Anybody used the Ronix Eight.3 ballast system?

[Paxdad]

Bump....interested to see if more people have used these. Worth the purchase?

Thanks!

I still like mine but have made a L shaped aluminum plate to go under the bag on the port side. This keeps the bag from blubbering over against the battery switch and circuit breakers. I also made a small wooden wedge to go under the front of the bag to keep it level which makes it much easier to fill and empty while it is setting on the hard tanks. I will post some photos of the 2 pieces when I get back in town.

[Paxdad]

Here are the photos of the plate I made to keep the bag from riding against the switch/ circuit panel as well as the wedge to keep the bag level. The wedge is a must have as once the bag is full the access through the port is very difficult.

[Silver Surf]

Here are the photos of the plate I made to keep the bag from riding against the switch/ circuit panel as well as the wedge to keep the bag level. The wedge is a must have as once the bag is full the access through the port is very difficult. [ATTACH=CONFIG]28455[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]28456[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]28457[/ATTACH]

Paxdad. Please give me a little more info on the plate that blocks the switch panel?

I just added the sumo 900's to my 220. The first thing I noticed was the slope. What did you do to keep the wedge from sliding?

[Paxdad]

Paxdad. Please give me a little more info on the plate that blocks the switch panel?

I just added the sumo 900's to my 220. The first thing I noticed was the slope. What did you do to keep the wedge from sliding?

The plate is made from (2) 1/8" aluminum plates and I welded them together like a really big "L" book end. They probably measure 16"x14" (16" being the bottom plate and 14" the upright sight against the circuit panel). I then had them anodized with some other items that we were sending out from my work.

The weight of the bag keeps the wedge and plate from moving. If I want to use the bag on the starboard side I just move the wedge once the bag is drained. I recall the cuts on the 3 wedges were 20 degree angles using a speed/ framing square on a 2x6 board/ stud. I then used a piece of 1x12 shelving wood and glued and screwed it to the top of the 3 wedge pieces. Probably took all of twenty minutes to make the wedge. But it sure makes it easy to access the pop up port on the bag otherwise, the drain port is in a very difficult position to get the pump in the bag.

[jtryon]

i have used mine (800# bags, 3700 pump) a few times now and am glad i purchased it. side-by-side with a super sumo 1200gph pump, the ronix pumps WAY more water. i can fill the 800# full in 3-4 minutes...haven't timed it exactly yet but maybe i'll do that this weekend.

one thing to keep in mind, if you have an older boat with older dash wiring, the pump may trip your power socket breaker. on most older boats the dash wiring is thin and there are 15amp breakers, and the ronix pump is a 20amp. i had this issue with mine and ended up wiring a $7 cabela's socket directly to the battery to get around it. works flawlessly and even seems a little faster now.

[jtryon]

timed it this weekend--about 2:45 to fill the 800lbs full, same for emptying.

[Paxdad]

Well after several months of use I am finally starting to decrease my opinion about the Ronix 8.3. Here are a few reasons:
1. It will not stay in place on the chaise seat due to its size which really limits me to keeping it in the rear locker for surfing.
2. The quality of the ports is poor and I have several that dont like to be snugged up but continue to leak. I expect that the threads are of an inferior plastic material and once over tightened go to heck in a hand basket.
3. When accessing the pop up section to place the pump in the bag to to drain it if not positioned correctly before filling it can be rather difficult to get the pump inside the bag.
4. I actually found a piece of another bag glued into the main seam on mine. I removed it and did not seem to cause any ill effect.

So if I had it to do over again I would have gone with the integrated 400# bags and not messed with the Ronix set up, although I do like the speed that it fills and drains.

[Live to surf]

I purchased two Ronix 8.3 1100 lbs bags and two 3700 GPH pumps for my G23. I have been very happy with fill times. I have not timed them but definitely quicker than tsunami and factory pumps.

In hindsight I would get the 800 lbs bags as I don't need the 1100 lbs and only fill them 3/4 of the way. They do put pressure on the plastic engine compartment dividers and I need to reinforce these now.

If I plug them in both at the same time the breaker has been flipped a few times. This is only for filling.

Overall very happy. This was much easier for me than drilling holes in the hull and figuring out plumbing for integration. Plus fills real quick!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jtryon]

has anyone else had an issue with the hose on their pump tearing? mine did after 4 months of use. going to call ronix about getting it fixed under warranty.

[Paxdad]

So far so good on mine. Please let us know how the warranty coverage works out. Where did it tear at?

[jtryon]

it tore right at the first hose reinforcement coil, then the tear started to spiral up the hose. my guess is that the hose isn't thick enough to handle the pump weight...it's a HEAVY pump! i contacted the vendor (ambush board co/buywake.com) who requested pictures, and they were quick to get back to me and go to ronix on my behalf. we'll see what happens...

[jtryon]

i'm glad to report that ronix is shipping me a new hose, no fuss from them at all. glad to hear they're standing by their product.

[jtryon]

just wanted to pop in here and report back on Ronix's and BoardCo's customer service. at the end of last season the socket for my 3700gph pump fell apart, it must have loosened somehow and i didn't notice, and it didn't go back together right because i must have lost some parts. i spliced in a new one that i didn't know the rating for (3700 pump is 20amp, 3000 pump is 12amp) and used it without issue for the rest of the season and the first part of this season. the pump stopped working this spring after a few times out and i saw that the socket i had wired in was starting to melt at its plastic tip. i contacted Jon and Billy at Boardco where i purchased it to see what i could do and they went to bat for me with ronix. i'm pleased to say that Ronix gave no hassle and are replacing the whole pump! this was purchased last march, so i'm not sure what the warranty was but i would think they could deny it after a year, and they didn't. props to BoardCo and Ronix for standing by their product! it was PAINFUL having to use a 1300gph pump to fill my bags in the interim, haha

[Beg4wake]

just wanted to pop in here and report back on Ronix's and BoardCo's customer service. at the end of last season the socket for my 3700gph pump fell apart, it must have loosened somehow and i didn't notice, and it didn't go back together right because i must have lost some parts. i spliced in a new one that i didn't know the rating for (3700 pump is 20amp, 3000 pump is 12amp) and used it without issue for the rest of the season and the first part of this season. the pump stopped working this spring after a few times out and i saw that the socket i had wired in was starting to melt at its plastic tip. i contacted Jon and Billy at Boardco where i purchased it to see what i could do and they went to bat for me with ronix. i'm pleased to say that Ronix gave no hassle and are replacing the whole pump! this was purchased last march, so i'm not sure what the warranty was but i would think they could deny it after a year, and they didn't. props to BoardCo and Ronix for standing by their product! it was PAINFUL having to use a 1300gph pump to fill my bags in the interim, haha

Ronix themselves are GREAT people!! I had bought a leftover 2009 Ronix One board a few years ago and after only one season it started to "delam" on the bottom of the board. I contacted Ronix directly and told them about it and mentioned that I realized there may not be much they could do as I purchased it as a leftover and that the one year warranty was over by 3 years. Ronix let me purchase a Brand new (2014) Ronix One Timebomb with the limited edition bindings (about a $1k set up) for just $400! And that is why I will be a Ronix customer for life!