The sport of wake surfing has opened new doors in water sports activities, offering inland surfers a chance to shred, even when thousands of miles from the coast, let alone a swell. Moreover, wakesurfing has presented ski boat drivers and big-boat operators with an opportunity to become part of the fun-filled and exciting sport.

In a few creative circles across the country, wakesurfing has become affiliated with the exclusive world of yachting, marking a break from the more conventional aspects of the elite boating community. Peaches in champagne, marmalade sunsets, and erect pinky fingers can now be associated with all day waves and endless fun. The plusses of big-boat surfing begin with the most fundamental part of the sport, the wake. With a 35’ plus vessel, wakes become slow, giant, aggressive, and thrilling. Before you experience the magnitude of a big-boat wake, however, there are a few differences to keep in mind.
Ten times the weight of normal ski boats, yachts are slow to the jump, crawling their way to an average top speed of 13 to 16mph. The process of reaching that point, however, can be a task; requiring you to grin and bear it, through the prop wash of a 35,000lb craft for 20-30 seconds longer than normal. Once up and going, you must work at finding the wake’s sweet spot- a hard job within itself. Contrasted to a conventional ski boat, the hull shape of most yachts resembles an M, creating the equivalent of a speed bump halfway up the wake. You must quickly adapt to these altered circumstances; with one curl moving into the other, ride variation is major.

When the size of the boat is multiplied, every dimension of being out on the water changes. Even seemingly petty facets, such as picking up a fallen rider, are drastically altered. The delay in a Yacht’s response time to turn and decelerate leads to the rider being left in open water for a much longer period. Moreover, maneuvering a boat of a larger caliber can be tricky and awkward in tight areas, and when coupled with limited visibility due to more blind spots, operators and riders must stay on their toes and never forget the size of the machine they are dealing with. A common solution to the problem of turning around is to take out a smaller backdoor boat, allowing for the Yacht to simply stop while the tail boat swoops up the rider with ease.

The differences in Big Boat surfing continue in more obvious ways, as the enormity of a 35’ plus ‘motorized whale’ cannot be fully appreciated until you are placed in its wake. As bluntly stated by Warrick Bell, an Inland Surfer Team Rider who surfs behind a 45’ Sea Ray on Lake Michigan, ‘there is nothing stopping you from going straight into the belly of the beast.’ Big Boat surfing requires sharp awareness, as maintaining a safe distance from the prop is crucial for a good ride and survival.

Proper safety procedures out of the way, wakesurfing behind a yacht provides extraordinary opportunities not available with average ski boats. The wake is bigger, forceful, and more closely resembles a real wave, giving you an authentic surf feel. Due to these effects, it is recommended that big-boat riders use a surf style board that is as lengthy as possible. Impossible on a conventional ski boat, wakesurfing behind a yacht presents riders with the challenge of shredding alongside another rider- a move otherwise known as the gruesome twosome. There is plenty of wake for everyone when it comes to big-boat surfing, as long as one rider is goofy and the other regular, and considering the golden rule, that opposites attract, finding a partner should not be a problem. Moreover, as most Yachts are designed for the rich and fabulous- equipped with cabins, bathrooms, kitchen sinks, and countless other aftermarket goodies- friends and family can comfortably take part in the ride, whether inside or behind the boat.

Too slow to pull up a water skier and too impractical for wakeboarding, Yachts are often written off as useless for water sports. Wakesurfing, however, presents an awesome way for big-boat operators to get involved in the water sport community, making use of the large and beautiful boats in a new and exciting way.

In a few creative circles across the country, wakesurfing has become affiliated with the exclusive world of yachting, marking a break from the more conventional aspects of the elite boating community. Peaches in champagne, marmalade sunsets, and erect pinky fingers can now be associated with all day waves and endless fun. The plusses of big-boat surfing begin with the most fundamental part of the sport, the wake. With a 35’ plus vessel, wakes become slow, giant, aggressive, and thrilling. Before you experience the magnitude of a big-boat wake, however, there are a few differences to keep in mind.
Ten times the weight of normal ski boats, yachts are slow to the jump, crawling their way to an average top speed of 13 to 16mph. The process of reaching that point, however, can be a task; requiring you to grin and bear it, through the prop wash of a 35,000lb craft for 20-30 seconds longer than normal. Once up and going, you must work at finding the wake’s sweet spot- a hard job within itself. Contrasted to a conventional ski boat, the hull shape of most yachts resembles an M, creating the equivalent of a speed bump halfway up the wake. You must quickly adapt to these altered circumstances; with one curl moving into the other, ride variation is major.

When the size of the boat is multiplied, every dimension of being out on the water changes. Even seemingly petty facets, such as picking up a fallen rider, are drastically altered. The delay in a Yacht’s response time to turn and decelerate leads to the rider being left in open water for a much longer period. Moreover, maneuvering a boat of a larger caliber can be tricky and awkward in tight areas, and when coupled with limited visibility due to more blind spots, operators and riders must stay on their toes and never forget the size of the machine they are dealing with. A common solution to the problem of turning around is to take out a smaller backdoor boat, allowing for the Yacht to simply stop while the tail boat swoops up the rider with ease.

The differences in Big Boat surfing continue in more obvious ways, as the enormity of a 35’ plus ‘motorized whale’ cannot be fully appreciated until you are placed in its wake. As bluntly stated by Warrick Bell, an Inland Surfer Team Rider who surfs behind a 45’ Sea Ray on Lake Michigan, ‘there is nothing stopping you from going straight into the belly of the beast.’ Big Boat surfing requires sharp awareness, as maintaining a safe distance from the prop is crucial for a good ride and survival.

Proper safety procedures out of the way, wakesurfing behind a yacht provides extraordinary opportunities not available with average ski boats. The wake is bigger, forceful, and more closely resembles a real wave, giving you an authentic surf feel. Due to these effects, it is recommended that big-boat riders use a surf style board that is as lengthy as possible. Impossible on a conventional ski boat, wakesurfing behind a yacht presents riders with the challenge of shredding alongside another rider- a move otherwise known as the gruesome twosome. There is plenty of wake for everyone when it comes to big-boat surfing, as long as one rider is goofy and the other regular, and considering the golden rule, that opposites attract, finding a partner should not be a problem. Moreover, as most Yachts are designed for the rich and fabulous- equipped with cabins, bathrooms, kitchen sinks, and countless other aftermarket goodies- friends and family can comfortably take part in the ride, whether inside or behind the boat.

Too slow to pull up a water skier and too impractical for wakeboarding, Yachts are often written off as useless for water sports. Wakesurfing, however, presents an awesome way for big-boat operators to get involved in the water sport community, making use of the large and beautiful boats in a new and exciting way.