R4 surf

[hldr]

Hello

Getting close to buying a r4 surf. i can find almost no feedback on the wave quality. the little i can find are the bs paid for magazine style reviews that never say anything bad. we will be novices to this but we are very experienced slalom skiers. I have ridden everything from kneeboards to wake skates to trick skis, to straight up plywood disks behind a boat. I need a new fix that will be less taxing on the back. Im not looking to go pro here but i want something that will allow me to do more than just drag with the rope. Any r4s owners around? especially those that can compare to tow boats.

At any rate id hate to plunk down this kind of cash only to find out in a year or two that it is inadequate. heaviest rider will be 210 lbs if it matters. I want the r4s due to storage issues as i trailer always. I also have no use for the head since i have a lake cabin. since i have never surfed before im not sure what id learn from a demo on that front. I really like the idea of an I/O surf boat since my remote cabin is water access only (hence why i trailer and storage). I do alot of dock runs and trips to dinner etc.

Im sure that it will ride better than my cobalt 206 which is marginal in rough water. I have had it 20 years now and its time for a change. Other than dedicated tow boats is there another brand i should look at? *tisk* Id like to find a used one but havent seen much in the 6 months ive been looking.

Thanks

[hldr]

Also --- ive discovered that even though the 300 and 350 hp engines have the same basic power and torque curves up to over 4500rpm --- cobalt puts a k3 prop on the 300 and a k4 on the 350hp engine. has anyone ever experimented with different props on a r series boat?

[Krob1114]

Also --- ive discovered that even though the 300 and 350 hp engines have the same basic power and torque curves up to over 4500rpm --- cobalt puts a k3 prop on the 300 and a k4 on the 350hp engine. has anyone ever experimented with different props on a r series boat?

I don't think many members here have an R4, so that's probably why there are no responses yet. Welcome

[dsthomas]

Can't help with the R4, we have an R8 surf and we love the wave. Our heaviest surfer so far was 290 and a novice, he had no trouble being able to ditch the rope. Hope that helps.

Also, our boat came with the wrong prop. When we got the right prop it made a huge difference on gas mileage and noise as we could cruse same speed with lower RPM. Our dealer contacted cobalt and got us the right prop.

[Jbyrd65]

Can't help with the R4, we have an R8 surf and we love the wave. Our heaviest surfer so far was 290 and a novice, he had no trouble being able to ditch the rope. Hope that helps.

Also, our boat came with the wrong prop. When we got the right prop it made a huge difference on gas mileage and noise as we could cruse same speed with lower RPM. Our dealer contacted cobalt and got us the right prop.

Which prop is supposed to come with the R8, K5?

[fsts2k]

interested to know as well

[Jbyrd65]

interested to know as well

I checked the R8 that I am picking up tomorrow and they indeed did have K5 props.

[NautiWeasel]

Is the "K" line of props for a forward drive, and essentially the same as the "FH" props on the duoprop drives? If so, the K5 sounds on par with the FH5, which is what my boat "should" have come with, if it was originally sold here. I have the FH4 props, and there is still a little meat on the bone so to speak.

[jasonjmu]

Just got our new 2024 R4 Surf this week (V8 350 CE DP) and we are also novices at wake surfing but experienced at wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and skiing. So far it’s been great. Kids have been able to get up with the mellow wave preset and my oldest was even able to drop the rope on day 2 of surfing. We haven’t tried with adults yet and I’m still playing with the different settings but overall I’m very pleased. I’m guessing it will take some time to dial in the right wave settings but I’m optimistic. I’d guess this would be easier on a dedicated wake boat with an inboard, but realistically we spend as much time cruising and tubing friends so I love the hybrid options. Purists may claim it’s not great at surfing but we have no aspirations of going pro.