210 ballast removal confirmation

[Rooster7]

I'm looking at buying a 07+ 210 and have a dilemma. We have a cabin on a lake that doesn't allow wake boats as defined " A motorboat that has one or more ballast tanks, ballast bags or other devices or design features used to increase the size of the motorboats wake".

Now we primarily boat where we live and the lakes around our home allow wakeboats. We would probably trailer the boat to the cabin 6-8 times a summer. My thought is I could remove the hard tanks (which people do anyway) and have sacks I could remove for use up at the cabin (where we could still use the boat to ski, tube, etc.)

Am I following the concept of ballast tanks correctly, and is this solution a reality or will this be a headache?

[jpwhit]

Do you really need to remove anything. Is anyone going to check if the tanks are there? If you don’t surf or use the ballast system is anyone really going to care. Just strikes me as a rule that only gets enforced or checked if you break the intent. Also the rule is pretty vague given the clause “other device or design feature”. You could argue that that hull is designed to enhance the wake on that boat. My point is if you’re trying to meet the letter of that rule, you really can’t because of the vagueness. So why get on that slippery slope.

[Rooster7]

I definitely see your point and thought about the same thing. I think my rationale comes from people being questioned about ballast specifically at the launch. A quick “no ballast” in the boat would squash any concerns.

[Rooster7]

I also have some concerns regarding invasive species. And removing the ballasts might be a good way to combat them. I’m new to these boats. I know they have manual shut off valves somewhere for them but I don’t know if that would be just as sufficient to prevent any invasive species from leaving the ballasts. I’d plan on cleaning as much of the plumbing as possible but I know there will always be water in the plastic ballasts.

[UG_ALLSTAR]

I have an 08' SANTE. I have not removed my ballast tanks but the rear tanks could likely be done easily. I have the split belly tanks and those look like a tight fit, I couldn't even tell you the anchor points for them as I do not see any when I open the ski locker.

You likely won't be pulling/installing ballast tanks 6-8x a year with a 210.

On that same note, you could swap the hard tanks to bags for easy removal/install, just wont be as neat as the tanks.

IIRC the 07' has a single belly tank.

[jpwhit]

Yes, there are typically Marelon shutoff valves with integrated thru-hull fittings. And yes if you close those then there is no risk of invasive species due to ballast system.

[jpwhit]

Just don't close the one for the engine cooling. There may be multiple of them for the ballast system. There is one for engine cooling.

And with the valves closed, you could answer that question at the ramp that the "ballast system is disabled".

[Rooster7]

Just don't close the one for the engine cooling. There may be multiple of them for the ballast system. There is one for engine cooling.

And with the valves closed, you could answer that question at the ramp that the "ballast system is disabled".

Great. Thanks for the info.

[SilentSeven]

It's all going to depend on the inspection process and what they check for. We have a similar situation on a lake where our family has a cabin - the lake has both a length restriction and allows no boats with ballast. My 206 has a small 30 gallon aft 'trick tank' that technically violates the rules; we are within the length rules. We don't fill the tank on our restricted lake but we would be in violation if it was discovered. Currently my boat is approved for the lake as the inspection process did not ask about or discover the tank. "Don't ask, don't tell" if you will. I would be willing to remove my aft tank if that's what it took to keep the boat approved.

Before buying your 210, I would talk to some local boat owners and learn about who does the inspections, what they look for and generally how savy they are. My boat was easy to obscure as it's a tourney style boat and not an obvious v-drive wake boat - no one expects a tank. Once you get a feel for the inspection, then decide if you're safe to purchase your 210. On our lake, the HOA has pulled permits for overlength boats where the owner lied/fibbed/obscured. The owners are now stuck with boats they can't use on the lake.

Also...be aware of your 'friendly neighbors' as they may recognize what your boat is and turn you in. We've also seen that occur on our lake.

All this sucks but it's better to know before hand than purchase a boat and find you can't get it permitted or get the permit yanked.

[UG_ALLSTAR]

Currently my boat is approved for the lake as the inspection process did not ask about or discover the tank. "Don't ask, don't tell" if you will. I would be willing to remove my aft tank if that's what it took to keep the boat approved.

Won't work on most lakes that check for mussels. If you have any type of ballast they have to visually inspect it or send to decontamination for a hot water flush.

[s_kelley2000]

Removing the rear tanks and swapping for bags is a pretty simple task, I did it in my 230 last spring. Use quick connect fittings for the bags and they can be removed/installed in about a minute. Removing the belly tank is no easy task and I am pretty sure it involves cutting it up to get it out and then replacing it with a bag. I think the 210s are similar to the 230s where the earlier years(pre-2010 or so) have a ski locker to access to put a bag in and out but the later years you would have to unscrew and pull up the floor each time time to gain access. Either way it's probably not worth the hassle of messing with the belly tank if you can just call it disabled it by shutting the seacock. Could also disable the pumps by circuit breaker/fuse etc and show them the pump switch on the dash doesn't do anything when/if they inspect. As others have suggested, best to find out what's involved as many people will see the tower and assume you are running ballast too.

[Davis0098]

I removed my hard tanks previously - The rear ones aren't too bad, but a heat gun will come in handy for the "sticky" connections!