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Vride Ballast..How much is too much?


BorderBoarder

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I have searched several different ways and maybe I am looking wrong but maybe someone can help.

I recently came upon an '06 Vride with the factory 900lbs ballast, this being a 500# tank midship and two 200# tanks in the rear. I want to pull the rear hard tanks and replace them with either 400# or 750# bags and will add bow ballast as well. In the bow 1000# if 750's or something around 500# if the 400's. I will primarily be wakeboarding with the boat and do not currently own a surf board and have never surfed.

Does anyone with 750's in the rear have any wakeboarding pics of the wake? If no pics personal actual experience is appreciated too. I found plenty of surf pics in the "show me your sac'd out wake pics" thread, but havn't found any pics of the 93" beamed wakesetter/vride with 3000# total ballast. I am kind of worried about doubling the boats weight and the possibility of sinking it.

Thank you in advance for responses.

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IIRC the 750's won't fit back there fully loaded. In reality they are just too much...here are some pics of an '03 VLX w/ 750's in the rear center and IIRC ~500lbs up front and 4 adults. With all that weight you'll need to prop down as well...If you plan on surfing you'll want the 750's but the problem is for wakeboarding making sure they are equally full.

post-6-088783500 1291179009_thumb.jpg

post-6-095758300 1291179556_thumb.jpg

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That was another thing I worried about, the sacs not fully filling and having to worry about getting them ballanced correctly. That wake does look pretty sick though. Thanks for the pics.

According to my measurements the 400# sacs should fully expand back there though right? I am sure it will take a while to get on plane with either setup but it will be a little while before I can re-prop.

Any pics of the 400# sacs back there with some weight up front? I plan to try and get that magical 60/40 weight ratio rear to front.

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The 400's will certainly fill all the way (nearly 500lbs actually) in our vRides. Not sure if I have any pics of the wake but the only complaints I've had of my wakeboard wake was that at 23+mph it really gets narrow, and that complaint came from a really good rider who teaches and owns a MC :whistle:

My setup:

Replaced 200lb hard tanks with 400's

500 in the bow

midship full (500)

manual wedge down

YMMV

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IIRC the 750's won't fit back there fully loaded. In reality they are just too much...here are some pics of an '03 VLX w/ 750's in the rear center and IIRC ~500lbs up front and 4 adults. With all that weight you'll need to prop down as well...If you plan on surfing you'll want the 750's but the problem is for wakeboarding making sure they are equally full.

I disagree with whether they fit -- they do, and there's a bit of room on top after they are filled. We run them full for surfing, so I know they will fill.

I'm no pro and could not imagine riding with both 750s full. You'd need a bunch of weight in front of the windshield to balance it. I do agree that you'd need to reprop to get the boat out of the hole.

I have ridden with 400 in the bow, mid-ship full and the bags partially filled (say 200ish?). The more weight in the rear the lippier the wake gets. Being a newb, I don't really like a lippy wake yet (still having trouble clearing the wake toe side). The wedge gives plenty of lip (for me) too.

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no first hand experience, but I just went through same process. I was gung-ho for putting 750's in my 08 vride, then measured and priced it out compared to the 400's. The 750's would be $100+ more and would be 5-6 inches to long for the rear compartments. The 400's will fit very nicely and leave some room. The install is just a few weeks away....

I figured if I get into surfing more, I can pick up one 750 and swap it in for a 400, it would only take 1 minute to swap them, then I could throw the 400 on a seat for more surf wake :biggrin:

Edited by augie09
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I disagree with whether they fit -- they do, and there's a bit of room on top after they are filled. We run them full for surfing, so I know they will fill.

.

Did you remove the little false wall at the front of the rear compartments protecting the fuel fill hose? It's also where the hydraulic arm mounts for the lid.

My measurement to that wall was around 45" and the bags are 50" right? I thought about removing that wall which would free up 5 inches, but would expose the fuel fill hose. I saw posts on here about people doing this with no problems and weren't concerned with the sacs pressing up against the fuel hose, but I didn't want to go there yet.

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No I did not remove that wall. Thats really at the very top of the bag anyway (compartment is longer at the bottom) so the bag conforms to the wall. I don't think you lose more than a few gallons as a result of the wall.

Good point re price, but if you are going to surf you NEED at least 1 750.

