Planned ballast system for my DD

[mhaaland]

I've been reading allot on all your ballast installs & I've drawn one up for my boat and I'm looking for some critiquing and input. For cost I'm hoping to get by with one ballast puppy but the more i think of it I might need 1 for the center ski locker sac and 1 for the rest of the system. I was hoping to go with some 3 ways and or shut off valves in place of a 2nd ballast puppy but that kind of takes away from it being an automatic filling system. I'm also debating to go with 1-1/4" or 1" for my water inlet, are there any problems of going with 1"?

1. (green dot)= Ballast puppy.
2. (orange dot)= water valve 3 way, This is so i can turn one side off to drain/fill for surfing
3. (blue tanks)= original ballast, 400 lbs total
4. (green squares)=100 lbs tractor weights, these are 19"x18"x1-1/2"
5. (red ovals, each side of engine)=260 lbs Fly High fat sacs
6. (red oval in ski locker)= i have a 540 lbs Launch Pad fat sac, not sure if I'm gong to use it because it may be to heavy? any suggestions?
7. (yellow dot)= quick disconnect spot for the 260 lb sacs. I'm not that familiar with the Fly High connectors so I'm looking for some input on what i could use here.
8. (maroon dot)= back flow valves
9. (grey dot)= vent

[WakeSlayer]

RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

I like what you have proposed a lot. Great drawing, too.
I think you would be happier with at least two pumps for the reason you stated. Best would be three.
FlyHigh has quick connects, just look at the selection on their site.
You do not really need to plumb in vents for your 260# bags. Just vent them manually and save the drilling. Not that you cannot do it, but I wouldn't.
The tractor weights are smart. I would Line-X them or something of the like.
How many water intakes do you have? You want each Puppy on a separate intake.
As far as hose size, you only need to use as big a hose as the smallest hole you are pushing water through. It cannot push more volume than that anyway.

I totally get the economics of the project, but make sure you do it one time, and the right way to make you happy without having to go back and retrofilt another pump at some point. You can ballast puppies for under $200 if you shop around.

[bchesley]

RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

I agree with WS on all points except the vents. It is really easy to forget the pumps are running and over fill the bags. I am not sure that you could actually pop a bag that way, but if you could the ballast puppy would be the one pump to do it. I always forget they are running (they fill so fast its easy to do) and overfill my locker bag and it pushes the floor up some even with a vent.

[wake_fun]

RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

Wakeslayer-why do you say to put each puppy on a seperate intake? I have all three pumps on one intake and it works perfectly.

Mhaaland-where is your intake mounted?

[rbalan]

RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

You are going to need a little more weight up front, even with the locker sack. I would say moving one of the tractor weights to the front would be a start. Even better, leave as is and add 2 tractor weights under the bow. This will firm things up and give you better pop. You also may want to reinforce your factory tanks with tractor weights on top of them.

[mhaaland]

RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

WakeSlayer,
I did look at the Fly High web site and I’m having trouble identifying the adapters I need because of the side view shots and I’m not that familiar with all the Fly High products.
I think I am putting in the vents because I may not always have the 260 lbs hooked up and I’m sure I’d forget to turn the puppies off.
I was thinking the same thing with spraying the tractor weights with something and even putting Velcro on one side to keep them from sliding.
I only have one intake and it looks to be a small one.
I do agree with you on doing it right and the 2-3 ballast puppies. I’ve got a couple other projects on the boat I’d like to finish first and I’m not sure how much money I will have left. That’s kind of why I went the economical route to see what kind of responses I would get and if this route would even work. I may end up waiting a while to plumb in something. I’m giving everyone’s suggestions serious consideration on what I will do with the system!

Wakefun,
My intake is mounted on the port side in front of the engine.

Rbalan,
I like where your heads at and had thought about plumbing in something up there or doing the tractor weights. If anything I think I’d get 2 more weights so when we surf we can move the weights accordingly.

That drawing is a rough sketch, I mainly wanted to get the idea out there to get some critiquing because I don’t know it all and I knew I would over look something. Gentlemen thanks again for all your advice, it is all being taken into consideration!

[WakeSlayer]

RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

I meant vents on the bags next to the engine thinking you can just bleed those manually since the are exposed. You really need a vent on the hard tanks that you can open so you don't have to fill the secondary bags if you don't want to. You would need to close this to create the pressure to fill the bags next to the engine.

Wakefun, I like to have input and output control for balancing the boat on the fly. And switching sides for surfing. I don't think you can fill one side and drain the other at the same time with one intake. My intakes are on the transom below the deck, I do not use the scoop under the boat.

