99 Air Ballast Install

[Chexi]

I am in the process of installing an auto ballast system on my 99 Air direct drive and wanted to let everyone who is considering this project know a few things.

1. Pulling out the hard tanks is a royal pain, especially if you have no helpers. Unless you cut them out (which I opted not to do), moving the gas tank forward is necessary, and getting the necessary supports unbolted is not easy. So if you have a Sport instead without the hard tanks, consider yourself lucky. 3 hours and many bloody knuckles later, I finally succeeded in getting them both out. I did have to cut the vent lines and intake lines, as the hoses simply wood not come off the hose barbs. Oh well.

2. I ordered a 1.5" thru-hull and ball valve as I was going to use a single thru-hull and manifold for 3 ballast puppies. However, I don't think there is sufficient room in the engine box for a thru-hull and ball valve that large. As such, I will likely be switching to 2 x 1" thru-hulls, using 1 for the fore bag(s) and 1 for the stern 2 bags. I think there will be enough room for 2 x 1" setups in the engine box.

3. The V-drive sacks fit almost perfectly in the rear cargo area after the hard tanks are removed. They do not wrap around like the hard tanks, so you lose a little bit on the sides that perhaps a custom sack could get you, but apart from that, it's like the v-drive sacks were made for this space. I wish the top valve openings on the bags were further out toward the edge so that the vent fitting could tuck up underneath the higher point along the gunnels, but that would be too perfect I guess.

[WakeSlayer]

hard tanks

For what it is worth, I do not see any point in salvaging the tanks. No one is going to want them, and if they do, you are going to give them away. A sawzall will get them out in 10 minutes total. I was able to get one of mine out, but the second just wasn't happening. A buddy has a pair out of a 05 SV211 in our warehouse that we cannot give away.

They are not worth bleeding over. Just my two cents.

[wcherashore]

I am in the process of installing an auto ballast system on my 99 Air direct drive and wanted to let everyone who is considering this project know a few things.

1. Pulling out the hard tanks is a royal pain, especially if you have no helpers. Unless you cut them out (which I opted not to do), moving the gas tank forward is necessary, and getting the necessary supports unbolted is not easy. So if you have a Sport instead without the hard tanks, consider yourself lucky. 3 hours and many bloody knuckles later, I finally succeeded in getting them both out. I did have to cut the vent lines and intake lines, as the hoses simply wood not come off the hose barbs. Oh well.

2. I ordered a 1.5" thru-hull and ball valve as I was going to use a single thru-hull and manifold for 3 ballast puppies. However, I don't think there is sufficient room in the engine box for a thru-hull and ball valve that large. As such, I will likely be switching to 2 x 1" thru-hulls, using 1 for the fore bag(s) and 1 for the stern 2 bags. I think there will be enough room for 2 x 1" setups in the engine box.

3. The V-drive sacks fit almost perfectly in the rear cargo area after the hard tanks are removed. They do not wrap around like the hard tanks, so you lose a little bit on the sides that perhaps a custom sack could get you, but apart from that, it's like the v-drive sacks were made for this space. I wish the top valve openings on the bags were further out toward the edge so that the vent fitting could tuck up underneath the higher point along the gunnels, but that would be too perfect I guess.

I wound up buying the bigger gravity games sacks thinking they would fill out the space a bit better, but looking at them now, they seem a bit large....

[wcherashore]

I am in the process of installing an auto ballast system on my 99 Air direct drive and wanted to let everyone who is considering this project know a few things.

1. Pulling out the hard tanks is a royal pain, especially if you have no helpers. Unless you cut them out (which I opted not to do), moving the gas tank forward is necessary, and getting the necessary supports unbolted is not easy. So if you have a Sport instead without the hard tanks, consider yourself lucky. 3 hours and many bloody knuckles later, I finally succeeded in getting them both out. I did have to cut the vent lines and intake lines, as the hoses simply wood not come off the hose barbs. Oh well.

2. I ordered a 1.5" thru-hull and ball valve as I was going to use a single thru-hull and manifold for 3 ballast puppies. However, I don't think there is sufficient room in the engine box for a thru-hull and ball valve that large. As such, I will likely be switching to 2 x 1" thru-hulls, using 1 for the fore bag(s) and 1 for the stern 2 bags. I think there will be enough room for 2 x 1" setups in the engine box.

