2010 Planet Nautique Ballast Group Buy

[wcherashore]

looks like mahaaland, Chexi, Miljack (already installed) and I all have similar boats, DD airs and are considering similar installs, we should plan this thing out between the three of us

mine's a 2000 Air (factory tanks and tower)

what do you guys have planned? have any of you thought of wiring yet?

I'm trying to figure out plumbing issues as well (factory or additional, hose, etc)

I'm planning two bags in the trunk (gravity games) and a rear seat sack in the locker... I am planning on supplying them using 3 jabscos

They will vent using existing thru hulls (the rear will use the hard tank vents) the center will use the glove box/cooler drain.

I'm also trying to figure out a solution for a little bow weight if you guys have any ideas...

[wcherashore]

everyone should have gotten the discount codes if you asked for them, if I missed you PM me

[mhaaland]

i"ll get my stuff typed up today.

[mhaaland]

Blue= Existing ballast
Red= Additional ballast
Orange= Jabsco rev. 1123's
Green= 100lbs. tractor weights
Purple= Thru-Hull intake
Pink= Manifold
Yellow= Quick Connect spot
Maroon= Non return check valve
Gray= Thru-Hull outlet

1. I have the 3/4" thru-hull intake and I'm thinking about leaving it at that and just getting a up size fitting to 1" to feed the rest of the system.
2. I would like to build a 3-way manifold that goes into the ball valve so i keep just one intake.
3. I'm going to mount the pumps in the rear hatch.
4. Going with 1" hose.
5. Putting non return check valves on all outlets.
6. Building a sub floor over the hard tanks for the tractor weights

Here is the parts list i have started.

Plumbing
60' - 1" hose
3 - Jabsco 1123's (orange dot)
3 - 1" thru-hull outlets (gray dot)
25ish - 1" hose clamps
3 - non return check valves (maroon dot)
2 -Fly High 746's for the ski locker sac (red ski locker)
2 -Fly High Launch Pad 3/4" thread adapters (red ski locker)
6 - Fly High 748's for the bypass on all sacs (yellow dot)
6 -Fly High 743's for each sac (red, ski locker & sides)
4 - Fly High 741's for the 2 side sacs (red side sacs)
2-4 1" hose barbs for the hard tanks (blue)
I may take out the 3/4" thru-hull intake and put a 1" set up in there.
I'm still thinking on how i want to make my 3-way at the thru-hull intake so i don't have any parts here for that.

Electric
1 - fuse box
1 - perko switch
1 - additional battery to the one i already have
I'm using 4 guage wire for the battery to the fuse box
I'm using 12 or 14 guage wire for the fuse box to the pumps

this is what i have thought of so far. It's still cold up here in Iowa so i haven't made it into the garage yet to look deep into things.
Any questions or critiquing just PM me or email me back.

[Chexi]

Here is what I am thinking / planning.

I already built a floor out of 3/4" plywood covered in epoxy and marine carpet that presently sits on top of my hard tanks (with an I-beam support system). I am going to rip out my hard tanks and move the floor I build to the bottom. I think I will use 2 big aluminum L brackets on each sides of the floor and then install a cross beam of flat aluminum between the 2 on each end. The floor is only as wide as the low parts of the tanks (actually even about 4 " shorter than that). As a result, I should have space to install the pumps on this bracket system with enough space to protect them from the bags. The rub is that I would probably have to disassemble a bit when changing the impellers.

I have not decided whether I will install a 3 pumps here or just the rear 2. I would prefer the bow pump closer to the bow, but I don't really have a great place to mount it.

So here is what I am thinking. Build only a 1 to 2 manifold in the engine compartment off the ball valve. Maybe go big, like 1.5 on 1 side of the manifold and use a 1.5:1 reducer on the other side. Run a 1.5 water line to the rear 2 pump side. Use a 1:2 splitter or build a 1:2 manifold by the 2 pumps going down to 1 inch. Then I can run 1 line to 1 pump for that side rear bag, and 1 line to the 2nd pump and run from it a line back to the bow bag. The other side just gets the already reduced 1" line.

Of course, if anyone has a great place to mount the front pump, that would really make this all a lot easier.

BTW, I'm using 2 V-drive sacs in the rear compartment after ripping out my tanks. I have a seat sac in my locker. I'm going with an integrated bow sac in the bow. I'm not sure whether I'll tie the locker and integrated sac into each other, or just plumb the integrated sac and keep the ski locker sac separate and full. I'd prefer fully auto, but I think my center sac only has 2 valves, both on top, and both garden hose. The garden hose fittings can be dealt with, but not having a side valve is a problem.

I have 2 batteries with a Blue Seas isolator system. I have a blue seas blade-style fuse box that I will tie into my existing audio distro block. The audio distro block has 0 gauge going to it. I'll use the fattest cable I can to connect the new fuse panel to it. This is all located under my observer seat on the outside wall, fastened to a large plastic cutting board (along with my tower speaker amp).

