www.iFourWinns.com

Hey guys, I spent the last summer learning to wakeboard behind a 17' 1987 Bayliner w/ 5.0L V8, had some fun when the damn boat wasn't breaking down. At the end of the season I picked up my Horizon 190 for cheap and had only one chance to get up behind it. The wake was a little cleaner, but still had a lot to be desired. (it isn't a dedicated wakeboard boat, der!) Has anyone made improvements to their Horizon to increase the wake? Ballast bags? Wedge? How have they performed?

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2000 Four Winns H190 5.0L with Samson Tower / Nissan Titan CC / Lexus SC430 / Honda CBR954RR

This may seem obvious but ,seat your passengers , especially your heavier ones at the rear,and trim your out drive leg out .
Also maybe shortening your ski rope a little so that when you cut ,you are cutting at a taller part of the wake
Go for it
Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Ps: Wakeboarding is something you do when you're not getting air!!!

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc

Gotta respectfully disagree with Ardy. In an I/O, you should put at least 60% of your ballast weight in the front/center.

I've got a 650 lb fat sack I put in the bow/ski locker walkway, and I always keep a couple of sandbags in the bow- 2 on the port side and one on the starboard side to balance out the wake when I have only my wife and our 2 year old in the boat. It is said that trimming the outdrive about 1/4 to 1/2 of normal trim is the equivalent of putting 300 lbs in the back of the boat. So, that is what I do and it supposedly amounts to 800-ish in the front and 300-ish in the back. Makes a nice rampy wake with a little bit of a lip.

I also have PerfectPass, which is a very nice feature in that it helps an inexperienced driver not wear you out with varying speeds.

Do a search, there are a couple of good threads around here on wakeboarding and a few other guys on here who board a lot. I'm sure we'll all be glad to give you suggestions on making it the best wakeboarding boat it can be (for an I/O).

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Hey it works for me on my 15foot tinny with 70 hp o/b but I'm open to correction
Anything that increases your air time , has gotta be a good thing
Have fun
Ardy
South Oz

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc

You're doing it right if you're going with that setup on an O/B. It is more like an inboard when it comes to weighting, so you want to be more in the stern with your weight.

I/O is a different animal, though.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Thanks for the ideas guys. The 190 isn't that much different than my old Bayliner 17', other than it is a little faster. The wake is about the same, too. I know that some companies sell an aftermarket wedge and I wonder if it is worth it.

I'll definitely add some ballast and see how that affects things. I've shortened the rope and moved passengers around, etc, but the wake is still a little weak. I'd like to learn some flips, etc, and I need more of a lip to get that action going.

I'll keep you guys updated once the weather breaks up here.

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2000 Four Winns H190 5.0L with Samson Tower / Nissan Titan CC / Lexus SC430 / Honda CBR954RR

Start with the weight and then work on your form. I'd stay away from the wedge in an I/O. I've seen guys pull inverts behind an I/O without a tower (heck, I've seen the pro's on TV pull an invert out in the flats just by popping an ollie), so it really does come down to your form in the end.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

I definitely agree, an expert could do all sorts of stunts without much wave to work with, but getting to that level of proficiency probably would be much easier with more than a speedbump.

A wedge is a last resort, I'd probably get a different boat if I absolutely needed a bigger wake, I just wanted to know if anyone else out there had done it.

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2000 Four Winns H190 5.0L with Samson Tower / Nissan Titan CC / Lexus SC430 / Honda CBR954RR