93 Euro F3 Skier Ballast

[Levi900RR]

So this started a long time ago in a land far far away with this thread I thought I would start a new.

I threw together a quick ballast system last year with 2 500lb V drive sacs and some Tsunami 1200 GPH pumps. I had placed the pumps above the floor in the rear corners of the boat. T'd off the raw water intake line and tried to T into the bilge line. That worked OK at best so I decided to reconfigure it this year with dedicated thru hulls for the intake and drain.

Here is it...

Out with the old:

Old Bilge drain:

First new one:

Twins!

New Intake:

New shut off for the new intake:

Pumps under the floor. The way they should be!

Inside of the new drain thru hull, the bilge is behindl:

Bags on the floor:

I still have to finish up the length of the hoses at the bags. I am going to wait till they're full to do that. I was going to head out and try them but the Silicone needs 12 hours to cure. I also replaced my bilge pump and upped the hoses to 1"

I can't wait to use them. No more boat projects for this year. Its BOATING ONLY!

Edited June 17, 2011 by Levi900RR

[martinarcher]

Nice.....that looks pretty familiar! You'll really like the pumps under the floor a lot better. I did the new intake as well. You won;t ever have to worry about sharing water with the raw water pump. Nice work. Aren't those stainless thru-hulls sweet? After mounting the two on the Skier I couldn't believe how crappy they made that old plastic fitting seem!

[Slayer]

Nice work, Levi. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[Levi900RR]

Thanks guys, I should have followed Matts design closer the first time

If I never see another hose clamp it'll be too soon!

[martinarcher]

Thanks guys, I should have followed Matts design closer the first time

If I never see another hose clamp it'll be too soon!

I know it. I remember buying two dozen clamps and ran out pretty quick when I started my project!!!

[Levi900RR]

I know it. I remember buying two dozen clamps and ran out pretty quick when I started my project!!!

That check valve and about 30 clamps came out of your skier...

[martinarcher]

That check valve and about 30 clamps came out of your skier...

I didn't know that. That's cool!

[Levi900RR]

Here's a question. How did you tighten our thru hull for the intake?

I ended up putting some vice grips on the threads between the nut and the 90. Is there some special tool that fits in the exterior side to hold it?

[martinarcher]

Here's a question. How did you tighten our thru hull for the intake?

I ended up putting some vice grips on the threads between the nut and the 90. Is there some special tool that fits in the exterior side to hold it?

There are two "nubs" on the inside of the fitting on the exterior side. Have someone lay under the boat and open a pair of needle nose pliers inside the fitting. That will keep it from spinning, then you can go to town on the nut on the inside.

[Levi900RR]

There are two "nubs" on the inside of the fitting on the exterior side. Have someone lay under the boat and open a pair of needle nose pliers inside the fitting. That will keep it from spinning, then you can go to town on the nut on the inside.

Man where is that second set of hands when you need them! If mine ever starts to leak that's what I'll do!

I still havent been out to lake test it but I threw the fake a lake on it today and the whole system worked great. I rolled the bags up and put some weights on the end so they wouldn't fill all the way for the test.

Im planning on going out one night after work this week so I'll have the full report soon!

[Molarbu]

I kind of liked the PVC pipe idea under the floor! What happened to that?

[Levi900RR]

I kind of liked the PVC pipe idea under the floor! What happened to that?

That was a "pipe" dream...

If I was replacing my floor anyway I would have looked into it, my floor is mint so it'll have to wait!

Edited June 20, 2011 by Levi900RR

[Michigan boarder]

Nice clean job! Got my eye on this stuff, I got my 12v outlet working yesterday and we loaded up 1 400# locker bag and 1 750# bag in the back/side, and surfed. Big push, ropeless on and off. It's pretty fun. Your set up will be a great wakeboard set up too.

[Levi900RR]

Nice clean job! Got my eye on this stuff, I got my 12v outlet working yesterday and we loaded up 1 400# locker bag and 1 750# bag in the back/side, and surfed. Big push, ropeless on and off. It's pretty fun. Your set up will be a great wakeboard set up too.

Thanks man, If you end up doing a project like this let me know. I have 2 check valves and a bunch of hose / clamps and some ball valves that you can have. Probably save you some coin in the end. All those trips to the hardware sure add up...

I hoping to get it out some night this week after work.

[Levi900RR]

So I just got back from the Lake... Super dejected

It took like 30 mins to fill one of the bags about 3/4 full and the other only 1/2. The fill pump is just not working right. I know the issue is after the pump because I took the impeller out of the pump housing and water SHOT out of the housing...

The drain worked much better, draining what I had filled in the bags in about 5 mins. The only thing I can think that is wrong is I have kinks in the hoses... I guess I need to dig into this thing again and make sure I have fittings everywhere that they need to be.

On the Euro Skier I have to run the hoses behind the fuel tank and there isn't much room back there, I'm starting to think that the hoses are getting pinched back there slowing down the flow.

Oh well... another night, another action item.

[Levi900RR]

Another thought... I guess its possible that I got a bad fill pump??

Edited June 22, 2011 by Levi900RR

[martinarcher]

I thought it all worked good in the driveway? Wonder what changed? Do you still have a one way before the fill pump to keep it primed?

[Levi900RR]

I thought it all worked good in the driveway? Wonder what changed? Do you still have a one way before the fill pump to keep it primed?

It worked OK in the driveway... I wasnt getting a full pipe on the intake side. I assumed it was because the garden hose couldnt deliver enough water. Guess I was wrong.

Now that I have had time to sleep on it I am 99% sure the kinks in the hoses are my issue. I am going to buy a bunch of 90's and re-run the hoses from the pumps to the bags.

I do have the flapper before the intake, I know thats working cause when I took the top off the pump I have a TON of water coming into the boat!

[Levi900RR]

New question for the crew.

I ordered 16 1" barbed 90's to un-kink my hoses. I am 99% sure that is going to sort out my system. Here is my NEXT question

My buddy wants to order a 750lb or 1100lb sack to put where the back seat goes for surfing.

The idea would be put the 750 OR 1100 where the rear seat bottom goes and a 500 next to the engine on the suft side.

SO my questions are:

Is that going to be too much weight for my little Skier?

Would you go 750 or 1100?

With that much weight in the rear will a 500 on the surf side list the boat enough to make a good wave?

Thanks!

[Levi900RR]

Another one...

Am I fighting an uphill battle running one of these?

With the "smaller" wave behind the Skier should I have a more buoyant board?

[Levi900RR]

I think I'm gonna let my buddy order the 750... 1100 just seems huge.

Once I get my ballast figured out I'll decided if my board is gonna work.

[martinarcher]

I think you'll be cool with a 750. It will certainly get your rub rail close to the water if not wet at rest. Just be careful coming off plane and in rollers and you should be cool. With that much weight in the rear, you'll probably be able to speed up a bit as well.

Edited July 2, 2011 by martinarcher

[Levi900RR]

Got to lake test the system today. It worked great. I was slightly dissapointed in the fill / drain time but it actually worked which is a plus. We tried to surf and got a decent wave but I think my board isn't right for the small wave the Skier makes, but thats another story...

So my ballast system is done, about 10 mins from putting the boat in and we are ready to go!