3. The V-drive sacks fit almost perfectly in the rear cargo area after the hard tanks are removed. They do not wrap around like the hard tanks, so you lose a little bit on the sides that perhaps a custom sack could get you, but apart from that, it's like the v-drive sacks were made for this space. I wish the top valve openings on the bags were further out toward the edge so that the vent fitting could tuck up underneath the higher point along the gunnels, but that would be too perfect I guess.

I am a few steps behind you... any pointers for pulling the hard tanks out?

[Chexi]

I am a few steps behind you... any pointers for pulling the hard tanks out?

If you don't want to cut them out, you are going to have to unbolt the gas tank and move it forward. You do not need to disconnect the gas tank hoses. You will then need to get the vent hose (top) and intake hose (bottom) off. If you can get these off without cutting them, great, if not, cut the vent hose as close to the tank as possible. You should be able to tie into the 2 vent hoses with your new bag system. I ended up using new short pieces of 3/4" hose and connected that to the stock check valves. If you are using 1" vent lines, you will need the full length of vent hose and probably new thru-hulls. Others have gone 1" in and 3/4" out without a problem, so that is what I am doing.

Once you get the hoses off, you should be able to maneuver one of the tanks so that the inside edge sits on top of the other tank's inside edge. You should then be able to slowly rotate it out. Once you get the one out, the other is pretty easy, just do the same inward rotating motion. By that I mean, I stared with the tank on my right (looking toward the back of the boat). I lifted up the inside part of the tank and rotated is counter-clockwise and I think also rolled it toward me until it came out. You will figure it out.

Where are you putting your intake thru-hull(s) and pumps? Are you piggybacking a belly sac and integrated bow sac?

[wcherashore]

If you don't want to cut them out, you are going to have to unbolt the gas tank and move it forward. You do not need to disconnect the gas tank hoses. You will then need to get the vent hose (top) and intake hose (bottom) off. If you can get these off without cutting them, great, if not, cut the vent hose as close to the tank as possible. You should be able to tie into the 2 vent hoses with your new bag system. I ended up using new short pieces of 3/4" hose and connected that to the stock check valves. If you are using 1" vent lines, you will need the full length of vent hose and probably new thru-hulls. Others have gone 1" in and 3/4" out without a problem, so that is what I am doing.

Once you get the hoses off, you should be able to maneuver one of the tanks so that the inside edge sits on top of the other tank's inside edge. You should then be able to slowly rotate it out. Once you get the one out, the other is pretty easy, just do the same inward rotating motion. By that I mean, I stared with the tank on my right (looking toward the back of the boat). I lifted up the inside part of the tank and rotated is counter-clockwise and I think also rolled it toward me until it came out. You will figure it out.

Where are you putting your intake thru-hull(s) and pumps? Are you piggybacking a belly sac and integrated bow sac?

Glad to hear about your solution for the vent lines! I was worried they were 5/8" and I was going to have to bore new holes. I think I will do as you have done and use new hose up until the check valves already in place.

Thanks for the pointers on getting the hard tanks out, I will see if I can follow those instructions to a t this weekend and get moving, although I may start working on the electrical first and finish that last...

I am planning to plumb 2 jabscos off a shared 1.25" intake in a location TBD, although I think someplace in the engine compartment will be a good spot. These pumps will supply water to two sacks placed end-to-end in the trunk. I will then use the factory 0.75" thru hull to supply water to a third jabsco pumping water to a bag in the locker. Later on, I may piggyback an integrated bow sack to the locker bag, but want to see how the wake is. Besides, I still have a battery in the nose I'd have to move and I'm not sure if there is ample room underneath the bow seats anyway. For now, I have to figure out the placement of my pumps and how to plumb the hosing into, and out of, the locker. How did you vent your locker bag and place your pumps? I am having trouble on this one because I plan to occupy the whole trunk with the bags!

[Chexi]

Glad to hear about your solution for the vent lines! I was worried they were 5/8" and I was going to have to bore new holes. I think I will do as you have done and use new hose up until the check valves already in place.

