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Prop Suggestion for 2009 Wakesetter VLX with added ballast


Fish209

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I am getting a 2009 Wakesetter VLX and will be upgrading the prop. The boat now only has the factory hard tanks (250 pounds in each rear locker). I order the piggyback upgrade system from WakeMakers with 910 bags in each rear lock. This will give a total of 1,160 pounds in each rear locker. It has the factory Monsoon 350 engine.

 

if I had to put some %'s on how we plan to use it:

40% Surfing

40% just enjoying riding around the river/waterways (miles and miles of "Delta" here in Northern CA)

10% Wakeboarding

10% Tubing

 

I talked with the folks at WakeMakers and they suggest the ACME 2247 (so I placed an order for it). I also emailed ACME before speaking with WakeMakers and they just got back to me. They say the 2419 would definitely be a better prop for us than the 2247.

 

With this boat and these activities in mind, what would you suggest as the right prop for us?

 

 

THANKS!!!

 

Edited by Fish209
Corrected my mistake in the ACME model nummber
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I know that this is for prop suggestions (sorry for the thread jack) but you will need to plan for bow weight as well.  Boat will be too rear heavy if not.  60/40 split is what you will want to aim for as a starting point.  60% of weight in the rear and 40% mid to front.

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I was wondering about that :)

 

I believe factory ballast (anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) is 250 lbs in each rear locker, 350 lbs in the center, and 300 in the bow.

 

With the additional 910 in each rear locker that leaves me with 1,160 lbs in each rear locker, 350 lbs in the center, and 300 in the bow. so that's 2,320 in the rear and 650 in mid to front. No where near your recommended 60/40 split (if I fill the rear bags). Would you suggest not filling the rear lockers all the way or would I need to fill them to get a good surf wave (which would cause me to likely need more weight mid-front.

 

Thanks!!!

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IMHO, you need 2419 prop and at least a 600 lb if not 1000 lb triangle sac in the bow.  I have a 2013 23LSV and have the 2419 prop with the 350 monsoon.  We have 750s in the rear locker, 1000 in the bow and set for surfing is full factory 1350lbs, full rear bags, 1500 and 80 to 90% in the bow bag.  Surf wave is great and boat handles it well anywhere between 10.8 and 11.2mph depending on the rider. You will love the VLX.  If you are on a larger lake you might try the 2315 prop in lieu of the 2419.  If you are altitude above 2000 you will need the 2419.  All the best!

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Being on the delta you might even go 2313. 2313, 2315, and 2419 are all the same 15x12, just with different cup. 

With as slow as that piggyback system is going to be to fill, I doubt you’ll ever run those rear bags more than half full. 

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^^^^ what he said

but if I had to choose one I’d go 2315 but that would be a stump puller for your boat.

on my 14’ LSV (1k lbs heavier than the 2009) with the 350 I had both (2135, and 2419) and ran it pretty heavy. (900’s in the rear, 650 bow bag.

if you aren’t running a bow bag get the 2419. (But get the bow bag, it’s worth it)

 

 

C71DE7BE-075A-4530-AB32-52E2851DA677.jpeg

Edited by Stevo
  • Like 2
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@Fish209

What’s your budget for the ballast system as a whole?

things to consider 

1. Pulling the hard tanks out and running 2-750 or 900 sumo bags in the rear and a bow triangle.

2-cheap option over the side pump $150 with 4250gph . Pretty quick fill time but pain in the a$$ with hoses and cords. And 1 bag at a time.

2- if you don’t mind drilling holes in the boat you can save a few$$ by upgrading or adding additional aerator pumps. $45 each  for the 1100 gph but you need 1 fill 1 drain per bag to do it right. And that’s more hoses and fittings.

3- reversible plumbed set up , probably run you $1500-1700 based on the options you go with. 

but food for thought, after doing the thrown over pump thing for a year or 2, then upgrading my aerator pump system in my 2001, to then plumbing reversible ballast in my 2014 lsv. If you can swing it. A plumbed reversable system is by far the easiest on the water, just flip a switch and go.

 

 

Edited by Stevo
  • Like 2
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THANK YOU ALL!!!! OOPS....I said 2249 in my original post, but it should of said 2247. That is the one WakeMakers said was the right one for me and the one I ordered.

 

Now I'm confused :)

 

I thought the piggyback ballast upgrade system from WakeMakers was the way to go. I ordered and the ACME 2247 prop from them and it should be arriving today.

 

I talked with the folks at WakeMakers about which prop would be best for the way we plan to use this boat and they felt the because we will be cruising around about half the time and the other half watersports, the ACME 2247 would be a good mix for watersports and just cruising around enjoying the water.

