Baja 232 - good wakeboard boat?
 

Does anyone have experience with wakeboarding behind a 7.4 MPI powered 232?

I can't get the boat to stay on plane below 22 mph GPS with the tabs all the way down. I need steady plane at 16-18 mph.

Any prop suggestions or am I just asking the 232 to do something it can't?

As we told you

here
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/b...2-252-a-6.html

and
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/b...2-252-a-7.html


its just to slow for the hull. you have to either keep it up to speed to stay rolled over the wake, or let if fall down and drive with the nose up

If you're worried about the boat coming off plane you can add trim tabs to keep you on plane at lower speed my 30' cruiser with the trim tabs up would fall off plane at 29mph but with them down it would stay on plane at 22-24mph and if you really want to get crazy bravo 3 lower

dudz - thanks for the suggestion but the boat has tabs and with them all the way down it still fell off. It was off at 16 and on at 22, but between 16 and 22 I couldnt keep her steady. I'm hoping to do another test run with a lower pitch 4 blade and see if it helps...

4 blade or bravo 3 with twin props those would do it also maybe bigger trim tabs not sure if youll be able to do more test runs soon lol

by a wakeboard boat?

or buy water skis than you can go faster lol

+1

No

+2


Spending money to make a speed boat slower doesn't make since to me. Just get a cheap bowrider or something similar to ski behind.

Not meant for wakeboarding. You will spend a ton of money trying to make it decent and at the end of the day still be disappointed. Might consider buying an older supra or malibu with a tower...

What about K Planes or larger tabs to help drop the nose more?

So I'll be honest here, I'm a little fustrated with the responses...and I really shouldn't complain because I know that just gets no future responses. But maybe I need to clarify more:

I know and understand the 232 is a go semi-fast boat, with a 23 degree dead-rise. But I'm not looking for a pure go-fast. I'm looking for a better riding do-all. If I wanted a do-all that rode like crap I'd buy a standard 23' bow-rider. A ski/wake boat will not work on Lake St Clair, unless I want to be wet all the time.

I'm trying to see if anyone uses a 232 (open or closed bow) for any wakeboarding, and if they have any advice.

I've talked to a couple professionals, (work/worked in the business) that say I can definitly get the boat to plane steadily at a much lower speed, by going to a 4-blade and dropping the pitch. Bblades also thinks it shouldn't be a problem. I'm just trying to get assurance from someone who has acutally done it, if anyone is out there.

If not I'll report back for future use.

Im confused here. First post sounds like you bought a 232, last post sounds like you are still looking.

I have a 235 which is a little different I understand but I can't plane below 20-22. I've tried to pull my daughter in a tube and it was just to fast so I don't try it anymore.

I run a 25p mirage and tried a 23 and 21 I had in the garage. It helped a little but not enough to switch back and forth. My props are 3 blade so maybe the 4 will be even better.

I have not purchased the boat yet, the decision to buy hinges on slow plane performance for wakeboarding and other watersports.

The boat currently has a 3-blade 23p mirage, I have a buddy with a 20-22p (he's not sure exactley what it is) 4-blade we are going to try. I'm OK with losing 5-10 mph from top end.

I'll keep everyone posted.

cp5899 - maybe Ill have a prop recomendation for pulling your daughter.

the prop is not going to change what speed the boat stay ontop of the water at.

IT will change the ability to contorl the speed, and what rpm your at. but the hull with that wieght fall off plane at that speed. period. does nto matter HOW you push it to that speed, it sinks off plan below that mark.

Hey I got an idea, why don't you ignore absolutely everyone telling you it's a bad idea and buy the boat anyway.

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/9086...1_L1?$product$

A couple big ass trim tabs maybe :lolhit:

I used to ski behind my Baja 212 Islander with a 7.4MPI and Bravo 1 and 23P Bravo. I had tabs on mine but you really can't plane below 20mph. The situation gets worse when you load the boat with Gas and people. It was a great boat all around but for wakeboarding I don't think it would be ideal. You can tube and ski just fine. I have a friend with a 232 Islander with a ski tower on his. Not bad to ski behind but once again it really doesn't plane below 20MPH. Once it starts to fall it falls hard and is very hard to control below 20MPH. Wakeboarding is just really hard to do behind anything other than a wakeboard boat since you need to go so slow. Forget about wakesurfing behind a Baja! That kind of watersports is really hard on the drive of a performance boat.

Ok, I'll chine in here....as a Baja owner who loves to go fast and an avid wakeboarder, i will say yes, you can do it. The boat I wakeboard behind is a wellcraft 232 with a 454 and bravo 1 drive..not quite the same, but I have worked with my buddy all summer to make it a better wake boat...here is what I know...a set of k-planes would help quite a bit. Also a good low pitch prop...4 blade is key here and I will say that a HIGH FIVE prop would be even better....but you will have to do a lot of prop testing to find the right setup...you will be dissatisfied with the wake unless you add ballast, or load the boat with a bunch of people!! You can increase the wake size by trimming up the drive until the boat starts to slow down and fall off plane, but keep adding throttle to keep the speed where you need it. Not sure why you think you need to wakeboard at 16-19 mph, but my board rides like **** at speeds below 18..we consistantly pull at 19 to 21 mph and its perfect. Make sure you like how the boat looks with a tower on it..without the tower...don't bother....I have rode behind numerous boats without a wake tower and its fun for slides and spins, but I love to jump and you just can't get enough air without the tower...one last thing....you will probably always have to drive the boat, rather than just setting the throttle and going...what I mean is constantly making throttle and trim corrections to maintain boat speed and shape of the wake....we messed with my buddys boat all summer and we had a blast, but he is looking to buy a real wakeboat and that's really the best advice...you can do it, but its either gonna be a great speed boat or a decent wakeboat....it will probably never be both....hope this helps ya!!

You are overthinking this. Buy a boat and dont waste another boating season talking about. I did that for the past 3 or 4 years. This summer, I stumbled upon a clean 220 Sport and bought it. Its not my dream boat, its not my last boat, but we had a blast with it and I used the sh*t out of it this summer! Make it happen!