Do the Big TriToons create any Wake for Wakeboarding?

LaurencetheAdventurer

Well-Known Member
Messages
683
Reaction score
1,131
Location
Los Angeles / Lake Havasu
I knew going in that the Tri Toons produce very little or no wake in general, but as I am shopping for a wakeboard "is there any wake" it has become an important question. Are any of you with the bigger 25' Benny / ESP getting any type of wake that would provide a bit of opportunity to launch a wakeboard? If no, it seems I would focus on a Wakeboard with less rocker, a rounded outline, that was geared towards stability, spins and turns over jumping.
 
There is enough wake for you to have an exhilarating ride but of course NOTHING like a true wakeboard/wakesurf boat. My wife and son like to waterski/slalom and my daughter likes to wakeboard. There's enough wake for everybody!
 
With the understanding my comment only applies to wakeboarding and not wake surfing, the class pontoon you reference can be operated to provide plenty of wake for limited jumps AND aerials...especially if using an elevated tow (tower). Here is how to do that, purposely mis-trim, move weight to the back and run no more than 22 MPH (less for light riders on large boards). Those same techniques work for mid-sized I/O's too. One of the benefits of limited wakes is that riders are less likely to get hurt (that's guaranteed with new riders and outsized wakes or too much boat speed). Time after time I've seen wake borders pulled at way too much speed. That not only scares them silly, but makes good acro impossible.

Plenty of pontoons throw a surprisingly large wake, all that HP has to go somewhere... We don't use boards of any type anymore, but here's a coupe old shots from behind a 19' I/O (no tower):

Brad catching air on kneeborad.jpg



Brad catching air on kneeboard 2.jpg
 
Last edited:
With the understanding my comment only applies to wakeboarding and not wake surfing, the class pontoon you reference can be operated to provide plenty of wake for limited jumps AND aerials...especially if using an elevated tow (tower). Here is how to do that, purposely mis-trim, move weight to the back and run no more than 22 MPH (less for light riders on large boards). Those same techniques work for mid-sized I/O's too. One of the benefits of limited wakes is that riders are less likely to get hurt (that's guaranteed with new riders and outsized wakes or too much boat speed). Time after time I've seen wake borders pulled at way too much speed. That not only scares them silly, but makes good acro impossible.

Plenty of pontoons throw a surprisingly large wake, all that HP has to go somewhere... We don't use boards of any type anymore, but here's a coupe old shots from behind a 19' I/O (no tower):

View attachment 28863



View attachment 28860
That's promising! Look at him fly. Thank you!!
 
That's promising! Look at him fly. Thank you!!
Yup, although you can't tell in the pics, those jumps easily clear the off-side wake...highly recommended when landing in the flat water on the far side to come down with a little angle on the board to avoid damage to it and/or the rider!
 
With our prior Four Winns our son was able to do 360's wakeboarding but hasn't been able to accomplish that on our Benny, although he's come close (you can guess what that means - ouch!). As Partybarge indicated, trim that engine up and slow down a bit to create a bigger wake. As you know, it won't ever be a wake boat wake, but you still should be able to have a bit of fun with it.
 
We have a 25 foot with the SPS hull and came from a 21' Malibu. I have wakeboarded a few times behind the Benny, and there is little to no wake for jumping. The benefits of moving to a pontoon far outweighed the negatives of the wake, so no regrets here, but you're not going to be launching very high in the air with a wakeboard.
 
Thank you for the first hand comments! I finally found a few YTube's that showed enough wake that at minimum one could some nice jumps. Roll that up with Michiman'S son "almost" being able to complete a flip and advice on other forums to move all the people to the back of the boat and shorten the ski rope - seems there is hope for a little air in my future. Wow, this forum is AWESOME, MUCH APPRECIATED.
 
Yup, just be sure to have enough rope to get an aggressive pull into the wake and set up the right angle for the best lift. Experiment to find the best distance for the sweet spot.
 
Back
Top