The Silver Surfer is coming! (long)

[tjklein]

I have been out 3 times and here is my initial thoughts.

1. No M-grain on the vinyl is AWESOME! Cleaning is much easier. The grain tended to trap dirt.

2. Absolutely love triple trailer. Went to my primary weekend lake on Saturday, 90+ miles each way. Triple is just smoother, i also like the look better.

3. LSA is awesome, well worth the $4500. Actually for me it will pay for itself. IF averages continue, i am now dosh to 3000~3100 RPM, with a prop change i think i can get down to 2800. Fuel usage is averaging just under 7 GPH, on the 14 with LS3 i was 12+ consistently, and sometimes as bad as 14. Even if my average goes up to 8, that is still a 4 GPH improvement. Last year i did 200 hours, IF i do that again this year, and next LSA was FREE. Paid for via fuel savings. @$3 a gallon it will take 400 hours or less to cover the cost, plus i get the fun the LSA includes. For the 2016 folks it will be even more dramatic. The 550 gets 1.5:1 tranny, the others get 1.72:1, so smaller engines will rev higher inherently. That will be an extra 400~600 rpm which means more fuel consumption.

4. Ballast pumps, not as slow as my 14, timed fill on Saturday. 9:49 for rear, 4:38 for center, bow was just over 3 minutes. So new plan

Add augmenting fill pump to each rear. And replace center tank pump. That should get me close to 3 minute fill target. I am absolutely not concerned with drain time.

4. Vents ~ ok here was my logic. Gravity drain is marginal, hard tank empties way faster than bag can drain into tank. So i moved the vent so hard tank vents into the PNP bags. Then venting the bag, my bags are in 100% of the time, so i am not worried about not being able too vent the tank separately. This will also provide a 3rd path for water from the bag to the tank, and should force the bag to drain entirely before hard tank starts to drain, as the hard tank no longer has separate vent. This is not tested yet, i will test later this week.

Also water pics coming soon

In addition to what Darkside mentioned, my LSA has been really good about fuel. I'm seeing similar results to him and running 4 sacs and 4-5 people normally. It's been WAY better than I thought for fuel.

[euroman]

Darkside, have you found the MXZ better or worse than an LSV for dipping the nose while surfing?

[DarkSide]

I have never driven LSV, MXZ is not bad for chilli dipping, i rarely take any water over the bow, unless my 15 year old is sleeping up there, then a huge roller comes out of no where, and no matter how hard i try to avoid it a few gallons come over the bow....?

[DarkSide]

In addition to what Darkside mentioned, my LSA has been really good about fuel. I'm seeing similar results to him and running 4 sacs and 4-5 people normally. It's been WAY better than I thought for fuel.

My LS3 with 2419 would have to run WOT to get 11.8~12 MPH. At WOT these things GUZZLE fuel. The LSA with 2247 (15x14.25) doesn't even struggle. Huge difference, i want to try 2277 (15x15.75), i think the motor will handle that with ease, and should drop RPM ~300

[thtrog]

Too bad you didn't get to run the Indmar LS3, my '13 24 MXZ pushed 5k with a 1235 prop all day long. I'm sure the LSA is super fun, your boat looks great DarkSide!

[DarkSide]

You have run both indmar and MP LS3, did you notice huge difference? I know Afun's ninja with 350 felt VERY similar to my LS3 with equal weights.

[Afun]

I'm telling you that my 350 was built by the hands of GOD!

Dark sides boat is incredible!!! I really would like to see a 22 VLX with the LSA...do you think it exist?

[DarkSide]

I am sure it does somewhere. Will likely become more common now that it is 2 steps vs. 3. There has to be a barefooter somewhere that ordered one. LSA is overkill, i needed roughly 5% more power than the LS3 had. It also sounds like the MP LS3 may have been weak sauce compared to indmar.

I know from the first 3 outings i am loving it. Unless i am the victim in the water when the driver "hits" it.

[thtrog]

Owning them back-to-back-to-back, yes there was a big difference.

