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2006 23 LSV - WakeMAKERS Piggyback Ballast Install


BCJohnsontx

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Hello everyone, 

I ordered the WakeMAKERS piggyback ballast setup for our new 2006 23 LSV Wakesetter. Its going to be a few weeks before delivery on this, but I wanted to see if anyone else here has installed this kit and has any advice on the installation.?

Also, curious if anyone else has installed this on a similar year boat with good results? 

We can rope surf the wave on the factory ballast, but its pretty poor since very little of the boat is underwater it seems. We are having some more "husky'er" people come out with us this weekend and I plan on getting the boat loaded down with fuel, beverages, and people ballast on the surf side to see what we can do for the wave. I am also going to DIY a Harbor Freight wakegate. 

This is picture below is the size of the current wave running factory ballast only, wedge all the way down, at about 11mph.

Screen Shot 2020-06-09 at 1.49.50 PM.png

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I followed the YouTube video below. The added weight will greatly improve your surf wave but you will likely need to add some bow weight to counterbalance things. I have a 2011 LSV and throw 300-400lbs of lead up there on top of the factory ballast depending on how big of a crew we have on the boat. This is my first season with the piggyback system and overall I am very pleased with the operation. It takes just under 14 minutes to fill everything and a little less than that to drain it so it's not the fastest system out there but it suits my needs. Install wasn't bad at all but feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions. WM support staff is also awesome to work with if you run into any technical difficulties.

 

 

 

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Thank you @statefan. I am really looking forward to getting this system installed as soon as Wakemakers can get my order completed and shipped to me. (still on backorder). I tried surfing the wave again this past weekend with a boat full of people on the surfside and a full tank of gas and the wave was better, but still not good enough for me to drop the rope and stay on the wave. (possibly rider error too of course!) Thanks for the video too.

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1 hour ago, BCJohnsontx said:

Thank you @statefan. I am really looking forward to getting this system installed as soon as Wakemakers can get my order completed and shipped to me. (still on backorder). I tried surfing the wave again this past weekend with a boat full of people on the surfside and a full tank of gas and the wave was better, but still not good enough for me to drop the rope and stay on the wave. (possibly rider error too of course!) Thanks for the video too.

Happy to help. Another thing you can try in the meantime is slowing your speed a bit and raise your wedge a couple clicks. That should steepen your wave some and might make it easier to catch. Try between 9.8-10.2 if you haven't already. 

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I have a 2006 23LSV and I installed a complete wakemakers ballast system 2 years ago.  900lb bags in each locker, 450lb(?) bow bag, and a bag under the center cushion in the bow.  Each with its own pump and switch on the dash.

The install took some time.   I had to drill the hull and install the ports for the pump intake and vents.  Also had to run the wires from the pumps to the dash which was not fun.  

The kit itself was great.  The wires were cut to the proper length, the connectors are solid and easy to work with.  If you are adding new pumps in the engine compartment, I suggest you take the time before your kit arrives to do a muffler delete.  It will save you lots of time and headache, and makes changing the impeller much easier.

My wave is great.  We still wakeboard more than we surf, but we can surf with no rope with a minimal crew.  My daughter has been wanting to surf more this summer.  If that continues,  I will be adding a GSA kit this winter.

I hope your kit arrives soon and you can get it dialed in.  Keep us posted.  Always nice to see somebody with the same boat and how they upgrade it.

 

  • Like 1
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1 hour ago, kylesullens said:

I have a 2006 23LSV and I installed a complete wakemakers ballast system 2 years ago.  900lb bags in each locker, 450lb(?) bow bag, and a bag under the center cushion in the bow.  Each with its own pump and switch on the dash.

The install took some time.   I had to drill the hull and install the ports for the pump intake and vents.  Also had to run the wires from the pumps to the dash which was not fun.  

The kit itself was great.  The wires were cut to the proper length, the connectors are solid and easy to work with.  If you are adding new pumps in the engine compartment, I suggest you take the time before your kit arrives to do a muffler delete.  It will save you lots of time and headache, and makes changing the impeller much easier.