I want to install the switches in the throttle pad, but am not sure. There is some weird lock thing (that I have no idea what it is for) that is right where I would like to put the switches (so I wouldn't have to move the coast guard plate. Genuinedealz.com for the electrical cable.

Doesn't the glove box drain just empty into the bilge?

[mhaaland]

I was toying around with mounting my ski locker/bow pump under the dash. Would that work? I know it would require some drilling so i'm not 100% sold on the idea just yet.

[Chexi]

It might work, but I am less inclined to put a pump right under the dash with all the electronics there. I have a heater there already, so that's enough risk. Besides, between my dual 12" subs and heater apparatus, I do not have a whole lot of room back in there on my rig. I'm thinking more and more to just bite the bullet and deal with the added expense of some long lines and running all 3 pumps in the stern locker.

[jasonwm]

Sorry I haven't been better about getting on this thread to respond to questions. If you have any specific questions let me know.

In general, go with as large of an intake as possible! 3/4" is absolutely not large enough to feed three Jabsco pumps, and if it was my boat I would use a 1.5" intake.

I would feed each pump with its own individual 1" hose from the water source.

If you can install your forward pump near the bag you'll be much better off. Common places are under the dash on the driver's side, behind the observer's seat, or under the seats in the bow compartment. Obviously this will depend on what you have installed in those locations, so it may not be possible to make it all fit, but that would be the preferred setup.

Just a reminder, this group buy will wrap up soon, so if you haven't already gotten the discount code and started the ordering process you'll want to do that soon. If you're currently working with us to get your order figured out, waiting on additional information, have discussed your plans to purchase in the immediate future, etc. then you're fine, just get your orders in as soon as possible.

We've been a little overwhelmed by the response to the group buy, and that combined with making sure we don't deplete our inventory for other customers has made for a little delay in getting orders shipped. I think that's probably understandable, and hopefully the discount more than makes up for it, but I didn't want to mention that and apologize for things being a little slow. We'll be caught up in the next week or so though, so it shouldn't be a problem.

[Chexi]

I wonder if one could mount a pump to a non-fixed, but heavy weight. I hate drilling into the boat, so I am looking for ideas for the bow area pump. Another alternative might be to use one or more bolts from the walk-through pad. This all assumes that you have to actually mount the pumps in the first place. I am operating under the assumption that these things create quite a bit of torque when running, and not mounting them would be very bad for the fittings and would compromise the connections.

[Chexi]

In general, go with as large of an intake as possible! 3/4" is absolutely not large enough to feed three Jabsco pumps, and if it was my boat I would use a 1.5" intake.

Forgive me Jason, but I do not see a 1.5" intake T on your site. How do you use a 1.5" thru-hull and ball valve without a 1.5" intake T. As the last point in the manifold chain, even if you could hook up a smaller T, the smaller T would restrict waterflow anyway. If you sell a 1.5" T, then I will gladly go 1.5".

[Chexi]

Bah... now I find it on the first page of ballast fittings. Ok, I'll go 1.5".

[jasonwm]

I wonder if one could mount a pump to a non-fixed, but heavy weight. I hate drilling into the boat, so I am looking for ideas for the bow area pump. Another alternative might be to use one or more bolts from the walk-through pad. This all assumes that you have to actually mount the pumps in the first place. I am operating under the assumption that these things create quite a bit of torque when running, and not mounting them would be very bad for the fittings and would compromise the connections.

You definitely want the pump secured, it creates a pretty good deal of torque, especially when you reverse directions, so it would put a pretty big moment on whatever it was mounted to if not secured.

I hear you on drilling more holes, but it's nothing the factory wouldn't do, and compared to the holes you're drilling for thru-hull fittings, these are small.

Forgive me Jason, but I do not see a 1.5" intake T on your site. How do you use a 1.5" thru-hull and ball valve without a 1.5" intake T. As the last point in the manifold chain, even if you could hook up a smaller T, the smaller T would restrict waterflow anyway. If you sell a 1.5" T, then I will gladly go 1.5".

Bah... now I find it on the first page of ballast fittings. Ok, I'll go 1.5".

Sorry, our parts category is a mess right now. I know the design guys are working on cleaning it up, so hopefully parts will be easier to find in the near future.

[wcherashore]

I am pretty sure the cooler drain has its own thru hull because there are three on the driver's side. One for the tanks (air), one for bilge and a third for the cooler.

did you move the batteries underneath the observers seat? My single battery came stock from the factory in the bow....

[Chexi]

My 2 batteries are under the observers seat as far forward as they can go. That put them very close to my distrobution block and isolator / combiner setup. They are Optima blue tops, so they are pretty small.

[Chexi]

Perhaps your cooler drain is different than mine. My "cooler" is the glove box. At the bottom it has a hole with a drain that connects to a hose that just connects to a fitting under the observer seat. The hose itself stops there, which leads me to believe there is no vent line (it's just the bilge). You can see the black tubing in the picture.