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Lead Wake vs. Ronix nose sac


AJwakedevil

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Its getting warmer in MN (lets be real, already had one ice out.. then a refreeze..) and my pursuit for bigger, easier ballast setup is kicking back in. Im looking for two things... and may even answer my own question along the way. So just tell me your thoughts or experiences.

2004 VLX.

750# rear lockers. | Stock center | plumbed in 600# nose sac under seats (1/3 full max) | 800# ronix to place where ever

I want more weight up front &&& I want easy ballast aka quick balance abilities.
I can place the nose sac on top of the seats to get it full but its kind of a pain.

So what im considering to add: 250-300# lead wake or 800# ronix sac 

Lead Wake is easy to move around. Put it in front and balance sides out. Quick easy expensive

another ronix sac would be useful in any location, but once its filled up its not moving.. at least for 5 minutes (thing is quicker than a hungry raccoon). 

 

TL;dr...  Ive never really used solid weight in my own boat before... pay the price for metal pellet bags and get the mobility but less weight or get more weight for my dollar (3 times the weight) and continue to deal with the mess/time of water?

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I've got 8 x 40 lb steel shot bags.  Found on Craig's List for about 1/2 new price.  Four go under the cushions in front - under the V bag - and are left there.  The other 4 get moved around.  I did not want to give up the bow seating and am glad I got them.

If you get shot bags get the type with good strong easy to grab handles and heavy duty well sewn bags.

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Well, solid weight is always in the boat so you are raising it with your lift or towing with your truck.  If you ever end up underwater, bags are then neutral and solid weight is still pulling down.  

I've never found sitting around on the boat waiting for a bag to fill as a problem, but waiting for bags to fill is like waiting in the DMV line for some people around here.

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Are you going for a surf wake or wakeboard wake?  This does make a difference.

I run the following:

1100lb bag in each rear locker (doesn't fill to 1100lbs, more like 900, but better than the 700lbs max you are getting out of those 750's)
500lbs in the ski locker
Same nose bag
About 300lbs in a sack under the port seats, as I like a slight list when surfing (I use a surf device)
300lbs of lead

I move the lead around depending on the crew.  Typically 100 under the bow filler and 200lbs under the rear seats.  For surfing and your current rear sacks, I don't think you need any additional bow weight.  For wakeboarding, I'd get some lead up there (I run all my lead and the biggest passenger up front when wakeboarding, though we don't do it much anymore).  

Regardless, I'd go with the lead.  I hate having exposed bags.

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2 minutes ago, Nitrousbird said:

Are you going for a surf wake or wakeboard wake?  This does make a difference.

 

Regardless, I'd go with the lead.  I hate having exposed bags.

Both, mostly wakeboard. It seems to like the nose weight. 

How did you plumb in your nose sac?

 

13 minutes ago, River Monsters said:

Well, solid weight is always in the boat so you are raising it with your lift or towing with your truck.  If you ever end up underwater, bags are then neutral and solid weight is still pulling down.  

I've never found sitting around on the boat waiting for a bag to fill as a problem, but waiting for bags to fill is like waiting in the DMV line for some people around here.

Meh, moving some shot bags to the truck on longer hauls is faster than filling water, and gets me a good arm pump. Gotta stay swoll for the lady.

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7 minutes ago, AJwakedevil said:

Both, mostly wakeboard. It seems to like the nose weight. 

How did you plumb in your nose sac?

I have the same hull.  Needs the nose weight for wakeboarding.  Surfing, I found that you might think it needs a bunch of nose weight but the wave is better with more in the back.  She runs pretty nose high.

For plumbing, it runs from my pump in the V-drive area, down the port side to under the observer seat.  There, it splits and goes to each leg of the bag, as I found it filled better with two fill ports.  I also have a Fly-High valve there, as I use the pump to fill the ski locker and nose bags, since those together fill more quickly than the locker bags (and the valve is easily reached from the driver's seat).

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15 minutes ago, Nitrousbird said:

For plumbing, it runs from my pump in the V-drive area, down the port side to under the observer seat.  There, it splits and goes to each leg of the bag, as I found it filled better with two fill ports.  I also have a Fly-High valve there, as I use the pump to fill the ski locker and nose bags, since those together fill more quickly than the locker bags (and the valve is easily reached from the driver's seat).

