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Rear ballast intall


prion

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Has anyone intalled a custome ballast in the rear of their Iride or similar boat? Im looking to do this over the winter and wanted some pointers or suggestions. What kind of bag did you use? Custom or standard? How was it plumbed? Im looking to add about 500+ lbs but dont konw if i can fit that much back there. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Ryan

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Has anyone intalled a custome ballast in the rear of their Iride or similar boat? Im looking to do this over the winter and wanted some pointers or suggestions. What kind of bag did you use? Custom or standard? How was it plumbed? Im looking to add about 500+ lbs but dont konw if i can fit that much back there. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Ryan

Are you looking to add it in the locker in the back?

The reason I ask is that my locker definitely has a warning label with a weight limit. My guess is that you'll need to re-inforce the floor back there in some fashion because I think it sits right on the gas tank.

Also, along the back of the iRide locker there is a big plastic panel. I'm not sure if it can take the pressure of a fat sack pushing out on this panel.

Finally, the closest thru hull that exists is by the front of the engine compartment. You may need to prepare yourself for drilling through the bottom of the boat (and side for a drain) if you want to install something you can fill at the flip of a switch.

Take pictures and jot down what you do though and post it up. It would be good to see a few iRide mods

Edited by CedarLakeSkier
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My boat does have the waring sticker back there, but im not sure the reason. The gas tank seems to be behind the platic panels and not under the floor, also the floor seems as solid in the locker as anywhere eles in the boat so I dont think there will be any weight issues. If im mistaken please let me know.

I took a look at Wakegirls mod, unfortunatly the iride has 3 cushions forthe rear seat with dividers underneith so a long bag like the one in wakegirls pics wont fit. It will have to be something in the rear locker with maybe some arms extending forward under the 2 rear side seats (custom bag). The cooler is under the rear middle seat.

Concerning the nearest thru hull, you are correct it is in front of the engine. Would that be to far away to pump water into a ballast in the ski locker? I wasnt sure. I dont have a problem with cutting new holes in the hull, it would be better if i didnt half to of course.

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My boat does have the waring sticker back there, but im not sure the reason. The gas tank seems to be behind the platic panels and not under the floor, also the floor seems as solid in the locker as anywhere eles in the boat so I dont think there will be any weight issues. If im mistaken please let me know.

I took a look at Wakegirls mod, unfortunatly the iride has 3 cushions forthe rear seat with dividers underneith so a long bag like the one in wakegirls pics wont fit. It will have to be something in the rear locker with maybe some arms extending forward under the 2 rear side seats (custom bag). The cooler is under the rear middle seat.

Concerning the nearest thru hull, you are correct it is in front of the engine. Would that be to far away to pump water into a ballast in the ski locker? I wasnt sure. I dont have a problem with cutting new holes in the hull, it would be better if i didnt half to of course.

I can't add much to this but I can tell you this won't be a problem. I recently tested one of these pumps, they don't pull water at all (thats why they need to be mounted below the water line) but they will push water at least 8 feet straight up. If you put it in the rear locker you're looking at a run of about 10 feet and maybe 2 feet of rise, shouldn't be an issue. Very very slight flow rate reduction, not enough to validate drilling another hole if you don't need the center bilge hole. JM2C.

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I can't add much to this but I can tell you this won't be a problem. I recently tested one of these pumps, they don't pull water at all (thats why they need to be mounted below the water line) but they will push water at least 8 feet straight up. If you put it in the rear locker you're looking at a run of about 10 feet and maybe 2 feet of rise, shouldn't be an issue. Very very slight flow rate reduction, not enough to validate drilling another hole if you don't need the center bilge hole. JM2C.

This is good news!!

Thanks

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Has anyone intalled a custome ballast in the rear of their Iride or similar boat? Im looking to do this over the winter and wanted some pointers or suggestions. What kind of bag did you use? Custom or standard? How was it plumbed? Im looking to add about 500+ lbs but dont konw if i can fit that much back there. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Ryan

