Ballast Help... 21V for surfing

[pconnealy]

OK...So I'm new to the world of Tige. I grew up slalom skiing behind an American Skier and my wife's not the biggest fan of direct drive boats when we're not skiing the course. So we opted for something a little more versatile that you can cruise around on and do water sports. We picked up a 2001 2100V LE and I very happy our decision. We picked up a wake surf board initially as a novelty (razor CWB) and has give us something to do after we get our morning workout in skiing.

We have picked up wake surf and both of us can surf without the rope but only for a couple of minutes using only the two 250# sacs that came with the boat. Needless to say our boat is nowhere near dialed in. Our wake is not very clean and only seems to have enough push directly behind the boat let say 2 feet off the swim platform. Does anyone have/had this boat and can tell me what their set up is for a crisp long curl on both sides of the wake (I'm the only goofy footed rider).

Questions:

1. How much ballast should we start off with and where?
2. What brand should we go with?
3. Best pump to use since I have to switch sides frequently?
4. Do I want weight on both sides of boat (just more on the side the surfer is on)?
5. Is the goal of ballast for wake surfing to drop the boat until the rub rails are touching the water while boat is not moving?

Sorry about the long post and thanks for the help.
Phil from KC

[363coupe]

I have a 2000 21V and I installed a Fly High 750# sac on each side of the engine and a Fly High 650# bow sac. I used 3 Johnson impellar pumps and I'm very happy with it. As alwasy, I wanted a bigger wake so last week I ordered 2 500# bags that I set on the surf side (one front & one back) and now the wake is huge!

[Fiveflat]

1100# sac in the rear locker
400# sac on the floor against surf side seat
400# sac in the hallway not filled completely

Add a smattering of people and you should have this:



I had this when I really over weighted it... not near as bad as the picture makes it out to look though

[chpthril]

Phil,

1) As we learned to surf back in 06, we realized that technique and the board had a whole lot to do with how easy it is to go ropeless. But the right amount ballast makes it better. I would concentrate on building a wake with enough height and push first, then work on extending it. Speeding up and adding bow weight will lengthen the pocket, but at the same time, they will take away some of the height and push. Height and push are what beginners need the most.

2)Fly High are the best, mainly due to thier availability of fittings. They also have a huge selection of standard sacs as well as semi custom sacs. They make all thier sacs in house, so we can also do any custom sac we need to fit a particular need.

3) If you are going to plumb in an automated system, then there are lots of pump options. For those that are manually filling, the Fly High W709 Pump kit is the best route to go. Its a 1200 GPH pump that come with an 6ft hose and a 10ft power cable with ACC plug. The pump also includes the needed fitting to mate with the Fly High sac fittings. For those that switch sides, frequently, I recommend 2 pump kits. This allows you to have one draining while the other is filling. This cuts you time down to 5-6 minutes, depending on the size and number of sacs.

4) i'll let those with experience with the 21V field this one, but I think most only run weight on thier surf side.

5) This seems to be a rule of thumb that works for a lot of boat models.

[pconnealy]

Thanks you everyone for your replies... Chpthrl I just went out and got the pump you suggested and a 900# straight-line V-sac. Where should I start the two 250#I already have? In the walkway or adjust until I can get the rub rail to touch the water. Also how far up the boat should the rub rail keep touching the water or does it only have to touch in the back corner? Thanks.

[pconnealy]

What are some of the names of reputable internal aftermarket ballast system for someone who switches sides a bunch?

[pconnealy]

Fiveflat -- last picture you posted has the boat on a pretty drastic lean... is that what I should be shooting for?

[chpthril]

What are some of the names of reputable internal aftermarket ballast system for someone who switches sides a bunch?

Dont have to look any further then this thread

[363coupe]

Thanks you everyone for your replies... Chpthrl I just went out and got the pump you suggested and a 900# straight-line V-sac. Where should I start the two 250#I already have? In the walkway or adjust until I can get the rub rail to touch the water. Also how far up the boat should the rub rail keep touching the water or does it only have to touch in the back corner? Thanks.

You wont have the rub rail in the water with (2) 250# and (1) 900# sac. I have to fill 2,500# worth of ballast plus 4-5 people on the surf side to get the rub rail in the water. In this pic there's 2,100# of ballast plus 2 people in the boat and the rub rail is about an inch from the water.

[Fiveflat]

Fiveflat -- last picture you posted has the boat on a pretty drastic lean... is that what I should be shooting for?

No, as I said; that was a time I had it a bit over weighted.

The photo of the white 21V is about how much list it'll have with the weight I mentioned before.

[Ptown]

What are some of the names of reputable internal aftermarket ballast system for someone who switches sides a bunch?

For an automated ballast system, fly high pro x is really the only option because they have so many fittings. Chpthril can get you anything you need.

For portable ballast that you fill with a plug-in pump, straight-line becomes an option too. The fly high sacs are much thicker material though.

Those are pretty much the only companies.

[Dan and Christy]

What are some of the names of reputable internal aftermarket ballast system for someone who switches sides a bunch?

You ARE talking to the premiere ballast guru in Chpthril! He has vast amounts of knowledge and great prices on all the parts/pieces. Done and done

[laserfish]

surf wave

adjusted 2.jpgIf you can get the rubrail in the water, your wave will be great. Our 21v responds best to weight from the v locker to the driver. If we have the peeps, we put one up front on the surf side. We only have a 400 and can surf wireless with only the driver in the boat. My grandmother of 2 wife demonstrating this. Only granddad and 400 on board.

[Ewok]

What are some of the names of reputable internal aftermarket ballast system for someone who switches sides a bunch?

The problem with aftermarket systems is that they are all custom, and you should be able to do yours yourself with a little help from Chpthrill and the Tigeowners.com (TO). Chpthrill and others helped me design and fine tune my ballast system which I added to the basic factory system. Let us know your overall goals for the project and your budget and Chpthrill will be able to get you just about everything you need in a box or two and ship it to your door. He also answers his phone and returns emails quickly too if you have any problems with the install. My wife was amazed at how quickly I got my ballast installed thanks to Chpthrill helping me make a good plan.

Here is the thread I started about my install. Notice the dates, Chpthrill was very patient with me, I had sort of been planning for this install for over a year.

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16220

[glassmaker]

The problem with aftermarket systems is that they are all custom, and you should be able to do yours yourself with a little help from Chpthrill and the Tigeowners.com (TO). Chpthrill and others helped me design and fine tune my ballast system which I added to the basic factory system. Let us know your overall goals for the project and your budget and Chpthrill will be able to get you just about everything you need in a box or two and ship it to your door. He also answers his phone and returns emails quickly too if you have any problems with the install. My wife was amazed at how quickly I got my ballast installed thanks to Chpthrill helping me make a good plan.

Here is the thread I started about my install. Notice the dates, Chpthrill was very patient with me, I had sort of been planning for this install for over a year.




http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16220

X2....

chpthrill actually did my ballast install and I started with nothing from the factory. He explained all the options and was quick to answer with any questions I had. I was so impressed with his customer service I drove the boat over two hrs to him to perform the install. This is not an option for you but after reading all the threads and seeing what was done I think I could have done it myself....was just a little worried..

chpthrill also did my tower speaker upgrade...he has many talents and again the customer service is top notch....I will always check with him first before I go anywhere else....