 

I'm already over budget with the purchase of the boat and accessories/upgrades (ballast, prop, wakesurf boards, towables, etc...) :) . So I'd like to keep any other items I "need" down in price as much as possible. It sure sounds like I'll need some weight in the bow. I might just get a triangle fat sac or something similar. Or is there an inexpensive way to have it plumbed (maybe piggyback like I'm doing in the rear) to the bow ballast?

 

Is the ACME 2247 really not going to be a good option for my boat, weight, and the way we plan on using it? Would you guys recommend I send the 2247 back when it arrives and exchange it for a 2419?

 

THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!

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I run the 2249 and the 2247(spare) on my axis a20. I run alot of weight though. I tried the 2419 and the boat was screaming at any decent cruising speed. Hole shot for surfing was great but I didnt like turning 5k rpms at cruising. The 47 and 49 are basically the same prop, slight change in cup. Ive run both back to back and cant tell a difference. Do you have a bow ballast now? Anything under the front cushions? I run a 400 pound bag under the cushions and lead bags on top. Lead is nice because you can move it around easily. I have 500 pounds to play with. 

Edited by onewake09
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15 minutes ago, onewake09 said:

I run the 2249 and the 2247(spare) on my axis a20. I run alot of weight though. I tried the 2419 and the boat was screaming at any decent cruising speed. Hole shot for surfing was great but I didnt like turning 5k rpms at cruising. The 47 and 49 are basically the same prop, slight change in cup. Ive run both back to back and cant tell a difference. Do you have a bow ballast now? Anything under the front cushions? I run a 400 pound bag under the cushions and lead bags on top. Lead is nice because you can move it around easily. I have 500 pounds to play with. 

DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION!  NOT RELEVANT TO THE OP.

  • Like 2
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39 minutes ago, Fish209 said:

THANK YOU ALL!!!! OOPS....I said 2249 in my original post, but it should of said 2247. That is the one WakeMakers said was the right one for me and the one I ordered.

 

Now I'm confused :)

 

I thought the piggyback ballast upgrade system from WakeMakers was the way to go. I ordered and the ACME 2247 prop from them and it should be arriving today.

 

I talked with the folks at WakeMakers about which prop would be best for the way we plan to use this boat and they felt the because we will be cruising around about half the time and the other half watersports, the ACME 2247 would be a good mix for watersports and just cruising around enjoying the water.

 

I'm already over budget with the purchase of the boat and accessories/upgrades (ballast, prop, wakesurf boards, towables, etc...) :) . So I'd like to keep any other items I "need" down in price as much as possible. It sure sounds like I'll need some weight in the bow. I might just get a triangle fat sac or something similar. Or is there an inexpensive way to have it plumbed (maybe piggyback like I'm doing in the rear) to the bow ballast?

 

Is the ACME 2247 really not going to be a good option for my boat, weight, and the way we plan on using it? Would you guys recommend I send the 2247 back when it arrives and exchange it for a 2419?

 

THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!

YEAH, you do not want the 2247.  It's too tall to get those huge locker bags out of the hole without really lugging your motor (bad).  IMHO, it's those three props I listed that should be under consideration ... 2313 (least aggressive -- but still much more agro than 2247/2249), 2315 (the "go to" aggro prop), or 2419 (the most aggressive of the 15x12s).  

Regarding ballast -- that piggyback kit was state of the art... in like 2011.  Malibu significantly improved their own ballast system (basically with bigger hoses on their aerator pumps) since then.  I tried the piggyback kit on a 2006 vride back in 2011-12.  lots of frustration with that system... mostly due to being slow to fill, REALLY REALLY SLOW to drain, and to top it off, passive draining.  For do-it-once-do-it-right, as @Stevo indicated, for your generation of boat, reversible pumps are far and away the way to go.  Basically you set up a whole second ballast system for your additional sacks and leave the factory pumps to drain and fill the factory ballast only.  They fill fast, drain fast (sucking the bag "raisin empty"), are reliable, and avoid the passive draining and filling problems that aerators frequently have.  There are lots of write ups out there for this, but if @Fman's writeup is still out there, that's a great place to start.

Haha you can (a) take our word for it and spend more now but save money in the long run, or (b) do what we all did and stick with the piggyback system, try to convince yourself you're happy with it, and eventually start over with reversibles (spending the money twice).  I'd love to be an "a" kind of person myself, but I understand learning lessons the "b" way... because no matter what I say that's usually what I do.  

