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This is on a 2000 Air Nautique Direct Drive. Noticed it this last winter when I was upgrading the ballast pumps, never paid much attention to them until then. Last season we did our water skiing, wake boarding, and some wake surfing with the boat. I did remove the center rear seat cushion because everyone steps on it to get too or from the platform, and I added 400 lbs. of additional ballast that spent most of the time on the floor behind the engine cover. It did spend nine days on the rear seat at the annual family reunion at Lake Wallula (Hat Rock State Park OR).
Question, would removing the center rear seat cushion or putting the ballast bag on the rear seat do this? That ballast bag is 42" x 16" x 16" if you figure the amount of lbs. per sq. in. over that area it is minimal. But having people step on the center cushion area without the seat cushion in place is far greater.
Either way I went ahead and modified the rear seat brackets. Reinforced them with the removal of the C-channel part that bent and the flat bar reinforcement and replacing the C-channel with 1" x 1"x 1/8" wall square tubing and added a gusset of 3/16" aluminum plate below the square tubing. A far better design for the brackets IMO.
Question, would removing the center rear seat cushion or putting the ballast bag on the rear seat do this? That ballast bag is 42" x 16" x 16" if you figure the amount of lbs. per sq. in. over that area it is minimal. But having people step on the center cushion area without the seat cushion in place is far greater.
Either way I went ahead and modified the rear seat brackets. Reinforced them with the removal of the C-channel part that bent and the flat bar reinforcement and replacing the C-channel with 1" x 1"x 1/8" wall square tubing and added a gusset of 3/16" aluminum plate below the square tubing. A far better design for the brackets IMO.