93 Skier Wake

[martinarcher]

Oh yes my friend... I have this Friday off and plan to make many trips to Lowes

If you can draw it all up or use my schematic for a parts list for fittings. It certainly saved me a lot of trips to Lowes.

Schematic.pdf

[Levi900RR]

MA, I will be using that as my shoping list!

PS, I thought I had ordered some V drive sacs that were listed as 400lbs a piece. When I got them they say 550lbs on the box???

Edited September 8, 2010 by Levi900RR

[martinarcher]

MA, I will be using that as my shoping list!

PS, I thought I had ordered some V drive sacs that were listed as 400lbs a piece. When I got them they say 550lbs on the box???

Yeah that's why I always called them 500lb bags. I've seen anything from 400-550 listed. Who knows? Maybe you could take them to the post office and ask them if you can use their scale.

[Levi900RR]

Yeah that's why I always called them 500lb bags. I've seen anything from 400-550 listed. Who knows? Maybe you could take them to the post office and ask them if you can use their scale.

[Levi900RR]

I just walked into Lowes to pick up all the fittings I needed for my ballast system. I was looking around, couldnt find the first thing on my list, a 1 1/4" barbed T fitting. I walk up to a guy and ask him for some help. He says, "what are you building" I responded. He says "we dont sell boat parts, you should probably try a boat store..." I will be spending the next hour ordering all the parts online.

[skier_88]

I just walked into Lowes to pick up all the fittings I needed for my ballast system. I was looking around, couldnt find the first thing on my list, a 1 1/4" barbed T fitting. I walk up to a guy and ask him for some help. He says, "what are you building" I responded. He says "we dont sell boat parts, you should probably try a boat store..." I will be spending the next hour ordering all the parts online.

That is your first mistake. I never receive good service from Lowes. I doubt if there is a Menards in your area, but that is the place to go.

[Levi900RR]

That is your first mistake. I never receive good service from Lowes. I doubt if there is a Menards in your area, but that is the place to go.

We have a local marine hardware store that is near by but they just put a Lowes in like 3 miles from my house. I called the Hardware store and they have most of the stuff. Im headed over there in the AM

[martinarcher]

Yeah the only parts I got at Lowes for my system were the 1 inch ball valves. The rest was sourced from the local hardware store. They even had the 1 way low restriction flapper valves I wanted.

[Levi900RR]

Looks like I got everything I need, should have it together tomorrow, now just need to find the time for a test drive!

[martinarcher]

Looks like I got everything I need, should have it together tomorrow, now just need to find the time for a test drive!

Sweet! Your gonna like what you see! Hows the water temps up there? I hope the test means your riding on the new wake. We'll be out for at least another month!

[Levi900RR]

OK, so my first attempt at the home made semi-integrated ballast system did not pan out as well as I had hoped... I would say judging by the garage test using the fake a lake I give it a C -... I thought that I would modify MartinArchers design slightly and install both the pumps in the rear corners of the boat. Thinking I would keep them out of the sometimes wet bilge, and I had a bit of extra room up there. I also T'd into my bilge pump line so I didnt have to drill a hole in the boat.

The fill side of the system seems to work OK, It really only fills the side closest to the pump, It seems like the pump is really having a hard time pushing the water up over the gas tank to the other bag. I do think the bags would fill eventually, I didn't fill them up all the way in the drive way. Boy am I glad I didn't.

The Drain side is terrible. It barely drained the bag closest to the pump and didnt suck a single ounce out of the bag on the other side. I ended up dragging the port side bag over and hooking it up to the other line. I'm not sure if I am using them wrong but I'm really not impressed with these Tsunami 1200 GPH pumps.

I'm going to attach a lameo diagram of my system in hopes that someone can figure out whats wrong.

These pumps should push water up and over the gas tank shouldn't they???

Edited September 12, 2010 by Levi900RR

[martinarcher]

Hmmm. Your right that is one lameo drawing.

I can't quite tell by the drawing, but it looks like you've T'ed into your bilge pump drain line it two locations. This might hurt your one way valves ability to keep the drain side of the system primed. I had my drain system totally separated from the bilge pump system. That doesn't mean you need to do the same, it just slightly complicates thing.

Things to check...

1. The one way valve between your bilge pump and your drain T' is installed with flow toward the thru hull.

2. The drain pump outlet is only T'ed into the bilge drain line once and that this is post bilge pump one way.

3. The drain pump bilge pump drain is post pump. This will help keep your drain pump primed.

Trust me getting all the air out of the system the first time sucks pretty bad. After all the tubing is full of water your set. The one ways will keep it all primed. These pumps do absolutely nothing is there is air in the line. The struggle big time.

One trick to priming the drain system I have found is to fill the bags until the fill pump is actually pushing water through the bag, and then through the entire drain circuit. This totally primes the entire system. Once you see a good healthy stream of water out the side of the boat running the full pump, switch on the drain and I bet you will see the drain pump rocking out.

Another thing that helps a stubborn pump prime is simply sitting on the bag. The extra pressure can help to prime the pump and force the initial air through he system.

Good luck and report back. We'll get you running and throwing a good wake in no time.

[Levi900RR]

The One way valves are pointing in the correct direction, I only know cause I had one it backwards the first time. I have only T'd into the bilge line once, my drawing does suck. I'll try filling both bags all the way up until the fill is pushing out the drain. PLUS, I do have the check valve on the wrong side of my drain pump. It is after the pump, it needs to be before!!

