Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

2004 23 LSV Ballast Upgrade


TNWake

Recommended Posts

I recently purchased a 2004 23 LSV and am now looking to set up the new boat for both surfing and wakeboarding. The boat current set up is 

rear: 900 lbs. port 250 lbs. stbd. (Why in the world they elected to upgrade one side and not the other I don't know)

mid: 550 lbs.

front: 350 lbs.

I am looking to get a 850/900 lb sack on the starboard side to even out the rear and purchase a mission wake shaper for surfing. I am also looking at some additional sacks and pump to get me flexibility to move weight around as needed.

What would be the optimal ballast/wedge set-up for surfing with the new configuration? What would be the best ballast/wedge set up for wakeboarding? I traditionally have ridden with a 75' line and 23-24 mph.

Thank you guys for the suggestions.

Link to comment
9 minutes ago, TNWake said:

port 250 lbs. stbd. (Why in the world they elected to upgrade one side and not the other I don't know)

They surfed on one side and listed the boat.

Link to comment

They had no goofy riders in their group.  

Add the 900 from wakemakes, tankbuster kit, and take out the 250 hard tank.  Probably should plan on a new prop too. 

Surfing.

Up front you will want more weight too.  I have a 275lb strait line sack that I fill on the seats.  (Factory MLS under the bow seats) With this sac you can still have people sit on either side of it if they want to.  I also have about 100 lbs of lead up there too.

Boat liked midship weight too, if you fill the rears all the way up.  I typically have people sit as far forward in the cabin as I can and move the heavy cooler into the walkway too.

I also use a homemade wake shaping device like the mission.

Wedge deployed.  I also added an FAE and it's so nice for surfing not to have the fumes and being able to hear the people in the boat and the music.  

If you get too much rear weight the swim platform will cut into the wave and can hurt the push.  Thinking I may raise mine up this year.  

 

Wakeboarding. 

Factory, MLS and Wedge will make a great wake.  

Fill the rears to about 400-500 and the wake gets even better

You can adjust the rope length to you preference.  I have friends that like 75', I ride about 70'.  Wake is wider the further back and becomes rampier closer towards the boat.

 

Skiing

Fill the bow factory tank to drop the attitude of the boat.

Link to comment

Thanks for the advice. The thought of a new prop hasn't even crossed my mind. What kind of prop are you running with that set-up?

Link to comment

Not sure what elevation or how big of lake you are on?  Which engine?

I run an OJ Cinco on mine. We are on a large lake and have some long runs sometimes and still like to free ski as well. So it helps with the top end speed and surf torque too. 

Tha 1235 is a good choice for many. Lots of threads on here about props. 

 

Link to comment

I use 500 lbs of lead instead of those miserable on cushion sacks, I lay them on bow cushions, under seats , wherever to trim or improve wake or wave using them to list and/or lengthen it.  

the lead on cushions is much better than those miserable sacs snd definetly dont preclude humans sitting comfortably where the lead is, no I don’t  put 500 up there but I do put 250-350 and that takes up less room than 2 150 sacs or similar. If no passengers up there, put ad much as you want evenly or to surfer side 

now that I have bimini surf Board storage to go with my 4 racks , I now have all of my small boat room for fun and people instead of sacs and boards, my boat felt cramped with just me and wife with all that crap !

i have 10 50’s, I would prefer now that I have them to have 15 35’s for ease of moving 

its like having parts of 3 shredders along snd you can place parts of their bodies wherever you want 

example , wife rides at 19 so wske more sensitive to even out. I could use water in pnp but I move just 3 50’s over to port side and her wake is perfect 

now I have that miserable pump and hose tightly and neatly stowed away as a security blanket in case the MLS pumps break 

Edited by granddaddy55
Link to comment

I have a 2006 Wakesetter I'm in the process of trading.  I have 2 of the Wakemakers 1100 bags for the rear lockers, I plumbed them in myself.  I also have a Mission surf tab for the port side that would give you a starboard wave.  I don't think my dealer will want them with the boat.  They are 3 years old and in really good shape.  Interested?

My 2006 threw an incredible wave with this set up.

Link to comment
On 4/20/2018 at 3:08 PM, TNWake said:

Thanks for the advice. The thought of a new prop hasn't even crossed my mind. What kind of prop are you running with that set-up?

900s in rear lockers full mls 400 bag in bow. 1235 prop.wedge down.. great wake wave at 22.4-23mph. Boat held the speed no problem. 350.

 

surf same setup with ole homemade suckgate at 10.8-11.2 we play with wedge on surfing

 

Link to comment

I'm in the process of installing ballast in my 06 23LSV.  Its a Sunscape model, so no factory ballast.