I have an 07 iRide and I plumbed a Fly High "seat sac" into the rear locker. It is over 500 lbs. I think. I went with that one becasue it is a full 60 inches long and isn't as tall as some of the others. What I did was replace the pump that fills the front sac with a dual outlet pump. I put a valve in the line that fills the front so when I turn the pump on it fills both then I shut off the front when it is full to finish filling the back. I drilled a hole in the bulkhead that separates the ski locker from the engine compartment and ran the hose along side the bilge, past the mufflers and up through the corner of the removable piece of floor in the trunk to get it to the bag. I drilled a hole in the rear port side below the rub rail and mounted a thru-hull with the 90 degree elbow from Flow-Rite for the vent and then drilled another hole in the rear starboard for the drain thru-hull. I took the pump that I had in the ski locker and used it for the drain. A little bit of wiring, a relay and some 3/4" quick-lok connectors and I was wakeboarding. The quick-lok's are a must. I can take the bag in and out with no trouble and they don't leak. The bag fills up the locker pretty good, but I still have room for all our jackets and ropes and misc stuff. It takes about 8-10 minutes to fill both front and rear and both empty in less than five. It is such an improvement over dragging pumps and bags around. I know there are probably better ways to do it that this so don't start getting on my case, but this took less than 2 hours and didn't cost a lot. Plus I didn't have to drill any holes in the bottom of the boat. PM me your e-mail and I will send you some pictures if you want.

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I have an 07 iRide and I plumbed a Fly High "seat sac" into the rear locker. It is over 500 lbs. I think. I went with that one becasue it is a full 60 inches long and isn't as tall as some of the others. What I did was replace the pump that fills the front sac with a dual outlet pump. I put a valve in the line that fills the front so when I turn the pump on it fills both then I shut off the front when it is full to finish filling the back. I drilled a hole in the bulkhead that separates the ski locker from the engine compartment and ran the hose along side the bilge, past the mufflers and up through the corner of the removable piece of floor in the trunk to get it to the bag. I drilled a hole in the rear port side below the rub rail and mounted a thru-hull with the 90 degree elbow from Flow-Rite for the vent and then drilled another hole in the rear starboard for the drain thru-hull. I took the pump that I had in the ski locker and used it for the drain. A little bit of wiring, a relay and some 3/4" quick-lok connectors and I was wakeboarding. The quick-lok's are a must. I can take the bag in and out with no trouble and they don't leak. The bag fills up the locker pretty good, but I still have room for all our jackets and ropes and misc stuff. It takes about 8-10 minutes to fill both front and rear and both empty in less than five. It is such an improvement over dragging pumps and bags around. I know there are probably better ways to do it that this so don't start getting on my case, but this took less than 2 hours and didn't cost a lot. Plus I didn't have to drill any holes in the bottom of the boat. PM me your e-mail and I will send you some pictures if you want.

Thanks for the info, A couple questions.......

1. which seat sac did you use? is it the one with the arms (1000 lbs)? or the regular seat sac (580 lbs)?

2. Does it fill up completly? do you have any issues with it pressing on the gas tank?

3. in order to fit in the locker is the sac sitting on its side vs the bottom?

Thanks agian

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Thanks for the info, A couple questions.......

1. which seat sac did you use? is it the one with the arms (1000 lbs)? or the regular seat sac (580 lbs)?

2. Does it fill up completly? do you have any issues with it pressing on the gas tank?

3. in order to fit in the locker is the sac sitting on its side vs the bottom?

Thanks agian

1 - The regular one. It usually fills almost all the way up before it starts coming out of the vent so you are getting something between 500 and 600 lbs.

2 - It doesn't fill up 100%. Because it is tight at the bottom and V's as you get to the top, the middle gets poofed up and traps some air. I usually push down hard on the middle when it gets tight to force some air out the vent and it helps it fill more. If anyone has ever pulled the back plastic part out of the trunk and actually looked at it and held it you would know that there is no way that it is going to cave in or push on the gas tank. It is at least 1/4" of solid plastic. It think that urban legend has been perpetuated from older models and keeps getting spread around. Most of the weight is at the bottom of the trunk and there are feet that hold the plastic piece in place and keep it from moving in toward the gas tank.

3 - I fill it sitting on it's bottom. Like I said it is tight at the bottom and causes the middle to poof, but it will fill with plenty of room left!

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I am going to be doing this exact project this winter on my SSLxi. Wakechaser ^^ says you don't need to reinforce the bottom, but I have spoken to several people that say other wise. I am not interested in taking any chances so I will be reinforcing my trunk bottom. Another crew member by the name of skiier64 has done this and was kind enough to send me pictures of how to do it (Thanks skiier 64 for helping a brotha out!). PM me if you'd like me to send you the pictures. As far as the pump goes, Ndawg is spot on. You'll still need to drill a through hull hole for a drain line, unless you use a reverseable pump, but then you might have problems with self draining. Lots to think about!

