'08 Z1 with no factory ballast...where does a newbie start???

[Frosty_Power]

Hi guys,

Been out a few times with my new(to me) '08 Z1. This is my first boat I have ever owned(but have rented several in the past) and I am a newbie at all water sports but excited to try them all. I recently puchased my Z1 a couple months ago and have been out every weekend. Love it and more importantly, so does the family. Right now, my Z1 does not have any factory ballast to it and it came with 2 - 400lbs fat sacs that were laying in the corner lockers with a sumo aux plug in pump. We tried wake surfing for the first time last weekend and it was a blast. Wake wasn't anything great like all the vids and posts I've seen online that these boats are capable of doing. I just manually filled the corner that the rider was on(400 lbs). We eventually got up and riding but there was tons of spray off the back and the wake was washy and not clean. After reading a bunch of posts on here, I'm learning the Z1 likes weight in the front which will in turn lengthen the wake from what I have read. Next time out, I will place the other sac in the front bow floor and see if that make a difference. Any other recommendations to get a decent wake for a newbie boater? I am okay manually filling these as I am still learning everything but would like the best options for weighing the Z1 and what you guys are all using to get a nice clean wake for surfing. I was thinking of purchasing a 750 or 800lbs sac for the rear(combined with the 400 in the front - or both 400's) instead and trying that but I'd like to hear what everyone else's thoughts are(I've read a lot about weighing a 2013 Z1 but I think the hull is a little deeper on the newer ones).

Thanks in advance for your help!

[NICKYPOO]

An '08 with no ballast system is good thing. When it comes time to install a system, get ahold of Mike's Liquid Audio. His screen name here is Chpthril. He is the man and knows what he's talking about. I use him exclusively as do many on this forum.

I'm sure others will chime in with their setups. I won't be too hard getting a good one into your boat. I would recommend an FAE though if you plan on surfing.

[dodgeman]

Hey frosty,
I have 2- 750lbs sacs that I would sell if you are looking, would be cheaper than buying new.

[Iwndr]

X2 on Chpthril, he will set you up with all the hoses, pumps, thru-hulls switches, sacs..... ect..... I ran 1250# Enzo sacs in the rear compartments of my 08 and you won't get much more than 400# in the bow. You we will need all of that and peeps but it will give you a very surfable wave!

[mls6722]

An '08 with no ballast system is good thing. When it comes time to install a system, get ahold of Mike's Liquid Audio. His screen name here is Chpthril. He is the man and knows what he's talking about. I use him exclusively as do many on this forum.

I'm sure others will chime in with their setups. I won't be too hard getting a good one into your boat. I would recommend an FAE though if you plan on surfing.

I agree with Nikypoo - starting from No ballast is easier than upgrading a 2008 - Trust me, I had the factory ballast.
Chpthrl set me up with all I needed.

Here is my setup

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...8-22Ve-mls6722

[Frosty_Power]

An '08 with no ballast system is good thing. When it comes time to install a system, get ahold of Mike's Liquid Audio. His screen name here is Chpthril. He is the man and knows what he's talking about. I use him exclusively as do many on this forum.

I'm sure others will chime in with their setups. I won't be too hard getting a good one into your boat. I would recommend an FAE though if you plan on surfing.

Thanks for the info. Might be dumb question, but what's an FAE?

[Frosty_Power]

Thanks for the info. Might be dumb question, but what's an FAE?

Figured it out...goggle is my friend. Haha. Looks like another great addition to my boat.

[Bedwards]

Gratz on the new boat and welcome to the best site for Tige info! The members here are great! Any pics of your new boat?
Iwndr and jmoore are a great resource for cleaning up the older Z1 surf wake.
X4 on Chpthril. Great guy with tons of info and superb service.
And yes, the pre '13 Z1 has a narrower hull so ballast/speed/taps will be slightly different.
I still experimenting around with mine as I'm still a noob. You will almost def want a wave flap or plate to clean up the spray/wash for the older Z1.

[Tailwind]

Just completed my ballast upgrade in my 08 Z1 and and very happy with the end result. Spoke with Chpthril regarding the install and recommendations and he was very helpful!! I was pressed for time due to a boat trip and Chpthril was burried with other commitments thus I was forced to use an alternate source for materials. Thx again Mike for the guidance!
Ended up using Wakemakers for the install package and it was excellent. Not one trip to Home Depot, other than for a fresh drill bit. Used Flight High Sacs, 400 lb integrated sac in the bow and the Tige 84s in each rear compartment w005s, 930 lbs each. Johnson ultra reversible pumps thus one below the waterline thru hull fitting per pump and one overflow/vent per sac on the right side of the boat. Really am pleased with the system and got great advise from many on this forum!!! Wakemakers was very helpful as well. If You use Wakemakers, make certain you get the Tige owners discount code when placing the order. Feel free to reach out to me for any questions that you may have as I might have done a few things slightly different. One catch I got right before drilling holes was to be real careful about the speed wheel cause if you do not offset the thru hull just a bit, your Speedset can get a bit squirrelly on you at certain speeds and deck angles.
Project took about 8 hours with no assistance. A few more hours to clean up my mess and it was all good.
Hope this helps and I can sent pics of my install if you provide email address. Will take fresh pics for you as I will be changing my steering cable this next weekend thus floor and bench seat removed again.

T.

[Frosty_Power]

Gratz on the new boat and welcome to the best site for Tige info! The members here are great! Any pics of your new boat?
Iwndr and jmoore are a great resource for cleaning up the older Z1 surf wake.
X4 on Chpthril. Great guy with tons of info and superb service.
And yes, the pre '13 Z1 has a narrower hull so ballast/speed/taps will be slightly different.
I still experimenting around with mine as I'm still a noob. You will almost def want a wave flap or plate to clean up the spray/wash for the older Z1.

Here's a pic!!!

IMG-20140523-WA013.jpg

[NH Tige]

We have a '09 Z1 that didn't have any ballast initially. We got Fly High sacs: the W711 for the bow (650 lbs but doesn't fill all the way) and X2 W714 (455 lbs) for rear compartment. We have been very happy with our wake. This year, we decided to get the Tige 84" custom sac (930 lbs) for the rear along with the W713 (400 lbs) for the front walk way. I am having trouble dialing in the new wake. Any driving tips out there? We are planning on having a dealer install pumps over the winter so I do not have to pump them manually anymore. We just want to make sure we're happy with our wake before we have the install done.

[NICKYPOO]

Nice ride. It's even got a Samson on it. I'd rock that boat all day long.

[Bedwards]

Sick lookin Frosty!
@NH Tige- so far my fav set up (still playing around) is my stock standard ballast (900 lbs) 400 up front 250 under each rear locker plus a 950 in rear port from MLA, a 280 in offside rear and 360 lbs of lead in the bow. Tons of push. I still have a lip in the middle of the wave but I'm starting to get used to it. Speed 11 and taps at 1.5 to lengthen out. image.jpg