center locker, 800 in the floor of the main cabin. Using a DIY wave shaper and it gets the wave looking pretty good. I usually run 150-200 lbs more on the surf side.

@Jake707, I've got an 09 Elite with the C4 hull. It has the fixed plate but it seems like the double arms connecting the plate to the transom would move the plate if a hinge were present as opposed to the four allen screws connecting the plate to the boat. When you added the a-plate, did you make it a hinged moving plate or did you use the existing 4 screw holes and have the new a-plate fixed?

I've started a new thread that I will be updating regarding the newest version of the shaper that I finished last night.

@Jake707, thanks for the tip about tying the device to a bumper. I have seen the shaper fall off and whip around to the back platform. Fortunately it has not hit the transom but I will be trying your method next time out. I finished my 3rd version last night. I found better brackets that are a more perfect triangle. Links below for specific materials. I have used a larger cutting board since the pressure on the suction cups should be less severe in theory. I may need to shrink the cutting board if it gives the suction cups issues. Mods to supplies that were made: Space in the cutting board handle was trimmed off to fit around the grip of the suction cup handle. Cutting board edge comes down as close to the suction cups with only the base for the bracket being between the cutting board and the suction cup. Suction cups were popped off for easier drilling through the plastic where a screw connects the bracket. 4 holes were drilled in the cutting board (2 around the cutting board handle and 2 more about 3/4 of the way up the board). 2 holes were drilled into the metal brackets. I used a nail and hammer to punch the brackets first so the drill bit had a hole to rest in for accurate drilling without sliding over the metal surface. Materials: Harbor Freight Suction Cup handle 10''x14'' plastic cutting board Triangular shelving bracket .75" screws with matching nuts and washers (10-32 x 0.75" worked with the existing holes in the brackets) Pictures:

The internet is awash with how-to's for DIY wave shapers that all more or less have the same fatal flaw......they are based on mounting bracket platform that cause a 90* angle. I tried two iterations (90* and 70*?) of my wedge with this platform unsuccessfully prior to trying a new design. Effect on the wave was awesome (regular and goofy) but the hard angle applies too much pressure to the suction cups and struggles to stay on for the length of a surf session. Riding through other boats chop really seemed to unsettle the suction cups. Pic below is my original design with standard 90* angle. No pictures of the 2nd iteration. I'll be adding photos and process of my next iteration for a <$40 wave shaper with pictures, parts, and assembly directions. Who else out there has built one and what did you do better/differently? Floating attachments? Better suction cups? Etc.?