99 Air Ballast Install

[cjm5199]

I have had moderate success in the past w/ a 99 sport on drivers side. The "sweet spot" was small but it worked quite well. I had starboard internal ballast full, a 500lb fat sac filled in rear locker, a ski locker sac filled between rear seat and engine to about 400lbs, a side sack on starboard side next to engine. This was with one person in bow and 3-4 people sitting in the back towards the starboard side (plus the driver).

[lampan]

Really nice work there!
I also got a 99 Pro Air and I think I´m gonna do the same in my boat this winter.
Maybe I´m tired and missed it but where are your sacs from and size? wakemakers?
Have you got any places to put stuff now or are all places full with sacs?

// Philip

[wake_fun]

Looks good

[lampan]

One more question :
why didn't you use the fabric intake to the hard tanks to your new system?

//Philip

[Chexi]

One more question :
why didn't you use the fabric intake to the hard tanks to your new system?

//Philip

I will try to answer your questions as I understand them.

1. I don't have much space to put anything due to most places now having sacs, but here is the storage space I have: (a) under the observer's seat, (b) a little room left in the stern locker even when the sacs are full (enough for a few life jackets, a rope and handle, etc., but nothing with a lot of height to it), and (c) I have a pretty sizeable cooler alongside the motorbox behind the driver's seat that I use for storage (this could be a problem if you plan to surf goofy). I have racks for 8 wakeboards / wakeskates and 1 additional surfboard mounted on the tower, so that takes care of all the boards. I don't kneeboard or use a tube or store a hydrofoil on the boat, so those aren't an issue. The one thing I find myself wishing I had room for is an anchor, but I'm sure I could put one in the cooler or under the observer's seat if I really need to. There are cargo biminis available as well that one could store a tube or surfboards on.

2. As for the intake, I'm not sure I understand your question, so I will answer it both ways. I did not use the factory thru-hull in the engine compartment for three reasons: (a) it is a scupper style and might push water past the impeller when moving, and also would be problematic when trying to empty while underway, (b) removing the scupper and replacing it with a mushroom (which was my original plan) was going to be more difficult than just drilling new holes, and (c) it is only 3/4", so it wasn't going to be big enough for 3 impeller pumps anyway, so I was going to have to drill somewhere or pull it out and replace with at least a 1". I could probably have gotten away with using only one 1" thru-hull, but I thought that might be pushing it a bit if I used all 3 pumps at once. If you don't mind using no more than 2 pumps at a time, you could probably get away with a single 3/4", especially if you use Jabso and not Johnson pumps. You might still have the problem of water getting pushed past the impeller though when under way and the problem of emptying when underway.

If what you were asking is in regards to using the floorboard piece that is in the boat already in the rear and running my intake lines through the holes already there, they just did not really line up well with the fitting on the bags. The bags have a fitting on the side toward the bottom, but I did not want to have both bags' fittings hitting eachother (if I had put the intakes between the two bags instead of toward the outside of the boat). I went back and forth on this decision quite a bit. Also, I think that using the factory floorboard and its existing holes for running the lines through would have been pretty tight vis a vis the ball valves such that opening and closing the ball valves could have been hindered by the hoses.

3. For the rear compartment, I used 2x Fly High Pro V-drive sacs that I bought from a local retailer in Dallas on a close-out sale. The center sac I used is no longer available. It's a Fly High but with waterbed fittings, and the size is an odd one. I got that from Maxfunwake on ebay a few years ago. The integrated front sac I got from Wakemakers.com.

[Chexi]

A while ago someone asked me to post pics of the wakeboard and surf wakes. I posted pics of the wakeboard wake (which did not do it justice), but anyway, here is a short video clip of the surf wake. Still a bit close to the boat and not a long enough pocket, or big enough wake for really cool moves that I can only dream about, but surfable nonetheless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLq4eTfTfOU

[wcherashore]

can you post a photo of the rear sacks when full?

I pulled the hard tanks and am finally ready to get moving on this project!

[Chexi]

I'll try to remember to take some pics this weekend of the rear sacs full. With the v-drive sacs full, it leaves enough room for me to store a few things on top (a few life jackets, a rope, and my empty straight line 440lb sac I put on the rear seat for surfing). Note, the extra 440 alone is not enough to surf, I also have 400lbs of pop bags. One could use another 400lb v-drive sac instead of the pop bags.

[mhaaland]

Scott, In your surf video what is your weight distribution around the boat? From what i gather on various post it sounds like maybe your running 800lb-rear trunk, 400lb across rear seat, 800lb beside the engine and 600lb in the bow?

[Chexi]

Almost right. 800 lbs in the rear compartment. 400lbs on the rear seat. 400 lbs alongside the motorbox to the rear seat. 400 in the ski locker and 200 in the bow. The bow weight is not to 1 side. I'd have to add some weight on the seats to do that (maybe a person). I can try this weekend possibly.

[Chexi]

Almost right. 800 lbs in the rear compartment. 400lbs on the rear seat. 400 lbs alongside the motorbox to the rear seat. 400 in the ski locker and 200 in the bow. The bow weight is not to 1 side. I'd have to add some weight on the seats to do that (maybe a person). I can try this weekend possibly.

Edit, only 600 lbs in the rear, as the non-surf side is only half full.

[Chexi]

can you post a photo of the rear sacks when full?

I pulled the hard tanks and am finally ready to get moving on this project!

Ask and Ye shall receive.

[rbalan]

As much as I like the extra weight of the gravity games sacs, it sure would be nice to have that extra valve on top for venting/burping. I wish there was a way to add one!

Also, thanks for posting pics and info on your projects.

[lampan]

Hello!

Did you take some more picture or video shredding your wake?

I gonna start my build soon

[mhaaland]

Scott,
Those sacs look to be a perfect fit there, do they fill 100%?