Thanks for the pointers on getting the hard tanks out, I will see if I can follow those instructions to a t this weekend and get moving, although I may start working on the electrical first and finish that last...

I am planning to plumb 2 jabscos off a shared 1.25" intake in a location TBD, although I think someplace in the engine compartment will be a good spot. These pumps will supply water to two sacks placed end-to-end in the trunk. I will then use the factory 0.75" thru hull to supply water to a third jabsco pumping water to a bag in the locker. Later on, I may piggyback an integrated bow sack to the locker bag, but want to see how the wake is. Besides, I still have a battery in the nose I'd have to move and I'm not sure if there is ample room underneath the bow seats anyway. For now, I have to figure out the placement of my pumps and how to plumb the hosing into, and out of, the locker. How did you vent your locker bag and place your pumps? I am having trouble on this one because I plan to occupy the whole trunk with the bags!

There is room under the bow seats in a 99 for an integrated sac. It fits very well actually. If you have a 98 or earlier, you are better off with the less expensive triangle shaped bag. You won't be able to fill it completely, but it will work.

As of now, I am mounting all 3 of my pumps in the rear. I have Johnsons, which are longer and narrower than the Jabscos. The Johnsons for sure are too long for the already cramped engine compartment. There is a bump out in the middle rear of the stern locker that will allow for placement of the pumps. Check out Mhaaland's profile to see pics of how he did it with 2 Jabscos. I will put all 3 back there. I'm putting 2x 1" thru-hulls under the floor of the rear locker. With your tanks in you have not been able to look down there. Once you get your tanks out you will see that there is a removable floor piece that has 3 holes in it. 1 hole is in the middle over the rudder linkage. The 2 other holes are where the intake hoses for the ballast tanks came in. That whole middle piece of the floor comes up to provide access to the steering mechanism and rudder.

I'm mounting a 1 inch thru-hull toward each of the sides of that bilge area. I am trying to line the ball valves up with the access holes. Only 1 is in so far, and it is lined up. With 1 inchers, they fit and the ball valve levers do not interfere with the steering. On the right thru-hull mechanism, I go 1" thru-hull to 1" West marine 90 degree elbow, to 1" West Marine bronze low profile nipple, to 1" Wakemakers ball valve, to 1" West Marine low profile nipple, to 1" Wakemakers "T", to 1x 1" Wakemakers hose bard and to 1x 1" Wakemakers 90 degree hose barb, to create a 2x manifold. This will be the supply for the 2 pumps for the rear 2 bags. While it's only 1", the actually inside diameter of the pumps is less than 1", and because I used the West Marine low profile nipples, I think I should have ample water supply to feed 2 pumps on this side.

The other side will be the same except no T. It will just go thru-hull to elbow to nipple to ball valve to 1" hose barb. That will feed the 3rd rear pump which will send a hose through the bilge to my belly sac. I have to drill 2 holes (1 a few inches higher than the other) in the thin fiberglass wall between my engine compartment and my belly ski locker. The bottom hole is for the intake that comes from the pump. The top hole is for the vent of the belly sac which will come back into the engine compartment and then follow the heater lines behind the driver's kickplate area and to the integrated bow sac. This belly vent should overflow into the integrated bow sac and fill it. I will then vent the integrated bow sac probably using one of the vent lines that was used for the air lock system on the controls of the factory ballast. I have not measured those yet... I'm hoping they are 3/4". Because the integrated bow sac sits higher than the belly sac, when draining it should work. The pump will pull water from the bottom of the belly sac. Gravity should drain the integrated sac into the belly sac as the belly sac is emptied. We'll see soon.

Note, if you plan to put your switches in the throttle pad where the rear hatch lock mechanism is, you may need 3 single conturra mounting brackets instead of 1 triple unit. The hole on mine is a bit too long for a triple unit. You can find the single brackets at genuinedealz.com for less than half the price of the other places and you get free shipping on those parts. I have not received mine yet, but I think they should work. 3 singles is wider than 1 triple.

I'm doing more work this weekend on my system and will post pictures.

[wcherashore]

I have a 2000 Air so I imagine the bow space is similar to your 99... however, mine has the battery mounted under the nose cushion. Did yours?