Edited by shawndoggy
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Thanks shawndoggy!!! If I'm willing to give up a little on the watersports side and get a little better prop for cruising, I'm assuming I should go with the least aggressive of the three you mentioned? The ACME 2313 then, right? None of us are going to be pro wake surfers. Just want a prop that gives us a wave we can all ride ropeless and one that will also work well while just cruising the water. Or because we are not that great at surfing, would that mean we would need all the help we can get from the prop?

I'm confused as each person has their own opinion on what would be the right prop. I'm get a different suggestion from Wakemakers (2247), a different suggestion from ACME (2419), and several different suggestions from the folks on this forum :)

 

As far as the ballast. I already have the piggyback ballast upgrade from Wakemakers (just arrived a few minutes ago along with the 2247 prop). What would be the real downside to slow fill/draining? Am I incorrect in thinking I can fill it while heading to the spot we'll be surfing, and drain it after we are finished and heading back in? If that's the case, I'm okay with it take a little longer to fill/drain to save some significant $$$ (talking the difference between $300-$400 hundred vs $1,500-$1,700 as stevo quoted).

 

THANKS AGAIN!!!

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8 minutes ago, Fish209 said:

Thanks shawndoggy!!! If I'm willing to give up a little on the watersports side and get a little better prop for cruising, I'm assuming I should go with the least aggressive of the three you mentioned? The ACME 2313 then, right? None of us are going to be pro wake surfers. Just want a prop that gives us a wave we can all ride ropeless and one that will also work well while just cruising the water. Or because we are not that great at surfing, would that mean we would need all the help we can get from the prop?

I'm confused as each person has their own opinion on what would be the right prop. I'm get a different suggestion from Wakemakers (2247), a different suggestion from ACME (2419), and several different suggestions from the folks on this forum :)

 

As far as the ballast. I already have the piggyback ballast upgrade from Wakemakers (just arrived a few minutes ago along with the 2247 prop). What would be the real downside to slow fill/draining? Am I incorrect in thinking I can fill it while heading to the spot we'll be surfing, and drain it after we are finished and heading back in? If that's the case, I'm okay with it take a little longer to fill/drain to save some significant $$$ (talking the difference between $300-$400 hundred vs $1,500-$1,700 as stevo quoted).

 

THANKS AGAIN!!!

real world butt dyno between 2313, 2315, and 2419 is going to be very little.  But 2247/2249 is VERY MUCH skewed towards cruising vs pushing weight (with your transmission).  Whether you are "pro" or not doesn't really change the impact that pushing weight has on your boat.

Yes, if it were me, on your hull, at sea level, I'd go 2313.  But that's a personal choice.  you can always split the difference between the 12 and 14.25 pitched props and go with a 2773 (15x13" pitch).  @ibelonginprison ran / runs this prop I think at similar altitude and pushes big weight.

Why do you want draining and filling to be faster?  So you don't have to wait long after putting the boat in the water.  So you can switch disciplines quickly (i.e. go from surfing to wakeboarding to surfing to tubing) without waiting to drain.  So you can surf all the way back to the ramp then quickly drain and pull the boat.  So when weather rolls in unexpectedly you aren't lugging extra ballast.  There are lots of reasons. 

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I guess I should ask how long can I expect the piggyback system to fill/drain? I was assuming it would be around 10, maybe 15 minutes? Can it fill/drain while on the move? Or does the boat need to be still while filling/draining?

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yes, you can fill and drain while on the move.  

I'm going to guess 15-20 min to fill and at least that to drain, with some shaking the bag and other efforts to break air bubbles as the bag sucks down.

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5 hours ago, onewake09 said:

I run the 2249 and the 2247(spare) on my axis a20. I run alot of weight though. I tried the 2419 and the boat was screaming at any decent cruising speed. Hole shot for surfing was great but I didnt like turning 5k rpms at cruising. The 47 and 49 are basically the same prop, slight change in cup. Ive run both back to back and cant tell a difference. Do you have a bow ballast now? Anything under the front cushions? I run a 400 pound bag under the cushions and lead bags on top. Lead is nice because you can move it around easily. I have 500 pounds to play with. 

Your 2017 Axis has a different transmission, iirc i5 is 1.79 to 1 ratio, and the 2247 prop for it is definitely too much for the 2009 transmission that is in the VLX which is 1.5 to 1 or very close to that. It’s too much pitch.  @fish209 will figure it out over time and I either change props or add a lot of bow ballast.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here was my review, fwiw. 
I still love it. It's a nice balance between cruising, and being able to load up and still plane out.
Granted - if I propped it down some more I could run more weight, more easily - but we have too many friends spread throughout the lake for us to run 4k rpm at 25mph. ha

https://www.themalibucrew.com/index.php?/forums/topic/59922-acme-2773-–-15”-prop-review-–-malibu-wakesetter-23lsv/

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