You have run both indmar and MP LS3, did you notice huge difference? I know Afun's ninja with 350 felt VERY similar to my LS3 with equal weights.

Owning them back-to-back there was a big difference, then having Indmar this year confirmed it. The MP did OK in the 23 LSV with less weight, but still not full power using speed control. The Indmar in this years boat jumps to surf speed, you can easily over throttle.

[DarkSide]

Finally made it through break in and was able to fully fill ballast and bags 100%. I took a couple wave pics this morning. Not tige greatest, still got some work to do, but i think i got a decent base to start from. I shortened my surf rope to 20' and edged out holding camera in one hand and rope in the other. But gives you a better idea than just the standard wave shot. Also a ski wake from a week or so ago. Not as bad as i expected. Surf 11.1 3 clicks of wedge. Ski 30.0 no ballast.

[DarkSide]

And One from Saturday with my son surfing wearing a Jack sparrow hat....

[DarkSide]

I am way over due in updating and finalizing this thread. Some of my plans worked out very well others not so much. The surfer has 54 hours on her, and she has been absolutely amazing. The LSA has handled everything I throw at it with ease. My only complaint has been i run out of gas late afternoon on full days on the water. I changed props to gain some efficiency but i ran out of summer Saturday's so I am not sure if the new prop will get me through an entire day on the water or not. Malibu changed tank size from 2014 to 2015 so 8 gallons less in the 15. Ironically I need 8-12 more gallons on those full day Saturday trips.

Here is where I am.

Ballast 90% complete, I want to add more drain pumps.

Stereo 99% complete, I want to adjust the "tune" a bit more.

FAE and Prop complete I have final prop on her (OJ 15x15.5)

Lights, etc 20% complete, I still have some work to do here.

Things I love about the '15 not in any particular order.

1. Dash wow, this is an absolute winner, everything is so intuitive.

2. Bimini with board sleeves, I really like the connector on 15 vs 14. The twist ball is much easier. I do sometimes miss having 4 board capacity on the Bimini though.

3. LSA supercharged power is ridiculous! 5k ballast 8 person crew and 4 clicks of wedge? Not a problem!

4. G4 tower, I love the functionality, the dome lights, forward tower lights, and the fact that it is 100% pretty wired for all options.

5. Clamping racks, it will be hard to go back to bungee after having these.

6. PW2. This is an insane shaping tool, significantly better than the original.

7. Triple trailer, my Saturday trips are 90 miles each way, the triple tows so nice, much better than the tandem, likely because tandem was 800 pounds over its rating and the triple is a few hundred under its rating.

8. Rear view camera, a really nice thing to see what is going on right behind the boat. Great for seeing the thumbs up starting a rider but definitely not a mirror replacement.

Things I wish Malibu would do different.

1. Bigger fuel tank.

2. Multiple pumps per location for faster fill and drain.

I am going to add several more posts with pictures.

[DarkSide]

Ballast upgrade.

I ended up ordering custom bags from fly high. They were about $15 more than wake makers but we're able to turn them around in days not months.

I added 2 supplemental fill pumps for the rear. 1 pump for each side. The pumps are HUGE! Much bigger than expected, I placed the pumps between the fuel tank and the transmission. I used 1" thru hull inlets, from the shut off valve to the pumps I used flexible PVC, like used in spa plumbing. Each pump is rated at 2000 GPH.

https://vault.myvzw.com/webcs/app/share/view/EdDiSxfeLb?shareUid=de0fb842d0f54a80ab6e85ddf3b0b67d

[DarkSide]

I use the new pumps to fill hard tank and bag simultaneously (PNP) style, then use the factory pump to augment the bag fill. Total fill time is really close to 4 minutes. To trigger the pumps, I tied a relay in. The relay trigger is the factory pump, so these work with the MLS system on the touch screens.

I also reinforced the engine dividers and the tracking at the bottom with aluminum u channel.

