Boat setup
List / Lean
The side-to-side tilt of the boat toward the surf side, created by surf-side ballast or a surf system, that forms the clean one-sided wakesurf wave.
List, or lean, is the lateral tilt of the boat onto the surf side. On boats without a surf system, riders place the majority of ballast on the side they intend to surf to create the lean needed for the wave to form on that side. The list lowers the surf-side rail, which cleans up that side's wash and builds the steep, pushy face.
Factory surf systems reduce the need for heavy physical lean: instead of weighting and tilting the boat hard to one side, a surf gate or plate redirects water to form the wave, so the boat can run flatter while still producing a one-sided wave and switch sides instantly.