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Ballast??


VLXRonnie

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I know that this type of thread has been almost beaten to death, but you have newbies like me hittin' up the wealth of knowledge on TMC. How's that for kissing A$$...

My question involves the bow ballast tank. Unfortunately, I purchased my boat off the showroom floor and it came without the bow ballast. I know I could get the POP sacks or the integrated bow sack that fits under the bow seats but, I am still in the research mode now. I called the Malibu Service center in Sacramento and they told me that it is not possible to add it after the fact. Is there any truth to that, or is it just a PITA. Correct me if I am wrong, IIRC isn't the bow ballast just a hard tank that fits under the front seats? Dontknow.gif Barring the storage under the seats, if I were to purchase a tank would it just fit right there? My whole hope is to some how integrate it into my MLS system so I could manage it from the display screen on the dash. Help.gif

Thanks,

Ronnie

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I think it could be done.

From going to the factory, I know they cut out the center section of the walk-through fiberglass. Then they wall it up to cover the section of the front side of the tank to the level of the bow cushions. Other obvious connections would be the intake and the through-hull, wiring, hoses, appropriate switch, and all they do is carpet the top of the tank. I might be missing something other than highly detailed instructions but I really do think it's possible.

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Footin-a, a member of this site, did this conversion on his '01 VLX. It came out looking factory. He cut out the inner walls "between" both sides of the walkway, plopped it in, slipped a carpeted panel on the back side of it & added water.

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I think it could be done.

From going to the factory, I know they cut out the center section of the walk-through fiberglass. Then they wall it up to cover the section of the front side of the tank to the level of the bow cushions. Other obvious connections would be the intake and the through-hull, wiring, hoses, appropriate switch, and all they do is carpet the top of the tank. I might be missing something other than highly detailed instructions but I really do think it's possible.

i beleave that you covered everything there. one thing though, what about the BMS on the dash. i do not know how that screen looks without having the front ballast because i have the front ballast. but that was the only thing that you did not cover. but i am sure it will be able to be done. IF THAT MAKES ANY SINCE. Biggrin.gif

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Its only 350# anyway...so you could throw a 600# up front atop and be ahead. BUTT: You wouldn't have integration, which I presume is what your going for.

Take care,

AFAIK, Malibu put the kabash on dealers doing this after a boat has left the factory. You can't even order the tank anymore. I think that Footin's boat was one of the last.
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AFAIK, Malibu put the kabash on dealers doing this after a boat has left the factory. You can't even order the tank anymore. I think that Footin's boat was one of the last.

You're correct. Malibu did ban dealers from doing this.

Don't we just LOVE attorneys?

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AFAIK, Malibu put the kabash on dealers doing this after a boat has left the factory. You can't even order the tank anymore. I think that Footin's boat was one of the last.

why would they do that? :)

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AFAIK, Malibu put the kabash on dealers doing this after a boat has left the factory. You can't even order the tank anymore. I think that Footin's boat was one of the last.

why would they do that? :)

It takes away a lot of factors when it comes to warranty, & I would suspect that warranty claims on ballast issues have a pretty high rate of occurrence. If they limit it to only factory installs, they can narrow down how something was done.

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That's too bad. Damn attorneys are ruining the world. Vomit.gif Looks like I will just add the POP bags. IIRC you could just stuff them between the sides of the hull and the seats and they are somewhat out of sight. Just need to remind myself to remove them before I trailer her home. Thanks everyone for them help. If anything changes I know it will find its way onto this forum.

Ronnie

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AFAIK, Malibu put the kabash on dealers doing this after a boat has left the factory. You can't even order the tank anymore. I think that Footin's boat was one of the last.

why would they do that? :)

It takes away a lot of factors when it comes to warranty, & I would suspect that warranty claims on ballast issues have a pretty high rate of occurrence. If they limit it to only factory installs, they can narrow down how something was done.

one would think that Malibu would just limit it to a dealer install item only...I would think that if the mechanics are qualified to work on warranty issues they could also accomplish an install of a ballast tank. JM2C

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Well, you are in NorCal.....as a last ditch effort, did you try calling Malibu and see if they themselves would do it. I'm not bettin on it but hell, why not try?

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Well, you are in NorCal.....as a last ditch effort, did you try calling Malibu and see if they themselves would do it. I'm not bettin on it but hell, why not try?

that is a good idea, you could try. who knows it just might work. Biggrin.gif

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Well, you are in NorCal.....as a last ditch effort, did you try calling Malibu and see if they themselves would do it. I'm not bettin on it but hell, why not try?

Interesting thought...I will have to give Malibu in Merced and call. I will not holding my breath though...I will keep u posted...

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Ronnie, You have the VLX right? Come by the house and look at my tank. Looks like the whole boat would have to be disassembled. Just throw the bow sack up front. You will lose the storage but what do you really keep up there. All I have up there is an anchor. How did the system turn out?

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Well, you are in NorCal.....as a last ditch effort, did you try calling Malibu and see if they themselves would do it. I'm not bettin on it but hell, why not try?

I called Malibu factory in Merced, CA and they reiterated what Wakegirl said. They just don't recommend it. Even if they would do the retrofit at the factory they don't have the time to do it. Something about putting out 9 boats a day. :( Maybe I should just trade '06 in for a new '07 model... Drool.gif Who am I kidding that's just Crazy.gif talk!

Ronnie, You have the VLX right? Come by the house and look at my tank. Looks like the whole boat would have to be disassembled. Just throw the bow sack up front. You will lose the storage but what do you really keep up there. All I have up there is an anchor. How did the system turn out?

The system came out sweet. I just need to build a box to fit in the driver side foot rest area. Everything is wired and powered up, I just need to build that damn box. I have been just toooooo lazy. Oh BTW Valero is hiring again if you were still interested. Call my cell if you would like details. But from what I've been reading is sounds like you business is starting to take off. I think I will take you up on your offer to come look at yours. I will call you tomorrow. I am in the area playing Air Force Commando anyway...

On a separate note, does anyone know how the ballast monitoring system works. If I were to add the integrated bow sack, would I be able to connect it somehow to the MLS system. Meaning I would like the display to indicate how full the bag is. Assuming I hard pipe everything and make it automated. I would think that if it was just some type of float or level displacer this could be possible.

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