AI : Using Gemini for wave setup

[FMSki 'n Surf]

I used AI to look a TT bike setup & race course, gave me details from tires to how to ride the route. It was bang on.

So I decided to plug in the specs for the SV211 and see if I could get better/longer wave.

AI said to load the front heavy, keep it from getting too squatted, and be careful not to add too much gating. And bump the speed to 11mph which of course pushes the rooster back. For this set I flooded to max a 650 bow bag and ran twin 1100's. I did not add extra bags to the rear and had the passengers sit one side or the other. This is with the 645 prop. Had a great set. My son is 190lb and we are using a locally shaped 6 foot short board. Next I am going to fill the ski locker bag

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbmvFD-xgNw/

[SilentSeven]

My buddy likely needs to use an approach like this to help setup his 2007 Malibu LSV.

Any suggestions from your initial interactions?

[FMSki 'n Surf]

Actually I used ChatGPT and uploaded video. It wants more pix and video after I test.

On the Malibu 12s later: "Assuming you mean the 2007 Malibu Wakesetter 23 LSV, it can make a very good surf wave, but because it predates factory Surf Gate, the key is ballast + a suction surf gate/shaper + prop. Malibu didn’t introduce factory Surf Gate until years later.

For your use, I’d set it up roughly like this:

• Factory ballast: fill bow, center and both rear tanks.
• Add 750–1,100 lb bags in each rear locker. The older 23 LSVs respond extremely well to this; even back in 2007 owners were commonly adding a 750-lb bag over the rear tank.
• Add roughly 400–600 lb additional bow weight. This is important. Too much stern weight alone gives you a big but short, steep wave. Bow weight stretches the pocket.
• Install a suction-style surf shaper on the non-surf side, fairly low and toward the stern. With a shaper, I would run the boat substantially more level rather than doing the old-school extreme surf-side list.
• Start around 10.8 mph, then experiment from about 10.5–11.3 mph. Faster generally makes the wave longer; slower makes it taller/steeper.
• With the Power Wedge, don't automatically crank it to maximum. Start with relatively modest wedge and add wedge until you get the height you want. If the pocket gets short and vertical, reduce wedge and/or add bow weight.

Prop


For a heavily ballasted surf setup, the ACME 1235 — 14.5 × 14.25, .105 cup — is the first prop I'd look at, assuming the boat has the usual left-hand drivetrain and adequate hull clearance. It's a very well-known older V-drive surf/boarding prop and provides much more low-speed authority than the original cruising-oriented props. Contemporary discussion specifically describes the 1235 as a strong all-around choice for heavily ballasted boats.

If you're going to run 3,000+ lb of added ballast regularly, especially at elevation, I might go more aggressive yet—something around 12–13 inches of pitch—but I wouldn't choose that until I know which engine is in the boat.

The 2007 LSV could have different engines, including the Hammerhead, and the engine/transmission combination matters.

For a typical Monsoon/Hammerhead boat at low elevation in BC, though, I'd probably choose:

ACME 1235 (14.5 × 14.25)
→ best starting point for mixed cruising + serious surfing. The setup I'd build


Given that you've already been experimenting with ~3,000 lb in your SV211, I'd do something like this on the LSV:

Factory bow	Full
Factory center	Full
Factory rear tanks	Full
Port rear PNP	750–1,000 lb
Starboard rear PNP	750–1,000 lb
Extra bow	300–500 lb
Total additional/factory	roughly 3,000–3,500 lb

Then run the suction gate on the opposite side from the rider.

I'd start at 10.8 mph, light-to-medium Power Wedge, all ballast full, and move 200–300 lb of people/ballast forward until the wave develops a long clean transition rather than a vertical peak.

Compared with your 21-ft SV211, the 23 LSV has a big advantage: more hull length and displacement, so I'd expect you to be able to build a noticeably longer usable pocket rather than simply a taller wave. The Wake hull concept is specifically designed to sit deeper at low speeds and create more displacement.

One thing I'd check before ordering the prop: tell me whether this particular 2007 has the Monsoon 340, Hammerhead 383, or 8.1L, and what prop is stamped on it now. If you give me those two things, I can tell you whether I'd use the 1235 or go substantially more aggressive."

[SilentSeven]

Actually I used ChatGPT and uploaded video

Interesting. So you fed a video of the current wave to GPT, told it about your current ballast, shaper etc setup and then it recommended adjustments?

Have you tried any alternative AIs? I'm getting good results with Gemini on various projects. Claude always seems to token limit me. GPT seems to work well. Copilot is just erratic.

[FMSki 'n Surf]

For the SV211 I linked a instagram video from last year, uploaded this pix to tell AI I had manual surf plates.

Wants tests and more video

[FMSki 'n Surf]

Was out surfing with Leopold & got that new video, which I uploaded last night. It took the MOV file direct (not via IG). Here's the scourge of the SV211 hull, the Vee too, anything around 20 feet.. you need to get all of the hull sunk to increase chord length. It's right about the prop in some terms - at 1433 will make my transom sit deeper and push more water so the wave is even steeper, actually flops over it's so big. But I know now if I use the 1433 it would be reduce transom weight.

"Now that I can see it: that is a very strong SV211 wave—tall, clean, dark-green face and plenty of push. The limitation is exactly what you suspected: it is steep and short, with the lip collapsing fairly close behind the boat.

The video shows:

• The custom surf plate is working; the face is remarkably clean.
• You have ample displacement—no need for more ballast.
• The stern is buried heavily, creating a tall peak.
• The breaking lip advances forward instead of trailing into a long shoulder.
• The usable pocket appears roughly 8–12 feet, depending on the moment.
• Some variability likely comes from speed variation, steering and surface chop.

What I would change first


Do this before draining anything:

1. Verify speed using GPS, not the boat speedometer.
2. Move one of the three passengers into the bow.
3. Increase from 11.0 to 11.4 mph.
4. Then try 11.7 mph.
5. Reduce plate deployment approximately 10–20% if the face remains clean.

I think 11.5–11.7 mph will be materially better. The wave has enough height to trade some of it for length. If that isn’t enough


Reduce both rear bags from 1,100 to approximately 900 lb each, while leaving the 650-lb bow and 500-lb centre full. Then run:

• 11.3 mph
• 11.5 mph
• 11.7 mph

That gives about 2,950 lb total rather than 3,350 lb and should bring the stern up just enough to extend the transition. My predicted best setup

• Bow: 650 lb
• Centre: 500 lb
• Rear: 850–950 lb per side
• One passenger forward
• Opposite-side surf plate: minimum angle needed to clean the face
• GPS speed: 11.5–11.7 mph

I would leave the ACME 645 alone. The wave isn’t visibly suffering from prop wash, and the boat appears to hold surf speed. A lower-pitched prop might improve acceleration and speed control under that huge load, but it won’t lengthen an already-clean wave.

Honestly, Paul, the hardware is doing its job beautifully. This looks like a fine-tuning problem, not a redesign problem: slightly less stern squat, slightly less plate and about half a mile per hour more speed."