I do the same as Nitrousbird except the 1" line goes all the way to the port side of the bow (under seat area) where there is a T.  One leg goes into the bag there and the other to a 3/4" line that goes around the bow under the bag to the fill port on the starboard side.  Fills and drains both sides of the bag.  Saves you having to drill holes to get a line to the other side.

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1 hour ago, minnmarker said:

I do the same as Nitrousbird except the 1" line goes all the way to the port side of the bow (under seat area) where there is a T.  One leg goes into the bag there and the other to a 3/4" line that goes around the bow under the bag to the fill port on the starboard side.  Fills and drains both sides of the bag.  Saves you having to drill holes to get a line to the other side.

 

1 hour ago, Nitrousbird said:

 

For plumbing, it runs from my pump in the V-drive area, down the port side to under the observer seat.  There, it splits and goes to each leg of the bag, as I found it filled better with two fill ports.  I also have a Fly-High valve there, as I use the pump to fill the ski locker and nose bags, since those together fill more quickly than the locker bags (and the valve is easily reached from the driver's seat).

Interesting guys... Last summer I added in my nose sac. What I did was different. Sounds to me like you are not using/have a center locker pump. Am I fortunate that I had one in there already designated just for the center locker?
Anyways my setup: I have an 1100gph pump in the center locker with a valve on it to switch between filling the center and bow bags. One 1" hose to fill the top, port side of the bag. One 3/4" hose to drain from the port bottom. Draining is where it gets tricky. I have the center drain pump coming off the bag, and then it t's to the front bag and to out side the boat. So basically It drains by gravity...

Realized something... I did have to drill a hole in the floor of the port storage area to get a hose to the nose... didnt think to run a hose off the aft pump, avoiding holes. :Frustrated:
Questions: Does it not fill all the way with one fill on one side? Should I help it out and run another hose to the other side? Second How do you have your draining set up? I know kinda how to fix my situation (shuffle around the pump and T so that both lines feed into the pump) but there might be a better way to do it.
Wish I had pictures to show yall...

Edited by AJwakedevil
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14 minutes ago, AJwakedevil said:

Questions: Does it not fill all the way with one fill on one side? Should I help it out and run another hose to the other side? Second How do you have your draining set up? I know kinda how to fix my situation (shuffle around the pump and T so that both lines feed into the pump) but there might be a better way to do it.
Wish I had pictures to show yall...

You can fill fine with one line to any part of the sack.  Going to the bottom port on both sides is not for filling, it's for draining - with a reversible pump.  If you're using (one way) aerator pumps it gets more complicated.

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Just now, minnmarker said:

You can fill fine with one line to any part of the sack.  Going to the bottom port on both sides is not for filling, it's for draining - with a reversible pump.  If you're using (one way) aerator pumps it gets more complicated.

Yup. aerator pumps here...

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1 hour ago, minnmarker said:

I do the same as Nitrousbird except the 1" line goes all the way to the port side of the bow (under seat area) where there is a T.  One leg goes into the bag there and the other to a 3/4" line that goes around the bow under the bag to the fill port on the starboard side.  Fills and drains both sides of the bag.  Saves you having to drill holes to get a line to the other side.

Mine already had holes from some hack-job shop that did a garbage stereo install I ripped out.  Was just big enough for the hose and oddly in the perfect place. :)

 

20 minutes ago, AJwakedevil said:

 

Interesting guys... Last summer I added in my nose sac. What I did was different. Sounds to me like you are not using/have a center locker pump. Am I fortunate that I had one in there already designated just for the center locker?
Anyways my setup: I have an 1100gph pump in the center locker with a valve on it to switch between filling the center and bow bags. One 1" hose to fill the top, port side of the bag. One 3/4" hose to drain from the port bottom. Draining is where it gets tricky. I have the center drain pump coming off the bag, and then it t's to the front bag and to out side the boat. So basically It drains by gravity...

No aerator pumps in my setup.  All impeller pumps dumping above the water line.  Mine was not optioned with the center bag from the factory, so no pump there stock.

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