Although the trunk is the obvious choice for placement of the pumps, I am hoping to place the pumps in another spot to maximize space for the bags. I was thinking about someplace under the gunnels where the tanks wrap around...

Regarding the switches, I have three single switches which came with my Jabscos and was not planning on mounting them where the trunk latch is... I was thinking about putting them in the spot where the seacocks for the old ballast system is or perhaps where the guages for the hard tanks are, although that would require a refab of that panel. Where can I find a three switch bracket you're talking about?

Are you using a fuse box and terminal block? what guage wiring are you using for all this?

[Chexi]

I have a 2000 Air so I imagine the bow space is similar to your 99... however, mine has the battery mounted under the nose cushion. Did yours?

Although the trunk is the obvious choice for placement of the pumps, I am hoping to place the pumps in another spot to maximize space for the bags. I was thinking about someplace under the gunnels where the tanks wrap around...

Regarding the switches, I have three single switches which came with my Jabscos and was not planning on mounting them where the trunk latch is... I was thinking about putting them in the spot where the seacocks for the old ballast system is or perhaps where the guages for the hard tanks are, although that would require a refab of that panel. Where can I find a three switch bracket you're talking about?

Are you using a fuse box and terminal block? what guage wiring are you using for all this?

I had a battery in the nose and 2 in the rear when I bought my boat. I scrapped them all and put in 2 Optima blue-tops (the littler ones) as far forward under the observer's seat as they would go. They effectively take up no space, because I never put anything else that far forward in there as it becomes too hard to get to. I used 0 AWG for the battery power cables.

There is room along the sides of the back seat / gunnels for the pumps, and that would be an ideal spot for them, but you will have to figure out a way to mount them to something sturdy. If your 2000 is like my 99, there are two vertical support posts (one on each side) that you might be able to tie into, maybe u-bolts or make a small mounting plate for each that bolts into the support brackets. I might actually look into that myself. It could save me some cash, as the aluminum diamond plate for the rear is pricey. The benefit of the rear hatch is that there are 4 bolts already there to mount a mounting plate to. But with your larger fat sacs, I can understand why you are looking elsewhere. Personally, I think the sacs I have are as big as you can really fit back there, so you might want to think about selling yours and picking up some v-drive sacs. It could save you a little money.

I probably would not mess with the hard tank gauges. If you put the switches where the seacocks were, you will need to build some kind of mounting plate for the switches. I could look pretty good, but requires more work than I want to do. I might move my coast guard plate and put the switches there instead. I have not decided. I have extra silver cloud vinyl from when I redid my vinyl, so I could probably make a custom bracket below look pretty good... now you have me thinking. You can find a three switch bracket also at genuinedealz.com or for more money at West Marine.

I am using 10 gauge wire for the pumps and switches as that is the fattest wire I can get and still use quick connect fittings for the switches. I am using a blueseas 6 blade fuse block. I will either wire it directly to my battery using 4 or 8 gauge wire that I happen to have lying around from other upgrades I did or I will wire it to my amp distribution block. I will likely mount the new fuse panel on a custom mini driverside kickplate I have that has my heater vents in it and sits on top of my dual 12 inch sub box. This would put this fuse box close to the switches. I want my 10 gauge runs as short as possible, and they are already a bit on the long side for peak amp draw.

[wcherashore]

I am in the process of installing an auto ballast system on my 99 Air direct drive and wanted to let everyone who is considering this project know a few things.

1. Pulling out the hard tanks is a royal pain, especially if you have no helpers. Unless you cut them out (which I opted not to do), moving the gas tank forward is necessary, and getting the necessary supports unbolted is not easy. So if you have a Sport instead without the hard tanks, consider yourself lucky. 3 hours and many bloody knuckles later, I finally succeeded in getting them both out. I did have to cut the vent lines and intake lines, as the hoses simply wood not come off the hose barbs. Oh well.

2. I ordered a 1.5" thru-hull and ball valve as I was going to use a single thru-hull and manifold for 3 ballast puppies. However, I don't think there is sufficient room in the engine box for a thru-hull and ball valve that large. As such, I will likely be switching to 2 x 1" thru-hulls, using 1 for the fore bag(s) and 1 for the stern 2 bags. I think there will be enough room for 2 x 1" setups in the engine box.

