2014 G23 plumbing extra ballast over stock

[MLA]

I did the install, but its not my boat. The 2 reversible impeller pumps are sharing a single 1" thru-hull that was installed just for them. There where 2 unused spots on the breaker panel, so each pump has its own 20A breaker.

[fatchance720]

G25 - switches below the drivers armrest, so they are out of sight. Fly High W719 Jumbo Surf sacs in each rear locker, each with its own reversible pump to fill/drain. Much faster fill and drain time as opposed to doing a traditional "piggyback" sac install.

Mine looks identical to that but it is by your right knee on the driver side. Much better to drill more holes versus piggyback

[pholmstr]

Can you add timers to the bags so they auto shut-off? I heard you need to be careful with reversible pumps and running them dry...

[MLA]

Can you add timers to the bags so they auto shut-off? I heard you need to be careful with reversible pumps and running them dry...

Yes, but they are problematic to have then to go without. The Jabsco pumps have a dry-dry protection circuit, as well as a Nitrile impeller. These resist damage far better then the old black rubber ones. You can hear the pump change sound as it begins to empty. Also, after a few times, you will get a feel for how long it takes for the sac to empty.

[ers906]

I believe that they have to be running dry for an extended period of time for there to be problems. The only problem I have had was when the collar that fits on the spindle lost its "lock" and the shaft couldn't drive the impeller. There was a distinct sound difference and I was able to fix it in five minutes. Filling shouldnt cause it to run dry (constant water supply with extra being overflow), but emptying can be pretty accurately timed

[pholmstr]

Did you guys vent the bags too?

[MLA]

Yes, always.

[c640947]

You have to drill now holes in the side for vent holes or use existing ones?

[c640947]

You have to drill new* holes in the side for vent holes or use existing ones?

[MLA]

On this particular build, we felt it best to give the new sac its own dedicated vent thru-hull and leave the factory system intact.

[pholmstr]

I'm curious if anyone has plumbed in a bow sac. It seems like all the comp surf waves there is plenty of extra bow weight, and I would prefer it all hidden and plumbed for push-button fill / drain.

[c640947]

I have the same question as I will wakeboard more than surf and think it would need bow weight. I plan to plumb some in there but mine wont come until December.

Along the same lines the dealer wont cut into the hull for another pickup and the idea of voiding the structural warranty before I even use it makes me cringe a bit. Dealer said you can put something over the drain hole that acts as a water pickup (but can still be easily removed to drain.) Seems like a good interim idea for the first year while I make sure the boat is problem free but that drain hole is small. I dont know the size of a traditional ballast thru hull pickup but Ive gotta think its bigger than the drain plug hole. Will that hole be too small to support three pumps sucking on it? Anyone have experience with this?

[ers906]

Before you plumb in a ballast system, especially if you are nervous about it, wait to see if the ronix system works as described. After that of you want to plumb in something permanent you can still use the bags for the install. Filling 1100# in three minutes may be a better option than worrying if your dealer will void your warranty (which is surprising to me)

[c640947]

Well filling in three minutes is great BUT part of my need to get away from manual fill is the need to manually do something. Not lazy at all but will have kids in the boat at times and trying to move everyone around to fill stuff etc is a pain. I'd rather stretch and prepare before I ride instead of fill sacs and it seems like its possible. Ive got all winter so maybe designing a system for secondary ballast is a good winter project for me.

[ers906]

I taught the kids to fill while I stretch. But we also don't wakeboard with the extra ballast, since we typically have 10-12 people + coolers + gear in the boat which essentially is the same weight as the ballast which you are talking about. The only time we fill extra is when surfing, and three minutes (since for surfing you do not need more bow weight) is a fair trade. I would recommend that you ride it stock and see if that is as much wake as you expect before dropping the $ and time in extra ballast (friends of mine with mastercrafts, malibus, and other nautiques consider the stock Gs wake larger than theirs even when their boats are slammed with 3-4000#+ of ballast). I believe that Jay is one of the few that rides with extra ballast, and he usually only has 2-3 people in the boat. Most of the rest of us use the extra primarily for surfing.