Surf setup on 15 G23-extra ballast

[Mgigs7]

Buying a 2015 G23 and want to know best setup for surfing. Additional ballast? Thinking of adding WakeMakers reversible pumps. What size bags and if you do that do you need lead in the front?
Thanks!


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[Bevostein]

I have 900lbs bags in each locker on my G25. Some people add 1100lb bags but I read reports of them being filled to only 75% so I felt comfortable with 900lbs plus I already had those bags.

You can piggyback right off the existing bags and use the stock pumps. No need for additional pumps. No check valves, Ts or anything else. Just a straight piggyback.

You will definitely need weight in the front to counter the extra weight in back. Basically you need to counter 50% of the weight you add in the back. So if you go with 2 900lb bags then you need to counter 900lbs. However since the center of gravity or fulcrum of the boat is not dead center (front to back) the weight in the bow does not need to be 900lbs. I used 500lbs in my G25 and it works well.

If you want to get really exact there is an online calculator you can use to help estimate the needed bow weight. The only info you really need is the center of gravity (front to back) on a G23. You can email Nautique customer service and get that because they calculate it for each model for purposes of lifting. On my G25 the center is 107' from the aft. Using this calculator I got that I needed the 500lbs in the bow.

https://www.vcalc.com/wiki/KurtHeckm...age+Calculator

Finally what motor/prop do you have? If you add enough weight you may need to reprop.

[Mgigs7]

Thanks! How long does the piggy back system take to fill? I heard it really made it slow. So if I did 750's and put a couple 100 lbs of lead in the front I would be good?
450 motor not sure prop

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[Bevostein]

The system fills relatively quick. I would say 15 minutes for everything. Not an issue for use. We are on a lift and start filling ballast the minute we lower the boat in and before we are ready to back out. People are still loading things in the boat and getting situated. By the time we back out ballast is full or we start surfing while the piggyback tops off. We do the reverse coming in. Start dumping ballast out on the lake when we finish but pull into slip and let it continue to dump before raising while we unload boat. Only time its an issue is if we want to run up the lake to friends or a restaurant after surfing/wakeboarding. We have to wait a bit to dump everything. For us its not worth the extra cost and complexity of separate pumps.

I would guess you need closer to 250 or 300lbs in the bow to offset 750lbs.

[imhoff]

I have 900lbs bags in each locker on my G25. Some people add 1100lb bags but I read reports of them being filled to only 75% so I felt comfortable with 900lbs plus I already had those bags.

You can piggyback right off the existing bags and use the stock pumps. No need for additional pumps. No check valves, Ts or anything else. Just a straight piggyback.

You will definitely need weight in the front to counter the extra weight in back. Basically you need to counter 50% of the weight you add in the back. So if you go with 2 900lb bags then you need to counter 900lbs. However since the center of gravity or fulcrum of the boat is not dead center (front to back) the weight in the bow does not need to be 900lbs. I used 500lbs in my G25 and it works well.

If you want to get really exact there is an online calculator you can use to help estimate the needed bow weight. The only info you really need is the center of gravity (front to back) on a G23. You can email Nautique customer service and get that because they calculate it for each model for purposes of lifting. On my G25 the center is 107' from the aft. Using this calculator I got that I needed the 500lbs in the bow.

https://www.vcalc.com/wiki/KurtHeckm...age+Calculator

Finally what motor/prop do you have? If you add enough weight you may need to reprop.

I realize that this post is quite old, but I was hoping you could elaborate on how you plumbed this in? Thanks in advance!

[Bevostein]

I realize that this post is quite old, but I was hoping you could elaborate on how you plumbed this in? Thanks in advance!

The overflow hose from the factory bags was connected to the inlet of the 900lb bags in the rear lockers and those were connected to the overflow. Nothing complicated. I didn't do the work myself so can't help much more than that

The 500 in the bow was leadwake bags.

[Colt45MD]

The overflow hose from the factory bags was connected to the inlet of the 900lb bags in the rear lockers and those were connected to the overflow. Nothing complicated. I didn't do the work myself so can't help much more than that

The 500 in the bow was leadwake bags.

How did you drain the bags? I am planning on Tee-ing off the overflow to fill the bags but this won’t drain the bags. Did you run another line to the pump to drain it? Also do you know the dealer code to adjust the pump fill timer?

thanks.

[SoCal G-Man]

How did you drain the bags? I am planning on Tee-ing off the overflow to fill the bags but this won’t drain the bags. Did you run another line to the pump to drain it? Also do you know the dealer code to adjust the pump fill timer?

thanks.

I am curious about the same. Wakemakers has a kit with long bags that run from the front of the side seats back into the lockers, without affecting the onboard charger or the thruster housing, and I believe their kit plumbs into the same overflow tube to fill, but no clue if it drains independently and how much time needs to be added to the setting to avoid impeller damage.

[Colt45MD]

I am curious about the same. Wakemakers has a kit with long bags that run from the front of the side seats back into the lockers, without affecting the onboard charger or the thruster housing, and I believe their kit plumbs into the same overflow tube to fill, but no clue if it drains independently and how much time needs to be added to the setting to avoid impeller damage.

I completed my full setup and it works perfectly. I’ll do a more involved post in a bit.


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[Colt45MD]

I am curious about the same. Wakemakers has a kit with long bags that run from the front of the side seats back into the lockers, without affecting the onboard charger or the thruster housing, and I believe their kit plumbs into the same overflow tube to fill, but no clue if it drains independently and how much time needs to be added to the setting to avoid impeller damage.

I called wakemakers about the G25 and they said they did not make a kit for the boat but I was able to order all that I needed from them.

The G25 is all 1” ballast hose and ports. I ordered 20feet for each rear (port and starboard). I decided to tee off the factory ballast fill line right after it leaves the jabsco pump. I used a Y tee and angle the tee to where the factory ballast fills first by gravity and then my extra ballast fills after.

I only did this initially and things worked great. The bags will fill and drain completely but I worried that without a vent on the rear bags they might pop. So added a tube off the top of each bag and teed into the overflow line that is right there at the rear lockers. This serves as both a vent and overflow so nothing will ever go wrong.

Lastly I went into dealer settings. (Dealer code is 9191) and enabled the ballast filter option on my boat. This changed the ballast pump run times from 12 min to 16 min which was perfect to fill and drain completely.

Hopefully this helps.


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