I have 3 of the WakeMaker reversible pump systems servicing the 900s in the lockers and a 475 bow bag.  I also will have a occasional use 250lb bag in the walkway that is plumbed into the bow bag.

I've got my pumps mounted, thru-hull fittings installed.  Haven't figured out how to run the feeds from the dash to the storage compartment where the battery is.  Any ideas on route and how to fish a wire through?

Link to comment

Thanks for the advice on the props. I finally was able to get the boat out on the water yesterday and discovered that it already has a 1235 prop on it. After reading yalls recommendations on here I was pretty dang excited to discover that. I ran the boat through a couple of different set ups and was very surprised how good the wake looked with no ballast or wedge. Now I have boarded behind a 1994 inboard/outboard for the last 20 years so just about anything is gonna look good compared to that. One thing that I was not expecting is how much affect people moving around in the boat had an affect on the wake. I am still planning on loading the boat with two 900 lb bags in the back and I have an additional 250 lb bag that I am planning to mainly put mid-ship or up front but I have a feeling I am going to need some dead weight that I can shift around rather quickly.

I have seen several of you guys on here talk about putting lead weights in your boat. What type of lead weights are these and where can I get them?

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Installed an 850 lb. Sumo Sack to even out the back this weekend. This was a little bit more of a chore than I thought it was going to be. Removing the hard tank was difficult then installing the hose on some of the connectors was a little difficult but they all seal well. 

Got to board behind it for the first time with the back sacks half full (900 lbs. total), the rest of the MLS filled and the wedge down. Started with a 75' line @ 24.2 mph. The wake curled a little over so sped it up a little. The wake was great but for the life of me I couldn't pull near hard enough to clear the wake toe side. I shortened the line to 70' and eventually sped up to 25.5 it was rideable but still not ideal on the toe side. Next time I go I think I am going to go 65' line at the same speed, I think that'll be the magic combo without having to speed up the boat too much.

I filled everything up and took a look at the wave for surfing. From what I saw once I get a surf gate this thing is going to be where it's at!

Thanks for all the help and advice.

Link to comment

Don't forget to use a GPS app to verify the speedo on the dash.  Old paddle wheels are notorious for being off, but are easily calibrated.   

Link to comment

I have a 04 LSV also... blk93jeepzj nailed it.

 

Tank buster kit is super easy to install, I went with 1100 lb bags, which is overkill.  I haven't replaced my prop, but I think it would really benefit the surfing performance (its does okay wakeboarding - we have the hammerhead engine).  The wave is pretty solid with front + mid full + 75% of our rears full + wedge + suck-gate.

 

For wakeboarding, I don't change much but pull off the suck-gate.

Link to comment
23 hours ago, blk93jeepzj said:

Don't forget to use a GPS app to verify the speedo on the dash.  Old paddle wheels are notorious for being off, but are easily calibrated.   

Yeah I have been thinking that it may be a little off myself. I have ridden a lot behind an X2 and 230 Maristar that was pretty well weighed down and would usually ride well around 23.5 mph with a 70' line. I know my boat is obviously going to pull different but I did not feel the line tension i felt I should at 25.5. I would say the speed is off by a couple mph. What app would you recommend?

Link to comment

Any free one works, or even a Garmin.  Just something to see how close or far off the paddle wheel is.   

Link to comment

Got to surf behind her for the first time this weekend. The set-up worked pretty good. I ran some tests with the wedge deployed and without the wedge deployed. The best wake I saw was without the wedge deployed. I'm thinking I am going to need some additional bow weight If I'm going to ride with the wedge. I was very pleased with the results though.

How do I post a picture?

Link to comment
44 minutes ago, TNWake said:

Got to surf behind her for the first time this weekend. The set-up worked pretty good. I ran some tests with the wedge deployed and without the wedge deployed. The best wake I saw was without the wedge deployed. I'm thinking I am going to need some additional bow weight If I'm going to ride with the wedge. I was very pleased with the results though.

How do I post a picture?

Become a paid member is the easiest way, you can then just drag and drop pictures into your post.  (And if you are wanting to add ballast, the discount to wakemakers will probably cover the membership).  

On my 04 I find that to get the right push out of the wake I need to use the wedge.  You can almost instantly tell if you forgot to deploy it.  

Link to comment
6 minutes ago, blk93jeepzj said:

Become a paid member is the easiest way, you can then just drag and drop pictures into your post.  (And if you are wanting to add ballast, the discount to wakemakers will probably cover the membership).  

On my 04 I find that to get the right push out of the wake I need to use the wedge.  You can almost instantly tell if you forgot to deploy it.  

