2002 SANTE Weighting Questions

[wakebrdr38]

I have a 2002 Super Air Team Edition with wedge tanks and the belly tank. With stock ballast filled the boat has a porpoise to it at around 22mph and on. Ive heard of this with the Python motor however mine has the Excalibur 330. I filled a 150 pound fat sack all the way in the very front and the porpoising went away. My first question is this common?

My second question has to do with adding more weight. I am thinking about adding the fly high wedge sacs in the back. Wakemakers says they are 260 pounds each. So 520 pounds added to the rear. Would 350 pounds be sufficient up front to keep things ballanced? I figured its just a little more than doubling the stock system in the same locations (a little further forward hoping it will help with the porpoising) I dont really want to do the integrated bow sac due to having to cut out the cooler. I have been contemplating a bow triangle and barely filling it or having a custom sac made. Any thoughts?

[jward]

Cut out the cooler and plumb in the bow sac. You wont regret it

[GoBig]

This is common. I have the same issue in my '03 with the same setup as you. Shifting some weight to the bow should help. If you want to add weight to the stern and still ride at 22mph, I'd suggest throwing a sac in the bow to even it out.

[wakebrdr38]

Well typically the slowest I would ever ride is 23.2 but I noticed the popoising start at around 22. With extra weight I could easily see myself riding 24+ which has been the case on other Nautiques.

I have some ideas for a custom sac, I just really dont want to cut into the boat. I also will be using the front compartments for hard weight and anchor storage.

[wcherashore]

Throw a sack in the ski locker

[thedude]

With the stock system, about 200lbs in the bow will fix your issue. If you decide to got with the additional rear ballast, you'd want 500-600lbs in the bow, this will also help you get on plane with all that weight in the rear. My buddy has this setup on his 2004, its very nice.

[core-rider]

The porpising issue is caused by too much weight in the rear. You can either add weight up front of empty the rear some. Ideally you want about 40/60 weight distribution front/rear.

I put a "wedge" sac on top of either tank in the rear, then added a "v-drive" sac in the bow area usually running with the length of the boat to get more weight forward. I also added about 225 lbs. of lead under the bow cushion to help give the boat a little more help getting on plane. This will give you a great wake at 24-25 mph. Depending on how many people you have in the boat you can add/subtract weight in the rear if needed. I suggest getting a different prop if you add that kind of weight or you will be plowing the water for awhile till on plane. I'm running the ACME 1464 and will never look back. It's almost like there is no weight in my boat with that prop.

FWIW - I think the weight on the "wedge" sacs is closer to 400 lbs. than 260. Some floks have removed the rear tanks all together and replaced them with 750 lbs fat sacs on either side of the engine. Either way will give you a great wake.

[teamseal]

FWIW - I think the weight on the "wedge" sacs is closer to 400 lbs. than 260. Some floks have removed the rear tanks all together and replaced them with 750 lbs fat sacs on either side of the engine. Either way will give you a great wake.

I have seen this done, Great Idea However many that have done this forget about the bulkheads that seperate the balast area from the engine, These need to be replaced as the flimsy centra bulk heads in the older SAN will allow the big sack's to get into the engine.

[vanislwake]

In my 03 SAN the wake was always better with extra weight in the front anyway, in fact every single boarder i talked to weighted the bow of the SAN, cut out the cooler, and put in the bow sac, you have 2 others in the boat anyway!! Its just a cooler(hardly) it has nothing to do with the structual integrity of the hull.

[h2ohangtime]

So for those of you who've cut out the cooler, what did you use? Sawzall? Dremel? How far up did you cut?

[d_nodixon]

So for those of you who've cut out the cooler, what did you use? Sawzall? Dremel? How far up did you cut?

It would be best to use a roto-zip with a bit for cutting through fiberglass. I used a drill with the roto-zip bit to finish the job, started with a jig saw, not a good idea. Depending on what direction you go, the bit will either want to go up or down, I found it easier to go clockwise which made me bear down on the drill to keep it straight. There are plenty of wires and cables to watch out for. I went as far up as I could. It took a couple times to get it where I wanted it.

[wakebrdr38]

Awesome! These were all great replies which have helped a lot in making my decision. For now I am definately plumbing in wedge sacs on top of the wedge tanks. I am going to put in a couple of valves though that will allow me to bypass the extra sacs if I wish to just run the stock system for some folks. I will also be getting the integrated sac and for this season I am going to run it on top of the seats and fill it manually. Next winter I think I will plumb this in I think. To eliminate the porpoise for now I am going to run 150 pounds in free weights plus a big anchor in the nose.

Does everyone recomend the 1464 prop? Does this prop hold speed well? I had a sn2001 and the acme prop was one of the best upgrades ever.

Final question for now, does anyone have any experience with black fly high sacs on vinyl? I know the top of the sac will get pretty warm but I just want to make sure it wont mess up the vinyl?

[core-rider]

Awesome! These were all great replies which have helped a lot in making my decision. For now I am definately plumbing in wedge sacs on top of the wedge tanks. I am going to put in a couple of valves though that will allow me to bypass the extra sacs if I wish to just run the stock system for some folks. I will also be getting the integrated sac and for this season I am going to run it on top of the seats and fill it manually. Next winter I think I will plumb this in I think. To eliminate the porpoise for now I am going to run 150 pounds in free weights plus a big anchor in the nose.

Does everyone recomend the 1464 prop? Does this prop hold speed well? I had a sn2001 and the acme prop was one of the best upgrades ever.

One thing I forgot to mention about having the sacs on top of the tanks is when filling, once the tanks are full the water will want to push out of the empty port and not into the sac. I have to plug to empty ports with some rubber expansion plugs I got at Autozone. Once I'm done for the day I just remove the plugs and empty everything. You could also do this with a valve in the empty line, but it is hard to get to so the plugs work for me.

The 1464 holds speed very well for me at wake speeds. You can get a discount code to buy from Delta Propeller here: http://planetnautique.com/vb3/showth...stry-Discounts

Here is a link to a write up I did on the ballast install for my boat. Maybe it can help you...
http://planetnautique.com/vb3/showth...-2003-up-SANTE