[DarkSide]

Finally I removed all of the shut ofor valves on the fill side, so I do not have the ability to separate hard tank from bags. I also changed the vent system. My hard tank now vents into the bag, the bag vents out the side. I also added a wye and use the drain as a second vent, with the 2 pumps 1 vent was not adequate. So the top of the bag has 3 hoses, 1 to factory 1100 GPH pump, and two vents. Bottom rear of the bag has 3 ports 2 to hard tank 1 to 2000 GPH pump, front bottom of bag has 2 ports both go to hard tank.

By removing hard tank direct vent, the hard tank must drain the bag first to get air, so the bags drain fairly well.

[DarkSide]

We have had a lot of discussion about fenders, here is my fender carabiner solution, the carabiner never touches the gel. Super easy to use.

[DarkSide]

FAE is needed because the LSA does not have cats. The noise suppression is also a huge benefit.

https://vault.myvzw.com/webcs/app/share/invite/XafQrPrv3P

Edited November 10, 2015 by DarkSide

[DarkSide]

On to stereo upgrades. I only ordered the basic sound pack, so no sub and night towers. I chose to stick with rockford for the majority of the components, first looks more factory, second they sound decent. My boat is never in a sound studio so decent quality is perfect. Although I am actually extremely happy with sound quality.

From the black box I feed into an EQS, this is both an EQS and line driver. It also gives me a separate equipment for front/rear/sub. I chose to put cabin speakers on rear channel and tower on front. This allows me to use the fade function to adjust cabin and tower balance. Virtually no tower while floating, 50% or so cabin while pulling a rider.

From there it goes to the amps, P1000x2 for Rev10's, P600x4 for in boats, P500x1 for 15" sub, and P300x2 bridged for 12" sub that is built into my seat bass riser.

For the 15, I put it in a sealed box under the helm, and created a face out of black acrylic. I shaped it very similar to factory shaping. I also created a 6" seat riser, in here is placed a 12" sub, creating a true seat bass.

On the tower I have a single pair of Rev 10's, these have a wedge shaped spacer also out of black acrylic. This spacer serves to point the speakers away from passengers and at the riders simultaneously. Truly a win win.

I also added a 3rd battery to handle the extra load https://vault.myvzw.com/webcs/app/share/invite/Voqd4GIyAV

Edited November 10, 2015 by DarkSide

[DarkSide]

Finally I added a rear view camera, it connect to the black box via the video input in the glove box. I mounted it in the exhaust fan area on the transom step. It was very straightforward plug it in, touch the media button on main display, touch camera and your done.

https://vault.myvzw.com/webcs/app/share/invite/25HayltUrE

I still want to add rear lights and a couple of other projects but they are not going to happen for a while due to time constraints.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this thread, this site is awesome for idea sharing.

Edited November 12, 2015 by DarkSide

[That Guy]

Love the boat and nice job on the upgrades.

Can you post a better picture of the fender hanger setup? What's it attached to on the boat?

[DarkSide]

Love the boat and nice job on the upgrades.

Can you post a better picture of the fender hanger setup? What's it attached to on the boat?

Thank you.

These are fairly large fenders, 8-10" diameter. I put a carabiner through the rope hole, then simply clip the carabiner to the cleats. It works like a champ, the fenders are big enough they pull the carabiner away from the gel.

https://vault.myvzw.com/webcs/app/share/invite/ARGVrZds9x

Edited November 12, 2015 by DarkSide

[That Guy]

I've got the exile bumper balls, which I believe are 18" in diameter and they work great hanging from the pull out cleats with the short bungee cord rope I made to drop them down to an appropriate level.

I was more wondering where you attached the carabiner to the boat, do you use the cleat or is that something else in the picture above? It's hard to make out so didn't know if you had a better picture of the boat itself with the attachment point. Always looking for ideas to improve on my setup.

Love the ballast upgrades as well, that's one of my biggest irks, the fill/drain time, so I've been considering making some changes to hopefully speed them up.

[DarkSide]

I don't have pictures other than the couple in the previous post.

Yes the carabiner attaches to the cleats. Fenders are this style, but instead of rope I use a carabiner to attach to cleats

I am very happy with my fill time now, but the drains are too slow, I will likely add a second drain pump to each side over the winter.

Edited November 12, 2015 by DarkSide