Failure to launch & center tank issue

[Tory1340]

Welcome back to me. I've been so danged busy with work changes I can't find the time to hop on the board and chit-chat with all y'all. Until now...

The Boat: 2006 WS VLX, factory rear & mid MLS, no bow. More on this later. LCR 320 power plant. This is first--

She runs great right off the dock and most of the day. However this weekend, I started hearing a new whine, not the transmission whine, however. Concurrently, after idling for a bit, either waiting on a boarder or through a no-wake zone, she won't accelerate. Maybe up to 10-ish MPH, but no mas. Based on WG's comment on the thread about the stick at 28MPH, I wonder if the whine is the fuel pump on the way out and the over heating from extended idling is exacerbating it. Thoughts? You guys are geniuses, so I'm sure there'll be plenty of comments.

Item next-- The mid ballast tank has ripped the mounting screws clean out of the stringers and nearly demolished the bilge pump. (The bilge pump works fine; my younger daughter and I were caught in Biblical rain yesterday!) What might you collectively suggest to secure said tank? Replacement screws of same diameter and pitch failed to perform since I found them in the vicinity of the bilge pump yesterday. A couple cans of superglue? I can't get my hand on the other side of the stringers to use nuts on bolts. Locktite won't hold, I don't think.

Have at it, boys & girls...

[WakeGirl]

Not sure that I can help with the ballast tank, that's something that I think pics may be required to really assess.

On the fuel pump problem, I'm not sure that idling would make a difference. Fuel pumps are just a problem with these boats, & not just Malibu. If you do a search on Wakeworld, you'll see that it's an industry-wide problem. I suspect that the newer blends that we're getting are hard on them, but really this has been a problem for years. Listen for the whine at the pump while it's running, that will tell you to either stop or keep looking.