3. The V-drive sacks fit almost perfectly in the rear cargo area after the hard tanks are removed. They do not wrap around like the hard tanks, so you lose a little bit on the sides that perhaps a custom sack could get you, but apart from that, it's like the v-drive sacks were made for this space. I wish the top valve openings on the bags were further out toward the edge so that the vent fitting could tuck up underneath the higher point along the gunnels, but that would be too perfect I guess.

the supports are ridiculous... who thought welding that bolt to the support t was a good idea? and then to have the nut on the bottom side underneath! seriously? and then the bolt on the vertical support post? sandwiched between everything...

I don't have the tools for the job, I'm going to have to take a second run at it with some better tools

did you undo all the vents and fill lines to the gas tank to get the hard tanks out? or just unbolt the supports and push it as far forward as possible?

[Chexi]

No, you don not need to undo any of the gas tank hoses. But, you will need 2 small socket wrenches or crescent wrenches, and ideally another person. I did mine by myself and one of my wrenches rachets kept slipping (a Craftsman by the way with about 1 hour on it). This reeeeaaaalllly sucked. Yes, this is over-engineered, which I typically like, but not this time. This is one of the worst parts of this process.

So I got a bit further today and have some answers for you, some pics, and some lessons learned.

1. The vent line out of the seacock controls for the factory ballast is confirmed 3/4". See pic below.

2. If you put thru-hulls in the way back where I put them, you have to be very careful (more careful than me) with placement. Also, I don't think anything bigger than 1" will work back there unless you can cut down the thru hull. I can't decide whether I prefer the thru-hulls on the angle or on the flat part of that back area, I ended up with one of each. Either way, you have to be careful that you have enough flat surface underneath with no angle changes for the mushroom flange. You also have to carefully measure things so you can actually turn them tight. This I did fortunately, but I could have gave a bit more thought and measurement to the exact placement. I could have had them pretty much symmetrical had I tried. Be sure you put the ball valve on the right way so you have clearance for the lever so yuou can actually open and close it. This may require reversing it on one side if you are going for symmetry. Also, be sure to test the full arc of the rudder control so you total clearlance for that.

Note the ball valve on the thru-hull to the top of the picture does not line up with the pre-existing hole in the removable floor board. I could not get it to do so due to that useless aluminum piece you see the hose going through (I put that hose there). I will have to drill a new hole in the removable floor. This is also somewhat necessary because that ball valve sits a bit higher than the other (due to placement) and the floor actually just barely touches the top of the lever. I don't want any pressure on that, so I need to cut the hole in the floor for that too. No biggie, just a pain.

3. Wear glasses, gloves and long sleeve shirt when cutting thru-hulls. Fiberglass is fiberglass and is itchy... and now so I am I (I only wore glasses).

4. Have the right size hole saw. My first was a little big, so I had to fill in with adhesive (only a very little bit big). So I went one size down on the second. This was too small, so I spent the better part of 45 minutes carefully drilling (with a normal bit) and using a rounded file to enlarge the hole, testing it frequently. I finally ended up with a better fit than the first one, but it was a PITA.

5. The Fly High quick connects 1" are a super pain to get into the black Wakemakers 1" hose. I cannot explain how difficult this really was. I had to lube up the barb and the inside of the hose with a thin layer of grease and heat up the hose with a heat gun. I then still had to use a towel to grab the quick connect and twist it in (kind of sharp edges on the quick connect without the towel). Even heated up and lubed up this was pretty difficult. The other barbs have not been anywhere near as difficult. In fact, I'm a bit worried about the barbs on the pumps as they hose goes on way too easy there. I'll definitely have to use 2 clamps on each side of the pump if I have the room to do it.

***IMPORTANT*** When using a heat gun, be very careful. If you are using it on your boat, it can and will destroy vinyl and melt the olefin carpet, so be sure to have a shield between the hose and your boat when heating it up, and don't forget you need a place to rest it when it is cooling off. Oh, and don't burn yourself with it either. I have done two of these things myself already.

6. Try not to do this work when it is 100 degrees (like I did) and bring plenty of fluids if you do (fortunately I did).

7. West Marine carries quick connect adapters that are 1 female and 2 male. This should work well for where you need to cross the lines on the conturra switches.