Thanks for the help, I'll get at least one set in with the bags this year

[skier_88]

I'm sure I could manage this build, but glad MA already had it done for me Your trying to fill the back and I am in the process of sucking water out of the tubes and pumps.

[martinarcher]

The One way valves are pointing in the correct direction, I only know cause I had one it backwards the first time. I have only T'd into the bilge line once, my drawing does suck. I'll try filling both bags all the way up until the fill is pushing out the drain. PLUS, I do have the check valve on the wrong side of my drain pump. It is after the pump, it needs to be before!!

Thanks for the help, I'll get at least one set in with the bags this year

Right on, give the filling the bags all the way a shot. I remember my first day out with it it took a few minutes to figure out how to get those pumps to prime. After they are primed they rock out.

No - your right with the way it is. the drain pump check valve should be after the pump. That's where it need to be to "hold" water in the drain pump. Also, do you have valves at the bags like I did? When you close them and disconnect the bags it helps keep all the tubes full of water.

Yeah 88 is working on sucking all the water out of his so he doesn't have to mess with it once he starts winterizing. Maybe he can lend you some water for priming the pumps.

[Levi900RR]

OK, so my check valve is right... I do have the ball valves at the bags. I will give filling them all the way up a shot. I might take it to the lake to test it!

[martinarcher]

OK, so my check valve is right... I do have the ball valves at the bags. I will give filling them all the way up a shot. I might take it to the lake to test it!

Nice. That's where I tested mine. Do you have an extra pump you could throw some hose and gator clips on in case you have trouble draining? I keep a "spare" rescue pump onboard, but have never needed it. I figure it would save me if a pump ever quit.

[Levi900RR]

Nice. That's where I tested mine. Do you have an extra pump you could throw some hose and gator clips on in case you have trouble draining? I keep a "spare" rescue pump onboard, but have never needed it. I figure it would save me if a pump ever quit.

I dont have a spare pump, but thats a great idea...

I'm a little confused about the one way valves though, with the fill pump my check valve is before the pump; On the intake side, my one way on the drain pump is on the discharge side. It would make more sense to me to have the one way on the intake side of the drain pump as well. But I reviewed your vid and yours is right before the thru hull...

[Ndawg12]

I did not really study your diagram but I can offer this advice based on recent tests of a Tsunami 800gph pump. These pumps don't have much, if any, dead lift power. But once they are primed and pumping they will push water straight up a 3/4 ID hose at least 8 feet into the air, your 1200 should be even better but I doubt it will have any more dead lift. Where are you fill pumps located? Below the water line? Also, get that thing in the lake, that pump will push alot more water faster than an average house tap to a fake-a-lake can supply.

Nate

[Levi900RR]

I did not really study your diagram but I can offer this advice based on recent tests of a Tsunami 800gph pump. These pumps don't have much, if any, dead lift power. But once they are primed and pumping they will push water straight up a 3/4 ID hose at least 8 feet into the air, your 1200 should be even better but I doubt it will have any more dead lift. Where are you fill pumps located? Below the water line? Also, get that thing in the lake, that pump will push alot more water faster than an average house tap to a fake-a-lake can supply.

Nate

Nate that's my Plan, Im going to leave all the seats and motor box cover out and hit the lake with some tools. The pumps are on the floor in the rear corners of the boat next to the fuel tank. So each pump, fill and drain has to push / pull water up, accross the fuel tank and back down to the bag or pump on the other side. From what I hear I really just need to get them fully primed and I should be good to go.

Im thinking of putting a check valve before and after the pump on the drain side just to make sure there is water in there all the time.

[martinarcher]

Nate that's my Plan, Im going to leave all the seats and motor box cover out and hit the lake with some tools. The pumps are on the floor in the rear corners of the boat next to the fuel tank. So each pump, fill and drain has to push / pull water up, accross the fuel tank and back down to the bag or pump on the other side. From what I hear I really just need to get them fully primed and I should be good to go.

Im thinking of putting a check valve before and after the pump on the drain side just to make sure there is water in there all the time.

Shouldn't need it. One the "before" side of the drain pump you have the bags and the hose going to the bag. When you close the valve you are closing the path for air to enter the drain pump. The post pump one way then keeps the water captured in the drain pump between the ball valves on the bags after you prime it via the fill pumps. Trust me. She'll prime with the fill pumps pushing water through the drain circuit.

[Levi900RR]

Shouldn't need it. One the "before" side of the drain pump you have the bags and the hose going to the bag. When you close the valve you are closing the path for air to enter the drain pump. The post pump one way then keeps the water captured in the drain pump between the ball valves on the bags after you prime it via the fill pumps. Trust me. She'll prime with the fill pumps pushing water through the drain circuit.

Done deal, ill try it out on the lake some night this week!

[martinarcher]

Done deal, ill try it out on the lake some night this week!

Nice! I'll be waiting for the pics!

[Levi900RR]

Nice! I'll be waiting for the pics!

It might be in the Dark, man is the light going away fast now...

[martinarcher]

It might be in the Dark, man is the light going away fast now...

I hear ya. Getting out on the weeknight water is almost not worth it unless you take a half day. Booo. Just wait until the time changes the winter blows time.