recently purchase r20 - need ballast help

[mseaway2013]

Hello everyone - very excited to get out in my newish 2011 R20 - couldn't pass it up...only 35 hours - love the boat! The only issue is it does not have surf ballast..what does everyone recommend - buy additional tige ballast from my dealer or go aftermarket? I want to have it ready for the summer so now is the time to get it prepped while sitting in storage. Any advice would be great...I have seen some different ballast from wakemakers..waiting for some pricing from my dealer..any advice would be really helpful!

[boardman74]

Depending on what you want to do there are many options. I would suggest against buying from the dealer because of cost. Buying thru Tige parts is expensive. There are plenty of places to buy bags way cheaper. Pm member chpthril on here. He is a dealer and installer of ballast systems and will be able to answer any questions you have and more!!

To help us answer what do you plan to do? Plumb in or fill with throw over pumps? How much weight are you looking to add?

[JLG]

I'm in the process of ordering my ballast from member chpthril on here he has a store called mikesliquidaudiol.com and sells all the needed supplies. He is very helpful and will be cheaper than wakemakers or most other sites. There are several members that have done ballast installs with excellent pictures and instructions on here so do a search for ballast setup and should be able to find something. Member skippabcool has a great install on here and is knowledgeable with ballast installs. Those are just a few of the guys that have helped me with my 22ve, but again do a search in the ballast section and you will find the info you need.

[chpthril]

Thanks for the plugs Boardman and JLG, much appreciated.

mseaway,

Does your R20 have the base level ballast? I would suggest going with a larger sac then the OEM 350 lb surf sac. If you do some searching, you will quite a few owners have pulled their OEM surf sacs in favor of more ballast. There's actually a set for sale right now and i know ive seen other threads with them for sale.

If you boat has the base level ballast, have a couple of options. 1) convert the plumbing to the surf/pro level plumbing for the new sac addition. Slow to drain and fill do to the added capacity, but simple and effective. The Fly High W005 would be a good sac choice. 2) give the new sac its own drain and fill plumbing. Faster fill and drain time, but more involved of an install and a bit more of an investment.

[Iwndr]

Plug #3 on Chp! He will set you up the right way at the best price

[mls6722]

Mseaway, welcome and congratulations on your R20. I would say the same as boardman about skipping the dealer. If you check the ballast builds on this site and ask the other R20 owners, you will have many options. I also bought my pumps sacs and misc stuff from Chpthrl. He and several members helped me refine my design. There is nothing too technical about adding ballast but you do have the option of having a professional do the installation. Again, this site can help you find the right shop. I am very happy with a fully built in system, but I did surf my first year with a manual fill system with a 750 lb sack in my 22Ve.

[Z3CO23]

I agree with everything said here... get the bigger sacs, the 350 OEM sack is not enough.

[racerdave]

i got 1500lbs extra weight in mine it does great

[topaz surfer]

Hit up chpthril for your stuff. He has always help many others. Also look up squids wake he has that boat dialed

[mseaway2013]

Hello everyone - thanks for the great info I sent a PM to chp and am looking forward to getting some sacks purchased - want this boat ready for the summer! Found out more info in one night than I ever needed - this forum is excellent and glad to be a tige owner!!

[bherrm]

I have a 2011 RZR - the surf wake rivals a few of my buddys boats that are bigger... Im about to add the covex VX hull if i can get around the cost of it since its gonna have to be retrofitted for my year...

But as for ballast, i have a Surf Enzo custom sac that is 1800 pounds in the surf side locker.. I have the stock 350 in the other side, and im not sure, but i dont think an R20 has the 150 hard tanks in the rear that i have. The most important thing for you will be weight upfront... I replaced my horseshoe bag (about 500 pounds) with TWO 550 pound sacs... i did some work to connect the two at the very front of the bow and ported an airvent there.. I know i dont get the full 1100 up there but the bags fill the area really well... i got those two off ebay for real cheap...

Needless to say the surf wave is absolutely incredible, but it has alot of list and the front is slammed to a dangerous but awesome level. THE WIFE STILL DRIVES THIS BOAT believe it or not.. It takes a experienced driver to do this, but i would recommend it to anyone that is wanting to really get after it....

Shoot me a PM if u have questions but CHPTHRIL will also know what to do...