Edited by msuwaterski
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I am going to be doing this exact project this winter on my SSLxi. Wakechaser ^^ says you don't need to reinforce the bottom, but I have spoken to several people that say other wise. I am not interested in taking any chances so I will be reinforcing my trunk bottom. Another crew member by the name of skiier64 has done this and was kind enough to send me pictures of how to do it (Thanks skiier 64 for helping a brotha out!). PM me if you'd like me to send you the pictures. As far as the pump goes, Ndawg is spot on. You'll still need to drill a through hull hole for a drain line, unless you use a reverseable pump, but then you might have problems with self draining. Lots to think about!

I believe the gas tank is aginst the back wall on my boat and not under the floor. Correct me if im wrong.

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I believe the gas tank is aginst the back wall on my boat and not under the floor. Correct me if im wrong.

I am not 100% sure with your boat. But I am taking a highly educated guess that it sits directly under the floor of your storage trunk, tucked in against the back wall. Remember, it's a ~25 gallon tank so it takes up a lot of space back there. If you are not 100% sure where the gas tank is in relation to the floor of your storage locker, I would highly recommend that you at the very least remove the floor of your storage locker and figure out what you are dealing with before you throw ballast in there. An ounce of prevention.......

Edited by msuwaterski
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I believe the gas tank is aginst the back wall on my boat and not under the floor. Correct me if im wrong.

I took the plastic wall out to install the transom remote and the tank is behind that wall. If it extends down under the floor very much or at all I would be very surprised. Just take the 6 or 8 screws out and check it out before you start so you will know for sure. If the general concern is pressure or a downward force on the floor let's do some math. A grown man weighing 200 pounds stands on two feet with a generous surface area of about 1 sq./ft. That gives him a force on the floor of 200 pounds per square foot. The ballast is roughly 5 feet by 1 foot = 5 square feet. It weighs about 550 pounds full. That gives the ballast a force of 110 pounds per square foot which is a full 90 pounds per square foot less than your ski buddy. I doubt that anyone here thinks twice when their friend walks across the floor or steps over the trunk or the ski locker or has to stand in the trunk to get the screwdriver they dropped down there? Just my two cents...

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I took the plastic wall out to install the transom remote and the tank is behind that wall. If it extends down under the floor very much or at all I would be very surprised. Just take the 6 or 8 screws out and check it out before you start so you will know for sure. If the general concern is pressure or a downward force on the floor let's do some math. A grown man weighing 200 pounds stands on two feet with a generous surface area of about 1 sq./ft. That gives him a force on the floor of 200 pounds per square foot. The ballast is roughly 5 feet by 1 foot = 5 square feet. It weighs about 550 pounds full. That gives the ballast a force of 110 pounds per square foot which is a full 90 pounds per square foot less than your ski buddy. I doubt that anyone here thinks twice when their friend walks across the floor or steps over the trunk or the ski locker or has to stand in the trunk to get the screwdriver they dropped down there? Just my two cents...

Keep in mind that stress on a mechanical device (i.e. the trunk floor) is cumulitive, also keep in mind that any weight you put back there will be there for an extended time druing the day. No one is saying don't do it. all any of us are saying is make sure it is going to hold up. The trunk floor (04 DD wakesetter) of my boat should be the same as yours, it is not bulit to handel the stress of the extra weight. that is why the 75# limit. pull out the floor, install some supports, and plumb in your bag. Then post up some pics and some ideas on what would make it easier for the rest of us contemplating the same things.

Ohyea, my gas tank runs the full length and width of my trunk.

REW

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I am not 100% sure with your boat. But I am taking a highly educated guess that it sits directly under the floor of your storage trunk, tucked in against the back wall. Remember, it's a ~25 gallon tank so it takes up a lot of space back there. If you are not 100% sure where the gas tank is in relation to the floor of your storage locker, I would highly recommend that you at the very least remove the floor of your storage locker and figure out what you are dealing with before you throw ballast in there. An ounce of prevention.......

The tank in my iRide is 40+ gallons. Assuming it has to stay below the fill ports in order to fill, I find it hard to believe a full 40 gallons would fit behind the plastic piece without going under the floor. I'have to admit I haven't looked though.

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I would think you might be able to T into your raw water intake and develop some sort of system similar to Martinarcher's. I'm sure he will elaborate more, but here is the link to his install complete with a narrated youtube video.

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