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Bow Bag in 2018 21’ VLX


Rxgator

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Our new 21’ VLX we bought from Tommy’s cane pre equipped with the extra 850 lb plug and play bags.  We have been wakesurfing with all the ballast filled (approx 3600#) and the boat puts out a pretty nice wave. However when driving we have been putting two throw floats on the seat to act as a booster thanks to all the bow rise with 2700 lbs of that weight in the a** of the boat. Also this causes the zero off to not engage sometimes due to the boat being so vertical when driving. I was thinking of getting one of the Ronix or sumo 600 lb bow bags to run in the bow. Has any one had success with this on the bow rise and throttle? I know it will lengthen the wave but I am more concerned about the strain on the engine and safety of being able to see other watercraft. Also for reference the boat has the 6.2 L 410 engine. 

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Try it but be ready as it may ruin the wave.  I have a 21 vride and i run no bow bag because it is the only way the wave is decent.  Different hull i am sure so may not apply 

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You need weight on the front.  I would get a 800-1000 lb bag.  I run my vlx with 800-900 on the front.  with a pair of 900s in the rear.  At 400lbs on the nose, is too high.  Props are another thing that help level the boat.  I have a 2315 prop.  It helped a lot. It's a little bigger than the one that was on it.   You probably know, extra rear weight makes the wave taller and shorter.  More front weight makes it longer.  

 

Edited by Imracin68j
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Wedge is set 2-3 from left (ramp) also running 500lb stock hard tank in nose. Was also going to consider using lead wake bags to go easier on upholstery. Can get about six 50# bags for price of ballast bag with pump. 

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I had a 2017 21vlx last season, and can tell you a bow bag is absolutely needed if you are running PNP in the rear.  I had additional 550s in the rear and a 600# bow bag in mine and the wave was good.  You get much more bow rise on shorter boats when you add additional weight in the rear.  A bow bag will help not only keep the bow down, but will make the wave longer, larger, and have more push. It will also help get the boat to surf speed a little easier.

I personally would not put 500# of lead in the bow, because I trailer and have 500# of additional tongue weight would not be good.  Also, I don’t think there is room to hide all that weight in the bow, so you will end up having it on your seats anyway.  It would be just as hard idled not harder on your interior.  

 

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Ok so sounds like a bag is the way to go. The question is 1) has anyone noticed this causing damage to the upholstey and 2) RONIX or SUMO bag?

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I have the ronix 600lb telescoping bow bag. I like how fast it is to fill and drain but the pump is too big and clumsy. The bag also spills water in the boat and on me while putting it away. It will not cause any damage to the interior unless the area is dirty before laying out the bag. 

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Have you tried only filling the rears to ~50% and seeing how you liked the wave with a couple different wedge and speed settings?

I'm all for sacking out for the best wave if you're up for the fun and challenge, which has been my MO the last few years, but 850s in the lockers for the 21VLX seems really extreme for your dealer to have put in since it will take even more bow weight than normal to get the boat balanced. That's a lot more than even the new bigger Malibu's are running with the newer hulls and L-shaped locker tanks (2017+ 22/24MXZ,  2018 23LSV, 2019 22LSV). My local dealer is only putting in 475s in all those newer boats and everyone around here seems pretty happy with the setup, and some dealers are going with 550s. 

Since the 21VLX is a newer (2017+) hull and has the same new tanks, I'm guessing that just dropping some rear weight could produce a good wave while you decide on whether to get a bow sac.

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On 7/8/2018 at 7:57 AM, Rxgator said:

Wedge is set 2-3 from left (ramp) also running 500lb stock hard tank in nose. Was also going to consider using lead wake bags to go easier on upholstery. Can get about six 50# bags for price of ballast bag with pump. 

I use 10 50’s , 5-6 in front on top of cushions  all listed to surfing side on top of my 950 mushroom front locker sac. 4-5 in back same side listed with 850 rear surf side and 2-450 opposite side and 800 MLS with full wedge, yes you need bow weight to run that much rears and your barging it with 1700 in sacs on top of mls 

wakeboarding 800 MLS and wedge plus the 500 lead, we use 2 in bow , 5-6 split between left and right  in cabin compartments but 2 to 3 on floor of cabin we move around to customize the wake to make perfect on both sides depending on speed,  and who is driving me or  wife cause I’m 50-60 heavier than her driving.  We have s perfect no foam wake from 15-23 mph

wish I would have bought 500 in  35’s too move them around for day in water and to dry them out in sun while cleaning  boat to put away would have been easier

i move them a lot,  better than on cushion sacks and even with 5 per corner 500 total  on front cushions and with your front MLS tank? should be enough bow weight to counter your rear with less wedge than I run with auto set wedge. And there is still plenty of seating if that was necessary. They do not damage cushions and now you have big and long wave if you run enough wedge

if you want a big long wave with freaky push and recovery, LIST!!!

as the guy they made so much fun of sais “ A listed wave is a superior wave”. ask them to show you his wave , biggest ever on the site by vid, just have to become an excellent inboard captain to avoid bow swamps. Barging costs way more fuel with a surfgate.  It almost doubles my listed consumption, 4.5-6 gph to 9-12gph. Serious listings save lots of fuel for surfing. It also allows for more deep wedge deployment which is key to big and pushy

only problem with extreme listing is possible less water flow thru a cat.  Indmar mechanic said they use displaced or raising off  cat surface of the monsoon 3D stickers as a sign of this usage and if cooling failure occurred to listed/raised cat that they could void warranty coverage. My temp gauges don’t rise but my regular side cat sticker is raised and we surf more goofy 

Edited by granddaddy55
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I use a 1,000lb triangle fat sac in the bow of our 21VLX(550's in the rear). I typically only fill it ~60%. It makes a huge difference for bow rise and helps lengthen the surf wave. It really cleans up the wakeboard wake, which is what I primarily use it for.

I haven't noticed any issues with the upholstery other than occasionally pumping water all over. 

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I loaded up our bow bag the other night a little heavier than usual and the windshield was rubbing when trying to close. I'm assuming the extra weight was causing the boat to flex a little bit, putting pressure on that area. Just something to be aware of. I let some water out of it...

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