Edited by shawndoggy
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The 400's will certainly fill all the way (nearly 500lbs actually) in our vRides. Not sure if I have any pics of the wake but the only complaints I've had of my wakeboard wake was that at 23+mph it really gets narrow, and that complaint came from a really good rider who teaches and owns a MC :whistle:

My setup:

Replaced 200lb hard tanks with 400's

500 in the bow

midship full (500)

manual wedge down

YMMV

Ndawg12 that sounds like about what I was thinking might be a good setup without having too many issues. I have some really old 350lb sacs that with 400's in the rear I could put one across the front seats and one under the filler cushion. The one under the cushion won't fill up all the way but I figure it will get at least 200lbs to make 550 up front.

Thanks again everyone, a few pics would still be awesome though if they are out there :werule:

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Here is our 07 vride with 750's installed in each rear locker. For wakeboarding it is more like 400-500lb in each rear locker, plus center ballast, plus floating wedge. We have never bothered with front ballast. If I recall this is at 22mph - 70ft.

post-4088-021110500 1291222062_thumb.jpg

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this is a newb question, but regarding the reprop-ing, I don't see an acme prop between the 537 and 1234. Is there a OJ prop that fits between these or should vride owners jump to a 1234 if running 1500-2000lbs ballast with full crew?

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Here is our 07 vride with 750's installed in each rear locker. For wakeboarding it is more like 400-500lb in each rear locker, plus center ballast, plus floating wedge. We have never bothered with front ballast. If I recall this is at 22mph - 70ft.

very nice. would adding bow weight kick the height up a bit on that or make it wider?

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very nice. would adding bow weight kick the height up a bit on that or make it wider?

in my experience weight in the front makes the wake really FIRM. Doesn't change the shape or width. Weight in the rear makes it steeper, with wedge very lippy. Width can be modulated by speed (slower = wider, faster = narrower).

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in my experience weight in the front makes the wake really FIRM. Doesn't change the shape or width. Weight in the rear makes it steeper, with wedge very lippy. Width can be modulated by speed (slower = wider, faster = narrower).

:plus1:

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I run 750's in the rears, 500 in the belly, 350 in the bow, usually without the wedge down and the wake is awesome. with the wedge down it peaks a bit more and is a little much for me still.

my rear 750's fit and fill full, they are tight to the walls but they fill.

I also run with them at 450 to 500lbs with floating wedge down which is nice, but loaded...no wedge

factory prop and it comes out of the hole ok, I am ordering a new prop to help when fully loaded

BB

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  • 3 weeks later...

The 400's will certainly fill all the way (nearly 500lbs actually) in our vRides. Not sure if I have any pics of the wake but the only complaints I've had of my wakeboard wake was that at 23+mph it really gets narrow, and that complaint came from a really good rider who teaches and owns a MC :whistle:

My setup:

Replaced 200lb hard tanks with 400's

500 in the bow

midship full (500)

manual wedge down

YMMV

just curious - where did you get your sacs and are they integrated to your main ballast switches

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Yes a lot of us have removed the hard tanks and replaced with sacks......I know I'll never look back.

There is a little bit of a knowledge base around here about doing this. There are some minor annoyances with auto draining, leaking into locker etc......we are on track to solving these issues. This stuff only really happens on my boat if I fill them all the way for surfing.

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thanks - I've been thinking about doing the wakemakers kit for the 750s in the back- you guys think its worth it? and should I get something for the bow?

we board, skate and surf -

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Just get the two 400s that come with the vdrive locker kit for $199 and a pump. One of those 400s in the bow is useful for surfing and wakeboarding and the other can help with surfing on the surf-side seat with a lite crew.

When it warms up in the spring I'll post up some photos of my mods to the wakemakers kit to minimize leaking.

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BTW I am just completing having the 2 rear 750's being "automated" and put on dash switches. Had the year of throwing the pumps over the side and am done with it. I am having the sacs plumed in with 1 inch hose, quick connect connectors and 1200 per hour pumps so it should be good spring.....Rockon.gifRockon.gifRockon.gifRockon.gif

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BTW I am just completing having the 2 rear 750's being "automated" and put on dash switches. Had the year of throwing the pumps over the side and am done with it. I am having the sacs plumed in with 1 inch hose, quick connect connectors and 1200 per hour pumps so it should be good spring.....Rockon.gifRockon.gifRockon.gifRockon.gif

Just had them Installed. two 750 Lb integraded into my MLS Switch. Press to fill & after the main stock tank is full, Press it again & the 750Lb ones start filling. Got them from Wakemakers.com
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