Axis Wake Research, Owner'S Manual, Page: 31 / 136

1-22 Boating Safety
Weighting Your Boat During Watersport Activities
Although water intrusion and waves spilling inside a boat is an obvious boating hazard,
this hazard can be increased when weighting your boat for water sports such as
wakeboarding or wakesurfing. As wakeboarding has evolved, ballast systems have been
developed to add weight and increase the size of the wake. The simplest ballast system on
the market is the water ballast type, such as the “FAT SAC.” The quest for the largest
wake has caused some boat operators to excessively overload their boats. It is not
uncommon to see operators use aftermarket ballast systems and then put additional
people and gear in their boat. Be advised that this practice can lead to overloading your
boat which may lead to any of the following: changes in handling and performance;
capsizing, flooding, and sinking; boat occupants going overboard.
Do not overload your
boat.
Always be aware of the load in your boat and do not load the boat in excess of the listed
capacity. Each boat has a maximum capacity label displaying the maximum weight of
people, gear and ballast that can be placed in the boat.
When loading your boat, give attention to the effect that the load distribution has on the
boat’s trim angle. Trim angle is the technical term for the up or down pitch angle of your
boat (also known as the “bow up” or “bow down” angle). The fore and aft load
distribution of weight, passenger, and gear can affect the running trim angle of the boat.
• Excessive weight placed in the stern of the boat can cause the inability to get on
plane, high bow up angles, and can lead to steering difficulties. High bow up angles
can be dangerous due to the reduction in the operator’s forward visibility which can
lead to collisions and groundings. High bow up angles cause longer transition times
from displacement mode (slow velocity, 0 to 5 mph) to planing speeds (18 to 20 mph
and above). During transition, it is important that the boat operator pays attention so
that they are able to see forward and that the time in transition (or in the “hump”
speed region) is minimized.
• Excessive weight placed in the bow of the boat can lead to very flat planing trim
angles which may lead the boat to turn aggressively, unpredictably, and without steer
input. The phenomenon of yaw instability is caused by heavy bow weights and
running very flat (bow down or flat trim angles). This can occur with excessive
weight in the bow compared to weight in the stern of the boat. Another ill effect of
too much bow weight in comparison to stern weight is that with extremely heavy
bow loads, the boat’s bow may dive or submerge when coming off plane
(decelerating rapidly, or encountering waves/wakes at slow speed). If the bow
submerges, then water will enter and flood your boat.
- When encountering conditions which may lead to bow diving or bow
submergence, it is recommended to accelerate the boat before the wave/wake in
order to help raise the bow and get over the wave/wake.
- If the bow submerges, the recommended action is to reduce throttle to stop
forward speed, get passengers to move aft, and turn on the bilge pump.
It is the boat operator’s responsibility to tell passengers to move to other seats on the
boat, so as to not overload the stern or bow of the boat, nor restrict the boat operator’s
forward visibility. There is no single recommended seating or load distribution for all
conditions. Experience with your boat will allow you to determine where to properly
allow passengers and gear to be placed.
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