What is left for me:

a. Buying a 3/4" barb to barb connector and install it at the factory vent to bow vent.

b. All the wiring

c. Cutting the pump mounting plate

d. Mounting the plate and pumps

e. Enlarging the throttle pad hole for the switches and putting them in

f. Finish plumbing the rear sac intakes and the pumps

g. Water test

[Miljack]

Good work so far! I like the idea of the pumps and through hulls in the trunk area, but a quick question. Are you going to use the stock aluminum "floor" in the trunk to support your sacks? If yes, I think you need to do something else. Mine was no where near strong enough to support the sacks, I ended up using a 1/2" thick piece of UHDP for the floor, with some back up aluminum bracing to support it. Can you reach under the sacks if they are full in the trunk to shut off the through hulls?

[Chexi]

Good work so far! I like the idea of the pumps and through hulls in the trunk area, but a quick question. Are you going to use the stock aluminum "floor" in the trunk to support your sacks? If yes, I think you need to do something else. Mine was no where near strong enough to support the sacks, I ended up using a 1/2" thick piece of UHDP for the floor, with some back up aluminum bracing to support it. Can you reach under the sacks if they are full in the trunk to shut off the through hulls?

Miljack, do you have a Sport or an Air? My 99 Air does not have an aluminum floor. It is pretty thick fiberglass (the pullout piece). It has supported the hard tanks full and a 370lb sac on top of that with no problems in the past (although I did have a plywood floor over the hard tanks that was supported by an i-beam of plywood that was supported by the pullout piece of the floor below the hard tanks. I assume this is factory on the Airs.

To answer your question, the ball valves will not be easy to get to when the sacs are full, but the only time I will use the ball valves (other than during the initial water test when the sacs are empty) is in an emergency, and in an emergency, I expect my adrenal gland to go into overdrive and give me freaky super human strength and will be able to move the sacs enough to get in there through the access holes in the floor... that or I'll just open the manual valve on the bags and empty them. This all assumes that the pumps are not working, which of course I would first use to just drain them normally. The bottom-line is that the only foreseeable catastrophic failure would be the thru-hull breaking or the fiberglass around it breaking, in which case the ball valves aren't going to do squat. Anything else would be a trickle leak or a leak at a bag. Since my pumps act as check valves, a leak at a bag should not sink the boat, and I could still reverse the pumps to empty the bags. If I had aerator pumps, I'd be a little more concerned.

[Chexi]

I will post pictures tonight, but I finally got everything installed and tested. After troubleshooting a bad crimp I did on one of the switch wires, everything works.

However, I am not sure that my piggy back system is the best system for the belly and bow sacs. On my test, which was done at the launch on my trailer, when filling the belly and bow sacs, the belly sac got very very full before sending water up to the bow sac. This is probably normal and just part of the design, but it did worry me (I had visions of the bag bursting or the water bed fittings flying off). I am contemplating a slight redesign where I split the intake hose via a T in the engine compartment (mount the T on the floor as low as possible) and running 1 line off the T to the belly sac (with no vent) and 1 line off the T to the integrated bow sac, which is vented out the hull. I am thinking that if the belly sac fills up first, which is likely as it is not as much uphill as the bow sac, that the water would take the path of least resistance and continue to the bow sac (i.e., I would not burst the belly sac). I think that if the T is mounted low enough (i.e., below both bags), emptying should also work. Anybody see any problems with this design? I think it would work a little faster and put less stress (or at least for less time) on the belly bag during fill ups.

Note, Johnson pumps are fast and very loud. There is no way you are not going to hear the sound change of the pumps when the bags are empty.

Stuff I still need to do:

1. Make a custom floor piece for the rear locker that is a bit shorter than the original so that I can lift it out if/when needed. The pumps are a little in the way as is. Also, this way I can easily cut custom access holes for the ball valves. I intend to use 3/4" plywood reinforced with West epoxy system and fiberglass. I will cover this with gray marine carpet (either HD or Lowes has some that should work).

2. Finish a new custom driver kick plate for above my sub and mount ballast fuse panel to it.

[Chexi]

Here are some more pics. I still need to zip tie the wiring and build and install my custom floor.