My wave is great.  We still wakeboard more than we surf, but we can surf with no rope with a minimal crew.  My daughter has been wanting to surf more this summer.  If that continues,  I will be adding a GSA kit this winter.

I hope your kit arrives soon and you can get it dialed in.  Keep us posted.  Always nice to see somebody with the same boat and how they upgrade it.

 

Thank you @kylesullens. My 2006 boat thankfully already has factory ballast plumbing and wiring for the Bow, Center, and Port and Starboard areas. I am adding the piggyback kit which should just plugin without any additional pumps being added. Great news to hear that the kit helped create a better surf wave. We primarily bought the boat with the idea to surf, so I am hoping to get it dialed insoon. 

Not to hijack my own thread, but I am very curious about the muffler delete and how much that affected the overall noise from the boat and the exhaust fumes, etc. I never thought about pulling that out?

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4 hours ago, BCJohnsontx said:

Thank you @kylesullens. My 2006 boat thankfully already has factory ballast plumbing and wiring for the Bow, Center, and Port and Starboard areas. I am adding the piggyback kit which should just plugin without any additional pumps being added. Great news to hear that the kit helped create a better surf wave. We primarily bought the boat with the idea to surf, so I am hoping to get it dialed insoon. 

Not to hijack my own thread, but I am very curious about the muffler delete and how much that affected the overall noise from the boat and the exhaust fumes, etc. I never thought about pulling that out?

the noise difference with the muffler delete is slight at best.  I also added an FAE at the same time, which results in a quieter ride at all RPMs, and zero exhaust fumes behind the boat.  Probably the best mod I've ever done.

FAE sells a muffler delete kit which is very convenient.  I have access to fabrication equipment, so I made my own out of some stainless tube that I got on Ebay. Either way, I recommend the delete and the FAE tailpipe kit.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Finally received my WakeMakers piggyback kit and installed it this weekend. I need to give a shoutout to WakeMakers on the design and kit. It was way easier to do the kit than to figure all of the hose lengths, fittings, etc out myself. We were able to test out the ballast all day Saturday and it made a HUGE difference. This is the first time I have ever been able to surf rope-less behind the new boat. I am hoping to figure out the exact setup for weight, middle, bow, wedge, speed, etc to make it better and I hope to eventually get my DIY suckgate to stick to the boat!

Couple of questions:

1. Bag fill and drain time is painful at 15-20 minute fill per side. Seems like there would be a setup where you could divert both pumps to fill one bag when you wanted to. Anyone try that yet?

2. The bags seem to be trapping lots of air when bag gets 1/2 --> 3/4 full. The bag is very hard and seems pressurized but its not all the way full of water? Anyone here experience the same or is this just the design? I reach out to WakeMakers to ask as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screen Shot 2020-07-13 at 3.35.56 PM.png

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On 7/13/2020 at 4:39 PM, BCJohnsontx said:

Finally received my WakeMakers piggyback kit and installed it this weekend. I need to give a shoutout to WakeMakers on the design and kit. It was way easier to do the kit than to figure all of the hose lengths, fittings, etc out myself. We were able to test out the ballast all day Saturday and it made a HUGE difference. This is the first time I have ever been able to surf rope-less behind the new boat. I am hoping to figure out the exact setup for weight, middle, bow, wedge, speed, etc to make it better and I hope to eventually get my DIY suckgate to stick to the boat!

Couple of questions:

1. Bag fill and drain time is painful at 15-20 minute fill per side. Seems like there would be a setup where you could divert both pumps to fill one bag when you wanted to. Anyone try that yet?

2. The bags seem to be trapping lots of air when bag gets 1/2 --> 3/4 full. The bag is very hard and seems pressurized but its not all the way full of water? Anyone here experience the same or is this just the design? I reach out to WakeMakers to ask as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screen Shot 2020-07-13 at 3.35.56 PM.png

IMG_8218.jpeg

IMG_8217.jpeg

IMG_8212.jpeg

 

There is an upgrade to this system that adds a few Y connectors and an extra pump wired to your rocker switch which will speed up fill and drain times.  

 

This

https://www.themalibucrew.com/index.php?/forums/topic/73596-piggyback-options-more-alternatives/

Edited by Zippymbr
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