[wcherashore]

I have a similar boat, and am considering a similar install putting in a fly high rear seat sack in the locker and putting a tube sack across the floor behind the engine. Why did you decide to go the route of the two side sacks rather than a single bag? Surf wake/ balancing issues I assume?

I had also thought to use the trunk for additional ballast, but if you are keeping your hard tanks, you can collapse them by putting additional weight on the floor above them. Secondly, it seems like you are not adding an additional thru-hull. Are you keeping the factory system and running a puppy to fill the hard tanks and the added bags? Or are you planning on running the factory and added ballast independently. Regarding venting, you can tee into the cooler/glove box drain line under the gunnel and use that as a vent. In my model year it has its own dedicated outlet below the rub rail next to the bilge.

I have been planning to put in a dedicated thru hull and puppy to run the two bags in my install and running it independently of the factory system. Does anyone see any issues with this?

[wake_fun]

Re: RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

I don't think you can fill one side and drain the other at the same time with one intake. My intakes are on the transom below the deck, I do not use the scoop under the boat.

you can, when one is emptying, the other bag is pulling that water into it also.

[mhaaland]

RE: Re: RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

WakeSlayer,
i think we're on the same page on the venting. When I'm using the hard tanks only the hoses going to and from the side sacs will be connected at the yellow dot under the gunnel so it will by pass the side sacs and my hard tanks will be vented at the maroon dot. And when my side sacs are hooked up the hard tanks & the sacs will use the same vents (maroon dot). I hope that makes sense. It sounds like i do need the vents to create back pressure to make the system fill up.?.?

wcherashore,
1. I did go with the side sacs for surf & balance.
2. I plan on putting some sort of support above the hard tanks for my free weights.
3. I'm thinking of adding another thru hull dedicated to my center ski locker sac.
4. I think i will have one puppy for the center ski locker and one puppy with a "Y" valve for the hard tanks and side sacs. (i can use bodies or weights to balance the boat and the "Y" valve to shut off one side of the ballast system for surfing)


This is still a plan in progress so i will update the drawing with the new ideas from everybody.

[WakeSlayer]

RE: Re: RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

Good idea on just doing a bypass and using on vent. You will have to play around and figure out fittings so the intake fitting to the sacks, and the output fittings are the same but reversed. Then you can just quick connect the hoses together. You do need the pressure to fill the secondary bags.

If you haven't seen these already, go all the way to the bottom of this page, and you can see all the fitting options.
http://www.fatsac.com/FlyHigh/FlyHighSacs.html


My opinion on thru hulls is out the transom, but that is way easier on a Vdrive. may be too much of a pain in the rear on a DD.

Wakefun, I guess that makes sense. I opted to not use the scoop, so it was just as easy to have separate intakes. I see no benefit to the scoops using ballast puppies. The original pumps needed help.

[mhaaland]

RE: Re: RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

i have a couple questions.
1. I'm going with 3 ballast puppies and I'm wondering if i can stick with 1 battery or do i need to go with a 2nd battery.
2. beings i have a DD I'm wondering where the best spot would be to put 3 ballast puppies? I'm thinking in the rear locker space, under the dash or under the seat on the port side next to the driver.?.?

[Kevin_B]

RE: Re: RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

Just a word of experience when it comes to spraying the tractor weights with some sort of coating, DO NOT use a spray on rubberized coating you can buy from either auto zone or advanced auto. It comes in a spray can similar to spray paint and said it was like the Line X material. It was a mess, I used it on some lead weights and it seemed like it always had that still slightly wet, tacky feel to it. We had to wrap all the weights in old towels so it would not stain the carpet. Was more hassle than having just the naked weights.

[WakeSlayer]

RE: Re: RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

A friend had a similar poor experience with canned bed liner. His dried, but flaked off badly. I would get an actual Line-X shop to do it for you. I beaten the daylights out of my truck bed and never chipped through it.

My vote is two batteries with a perko switch. Just ensures you never run them down and get stranded. The pumps are only drawing for a little while, but if you are out floating and have a big sound system you can drag a battery down pretty good. I almost always just have the perko set on one battery, not both. Then I have a full one on standby.

I have not installed pumps in a DD, but would guess the trunk for your application.

[highrock]

RE: Re: RE: Planned ballast system for my DD

On the line-x deal I would talk to a shop and see if they could just use some left over spray after doing a truck if it might lessen the cost on coating.