Paid member here. Wakemakers discount codes come up often. But i dont see a place on the wakemakers site to enter a code. Am I missing something?

Link to comment
2 minutes ago, onewake09 said:

Paid member here. Wakemakers discount codes come up often. But i dont see a place on the wakemakers site to enter a code. Am I missing something?

In the checkout screen under the total is an "Add Coupon Code" button. 

In the discount area here, some members mentioned having issues with the code.  If so you may have to call them and place and order to use the code and get a discount.  

Link to comment
3 hours ago, blk93jeepzj said:

Become a paid member is the easiest way, you can then just drag and drop pictures into your post.  (And if you are wanting to add ballast, the discount to wakemakers will probably cover the membership).  

On my 04 I find that to get the right push out of the wake I need to use the wedge.  You can almost instantly tell if you forgot to deploy it.  

Are you running with any additional weight in the front? When I was running tests with the wedge the wake was cresting over a little bit. My goal was trying to get it to peak well with little crest. I am a rookie to the wake surfing game so I took the cresting as kind of a bad thing? I did notice the lack of push on the wake I was really having to keep my weight way out in front to stay in the pocket of the wake.

Link to comment
2 minutes ago, TNWake said:

Are you running with any additional weight in the front? When I was running tests with the wedge the wake was cresting over a little bit. My goal was trying to get it to peak well with little crest. I am a rookie to the wake surfing game so I took the cresting as kind of a bad thing? I did notice the lack of push on the wake I was really having to keep my weight way out in front to stay in the pocket of the wake.

Yes.  I have the stock tank (250#) plus a straitline 275# bag on the seats.  https://www.wakemakers.com/straight-line-big-bag-275-ballast-bag.html  It's big enough to add weight but a person can still sit on either side of it if they wanted too. 

Along with this I have around 100# of lead stashed in the bow.  1 35# brick and 2 30# bags of wheel weights.  I have 1 bag slipped up past the cup holders in the bow on each side.  Think I have enough room to add another bag on each side,  just got some more weights.   https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-12-in-Document-Bag-82012N11/203224009

So roughly 625# currently.  Don't always have to fill the 900's in the back all the way depending on the crew.  If too much weight in the rear the swim platform cuts into the wake and messes with the wave.  Think I will try and raise the swim platform to see it that helps.

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/21/2018 at 12:19 PM, blk93jeepzj said:

Yes.  I have the stock tank (250#) plus a straitline 275# bag on the seats.  https://www.wakemakers.com/straight-line-big-bag-275-ballast-bag.html  It's big enough to add weight but a person can still sit on either side of it if they wanted too. 

Along with this I have around 100# of lead stashed in the bow.  1 35# brick and 2 30# bags of wheel weights.  I have 1 bag slipped up past the cup holders in the bow on each side.  Think I have enough room to add another bag on each side,  just got some more weights.   https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-12-in-Document-Bag-82012N11/203224009

So roughly 625# currently.  Don't always have to fill the 900's in the back all the way depending on the crew.  If too much weight in the rear the swim platform cuts into the wake and messes with the wave.  Think I will try and raise the swim platform to see it that helps.

Thanks man. Got to ride a ton this weekend and mess around with moving people around in the boat. The best results I found was with 500+ pounds worth on the back seat with a person on the starboard bench directly over the internal cooler and a person sitting on the port side directly across from the driver. No extra weight up front except for the MLS bow fully filled. All bags filled with wedge down plus a new nauticurl device and this thing turned huge with a ton of push. I was able to comfortably ride about a ropes length behind the boat which I was very surprised with. Next time out I'm thinking of adding a little bow weight to this set up just to see if I get a little extra length on the wake but as of right now I am highly impressed.

Also the swim platform was cutting into the water but I didn't experience any negative effects from it. It could also be that I am still a rookie at surfing and don't know how that's affecting me yet.

It's now time to work on the surfing tricks!

Edited by TNWake
Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/14/2018 at 8:01 AM, TNWake said:

Installed an 850 lb. Sumo Sack to even out the back this weekend. This was a little bit more of a chore than I thought it was going to be. Removing the hard tank was difficult then installing the hose on some of the connectors was a little difficult but they all seal well. 

We’re you able to remove the hardtanks with out taking out the back seat?

Link to comment
12 minutes ago, cWonka said:

We’re you able to remove the hardtanks with out taking out the back seat?

Yes, I didn't think it was that hard at all but it's been over a year since I pulled mine. 

 

You have to wiggle the hard tank around a bit, it only comes out a specific way but I didn't have to take anything else apart to make room.  

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...