GS22 pro ballast & rear locker storage

[DLarva]

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a GS22. I have a concern though about the rear locker storage combined with the pro ballast system. Can you put anything in the rear lockers given that the bags inside need to inflate? Has anyone developed some sort of shelving system or anything that would protect the bag--and the space required when full--and allow some stuff to be stored in them still?

[North Woody]

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a GS22. I have a concern though about the rear locker storage combined with the pro ballast system. Can you put anything in the rear lockers given that the bags inside need to inflate? Has anyone developed some sort of shelving system or anything that would protect the bag--and the space required when full--and allow some stuff to be stored in them still?

We have the Pro Ballast option in our 2020 GS22 and even with the bags full there is still room to store plenty of gear. We keep our surf boards in the racks and our slalom skis in the surf pockets in the bimini so we use the lockers primarily for vests/wetsuits/ropes/gloves, etc. The pro ballast bags do not take up the full space so you shouldn’t have a problem, although there would be less space if you upgraded to bigger bags. This is typically how we roll:

[DLarva]

North Woody, thanks for the reply.

Are you able to just leave the stuff you are throwing on top while the bags are filling?

Also, I was wondering if you have a picture of your boat out in the light? I am thinking of going Admiral Blue with Mohave interior, and that looks like what you might have. Would give me a good idea what I'm getting myself into. Hard to trust I'll like it just based on the design your nautique site.

[North Woody]

North Woody, thanks for the reply.

Are you able to just leave the stuff you are throwing on top while the bags are filling?

Also, I was wondering if you have a picture of your boat out in the light? I am thinking of going Admiral Blue with Mohave interior, and that looks like what you might have. Would give me a good idea what I'm getting myself into. Hard to trust I'll like it just based on the design your nautique site.

DLarva,

There’s definitely plenty of room to let the bags fill with lighter stuff on top of the bags (wet suits, vests, ropes, gloves, wet towels, etc). Compared to our old 2014 Moomba LSV with 900’s in the rear lockers, which left very little room for anything else, the GS22 has a lot more space on top of the bags. That’s the benefit of having the bulk of the weight in the subfloor ballast . And don’t forget that there is an integrated cooler under the port side rear seat so there’s no need to store a bulky cooler in the rear lockers. That said, I did install come cargo netting under the locker doors for keeping our ski gloves separate from the rest of the junk in the locker (see the pic below)

In terms of color, you’re absolutely right that we’ve got Admiral Blue Metal Flake and Tungsten Gray hull accent with Mohave interior. Here are a few shots out of the water that show the colors better. This is before we installed the Bimini, but you can see how the flake really pops in the full light. We love this combo, and we’re counting the days until ice goes out up at the lake so we can get back on the water before Memorial Day! Here are a few pics which hopefully give you a good sense for how these colors work together. Good luck on your build, you’ll love this awesome boat!

[kylant]

North,

I really like the netting pockets. would you mind sharing where you picked those up?
thanks

[North Woody]

As usual, Amazon saves the day .... These are the ones I bought last summer and they work great. I put one in each locker and they’re perfect for holding anything from ski gloves to boot butter to extra ropes. They come in a few different sizes and styles so you can find the ones you like. This version has adhesive strips that you stick to the locker door with Velcro on the other side that attaches to the net itself. To make sure that the adhesive strips don’t peel off with the heat from the engine bay, I secured the nets with 1/4” screws so they won’t go anywhere. I used a different version of these on our 2014 Moomba LSV that just attached via screws at each corner, but without the rigid Velcro attachments on each side I found that the cargo netting would end up sagging down with stuff in them. So this version keeps the cargo net much better attached to the bottom of the locker and everything tucked up nicely under the locker door when it’s closed.

This is one of best - and certainly the cheapest - upgrades I’ve done on this boat

https://www.amazon.com/JAVOedge-PACK..._d_rp_c_2_48_t

[BasaltRMK]

That's a brilliant idea, I'm totally copying it! Thanks!!

[bandit628]

Instead of using the pro ballast bags. Could you just throw 300 lbs of lead on each side of engine. That way you get best of both worlds storage and weight?

I realize you can't pump this weight out. So that is the bad side of this.

Thoughts?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[mcosub]

I havent tried these yet but I am tempted to pull the trigger.

https://hyperryddesigns.com

[gonefishin5555]

I have the 800lb wakemakers bags/kit which is double the size of the pro ballast. We still have room for jackets and misc stuff on top. There is about a foot of room.

[Stormy Colorado]

Post removed by Admin for not following the site Terms of Use.

[Stormy Colorado]

I have an excellent solution ot rope storage, but my post was removed, not sure why!

[NautiqueJeff]

Your post was removed because your post did not follow the site Terms of Use, which you agreed to follow when you registered here. Not sure why that is difficult for you to understand.

[mcosub]

I have the 800lb wakemakers bags/kit which is double the size of the pro ballast. We still have room for jackets and misc stuff on top. There is about a foot of room.

On those bags, can you just unplug the pro ballast bags, swap the bags and plug it all back in or does it require some replumbing?

Also, I have heard lots of complaints about the ballast draining being an issue after swapping for bigger bags...............any issue with that?

[hal2814]

I run 1100s in my 21 GS24. If you have the factory pro ballast you don’t need to replumb but you’ll need new fittings. The fittings on the nautique bag are epoxied into the bag so you can’t reuse them. I recommend 1” flow rite fittings so you can disconnect the bags if you need or want to. You can just unclamp the hose clamp and pull the old bag and fittings out on the fill and vent sides. It’s maybe a 20 minute job for both sides.

I personally don’t have an issue with drain. I do have a minor issue with fill. They run a tee to fill both the pro and underfloor bags. Water may start venting from the underfloor bags before the pro bags are full if you go with larger bags. I need to visually inspect that the pro bags are full. These days I found I can just hit fill twice and that’s close enough.