99 Air budget Ballast upgrade

[wakemeup3460]

I know there are alot of good threads on this topic but I didn't want to hijack any of them. Anyway, I have a 99 Air with the stock ballast system. What would you do to improve it without tearing out the hardtanks? I want to keep it as a crossover and would like to fill and empty faster. Plus it seems to fill even though the valves are closed. Should I get a better pump, bigger piping, larger hullthrough, etc. ? I'm dumping a lot of money into this thing and can't afford anything elaborate until maybe next winter.

[crobi2]

Sorry, your thread got buried quickly under a lot of site activity.

Since the season is starting already, if I were you, I would keep it "as is" until you are ready to upgrade to bags/impeller pumps/etc.

"Plus it seems to fill even though the valves are closed. "

Are you saying that it is filling when the seacok is closed or when the dash air vents are closed? If you shut off the seacok(s), the tanks should not fill up.

[Texan1554]

I know there are alot of good threads on this topic but I didn't want to hijack any of them. Anyway, I have a 99 Air with the stock ballast system. What would you do to improve it without tearing out the hardtanks? I want to keep it as a crossover and would like to fill and empty faster. Plus it seems to fill even though the valves are closed. Should I get a better pump, bigger piping, larger hullthrough, etc. ? I'm dumping a lot of money into this thing and can't afford anything elaborate until maybe next winter.

As far as the filling with valves closed you need to go ahead and close the valve down in the engine compartment. That will shut it off. Do some searches on here for ballast and in the AIRs few folks have rigged some stuff up. I don't think you're going to get away from bags on either side of the engine and in the back compartment or on the seat.

[Chexi]

First, are your pumps even working? Are both of them working? My fill worked... my empty did not (before I ripped out the entire system).

You can get a pretty good wake out of that boat with all ballast hidden. I ripped out the hard tanks and put 2x400s in the rear, along with 2x160 lbs of pop bags hidden behind the rear seat where it curves around (160 on each side). I had about 460 in a ballast bag in the belly and the integrated bow sac about half full. You can approximate this with weight on top of your hard tanks, but you need to support it. The flimsy floor the boat comes with is not enough. Search my name to see what I did to do this (as an interim step before I ripped out the hard tanks).

Also, PM nautiquestealth on here. He has my old 99 Air and has had some time to play with weight and its effects on the wake.

All of this said, ripping out the factory system and putting in a johnson impeller system was the best upgrade I did to that boat... and I did a lot of upgrades. It is pricey, but so worth it.

[wakemeup3460]

Sorry, your thread got buried quickly under a lot of site activity.

Since the season is starting already, if I were you, I would keep it "as is" until you are ready to upgrade to bags/impeller pumps/etc.

"Plus it seems to fill even though the valves are closed. "

Are you saying that it is filling when the seacok is closed or when the dash air vents are closed? If you shut off the seacok(s), the tanks should not fill up.

I'll try the seacocks. Didn't know I had them. Thanks.

[wakemeup3460]

First, are your pumps even working? Are both of them working? My fill worked... my empty did not (before I ripped out the entire system).

You can get a pretty good wake out of that boat with all ballast hidden. I ripped out the hard tanks and put 2x400s in the rear, along with 2x160 lbs of pop bags hidden behind the rear seat where it curves around (160 on each side). I had about 460 in a ballast bag in the belly and the integrated bow sac about half full. You can approximate this with weight on top of your hard tanks, but you need to support it. The flimsy floor the boat comes with is not enough. Search my name to see what I did to do this (as an interim step before I ripped out the hard tanks).

Also, PM nautiquestealth on here. He has my old 99 Air and has had some time to play with weight and its effects on the wake.

All of this said, ripping out the factory system and putting in a johnson impeller system was the best upgrade I did to that boat... and I did a lot of upgrades. It is pricey, but so worth it.

I did see your thread. Awesome.setup. I may try something like that in the winter. Thanks.