Ballast Install Over Factory Tanks

[tnvolgrad]

I have a 2008 RZ2 with factory hard tanks in the rear and Tige decided to place the batteries in the vdrive locker causing a pain in trying to design a custom bag around it. The batteries are fiber glassed/carpeted and to make it aesthetically pleasing both the starboard and port lockers have the same constraint. This design issue has been resolved in the 2010 (maybe prior) models, but is a big constraint given number one it takes up a ton of valuable ballast space and secondly it is not load bearing.

Has anyone removed and repositioned the batteries in their boat? How have folks designed around this constraint? - see pics below.

[chpthril]

The sac would fit and probably fill to at least 75%, but it will sit really awkward on the battery box and I do not know what the weight of the water would do to the box. The box is not a structural component, it just covers the batteries. I have 3 workable options depending on ones wallet and how far they are willing to go in modifying the boat.

Option 1: Lay a W707 Seat Bottom sac in the floor of the storage locker in front of the battery box and let it stretch out under the seat. This will give you about 600# in addition to the factory 250# hard tank. Cheap and easy. It could be plumbed in to fill off the hard tank's vent, but would need its own drain pump.

Option 2: option 1, plus construct a shelf at the same height as the battery box that would extent from the battery box to the back of the seat. On top of the shelf would go a 400# v-drive sac. It will fill to about 300#, so that now an additional 900# on top of the factory 250#. For this setup, i would recommend doing a separate fill/drain system for these 2 new sacs. You could use a single reversible pump or a pair of aerator pumps.

For a single reversible, fill and empty at the lower W707 sac. As it fill and begins to overflow, it will fill the upper V-drive sac. Once its full, it purges out the vent thru-hull. With the pump in reverse to drain, the upper sac will just drain into the lower sac as the water leaves the lower sac.

For dedicated fill and drain aerator pumps, fill the upper sac and water flows down to the lower sac and drain the lower sac and gravity drains the upper sac.

Option 3: Yank out the factory hard tank, move the batteries back against the transom where the are in a Tige without the factory ballast, then rebuild the back wall of the locker and go with the custom.

Hope this answers you questions. Let me know if I can help further.

TN,

I'm sure you read my reply to this question in my other thread, and understand you are now looking for people that have actually dealt with this obstacle with pleasing results.

The only person I know that has done the tank removal/battery relocate and may have posted pics is tigeowners.com member Lee. He was the service manager at a former Tige dealership in TN. He now works for a Malibu dealer, and still pops in know and then. I will see if I can search and find some pics he may have posted.

I think Matt, the tigeowner.com Admin, is running the W707 Seat Bottom sac in his 07 (same configuration as yours) with good results, though I think he mainly wake boards.

Tigeowners.com member Nobody, has a bank of batteries taking up the floor space in both his v-drive lockers. He and I are kicking around the idea of building a false floor over the batteries that will hold a ballast sac. This upper sac will then gravity-feed down into to another sac that will on the floor under the seat storage. Similar concept as outlined above.

Tigeowners.com member Jbort has been running a W707 as a supplemental sac to the factory ballast in their 07, and they have been very happy with the wake. But, as most go, they are looking to upgrade. J is going to bring his boat up next month and we are going to do exactly what I described to you above.

Here is a pic of Jborts

[tnvolgrad]

Mike - thanks for being be such a contributor in this forum. At the end of the day I am going to find a workaround (e.g. Removing the obstacle or designing around it). In the interim I am going to press forward with a solid works design file for a smaller bag similar to the bag you worked on with rag boy. Nonetheless I'll be coming to see you soon for the final/tbd ballast set-up and audio upgrade.

Thanks again for your contribution to the forum.

[Ewok]

The wall in the back of the 09 and up tiges should be easy to build, it's just held on by those screws you see on the whit fiberglass at the top of the locker compartment and there is a small block of wood to stabilize the bottom of the wall.

[Ewok]

You might even be able to order that back piece from Tige.

[rushin]

Ewok-Moving the batteries like that above will not work for the 07/08 models because the ballast tank is there.

I would love to move my batteries aswell just because they are a pia to get in and out of that little compartment.

[Nobody]

TN,

I'm sure you read my reply to this question in my other thread, and understand you are now looking for people that have actually dealt with this obstacle with pleasing results.

The only person I know that has done the tank removal/battery relocate and may have posted pics is tigeowners.com member Lee. He was the service manager at a former Tige dealership in TN. He now works for a Malibu dealer, and still pops in know and then. I will see if I can search and find some pics he may have posted.

I think Matt, the tigeowner.com Admin, is running the W707 Seat Bottom sac in his 07 (same configuration as yours) with good results, though I think he mainly wake boards.

Tigeowners.com member Nobody, has a bank of batteries taking up the floor space in both his v-drive lockers. He and I are kicking around the idea of building a false floor over the batteries that will hold a ballast sac. This upper sac will then gravity-feed down into to another sac that will on the floor under the seat storage. Similar concept as outlined above.

Tigeowners.com member Jbort has been running a W707 as a supplemental sac to the factory ballast in their 07, and they have been very happy with the wake. But, as most go, they are looking to upgrade. J is going to bring his boat up next month and we are going to do exactly what I described to you above.

Here is a pic of Jborts

Nobody here.

This is correct! But work has me so choked I can find time to just take a picture or two. But yes....we have the same issue in our RZ4 and seek the same solution. I doubt I can get started on this (and stereo upgrade) till after new years.

[chpthril]

Mike - thanks for being be such a contributor in this forum. At the end of the day I am going to find a workaround (e.g. Removing the obstacle or designing around it). In the interim I am going to press forward with a solid works design file for a smaller bag similar to the bag you worked on with rag boy. Nonetheless I'll be coming to see you soon for the final/tbd ballast set-up and audio upgrade.

Thanks again for your contribution to the forum.

Sounds good. Let me know how I can help, post up or PM any time!

[Ewok]

Ewok-Moving the batteries like that above will not work for the 07/08 models because the ballast tank is there.

I would love to move my batteries aswell just because they are a pia to get in and out of that little compartment.

Ok, I thought the tanks were under the floor in the locker, so it's a different shaped tank and it is behind the false wall where my batteries are. Now I understand what the trouble is, i thought it was just the batteries in front of the rear locker wall. I guess Chp might be able to fab something or you might be able to order the newer factory floor ballast and rear wall, but i bet that would be a little spendy.

[majestic]

Is it possible to just rip the tanks out and install bigger sacs?

[chpthril]

Is it possible to just rip the tanks out and install bigger sacs?

Not in place of the hard tank, but pulling the tank out and returning the boat to what it would have been as if it did not come with factory ballast. Then one can go with just about any sac he wants.

[talltigeguy]

The wall in the back of the 09 and up tiges should be easy to build, it's just held on by those screws you see on the whit fiberglass at the top of the locker compartment and there is a small block of wood to stabilize the bottom of the wall.

Ewok,
I would not combine AGM and lead acid batteries as it will likely shorten the lifespan of both, unless you never have them combined under any circumstances. They discharge and charge at different rates and when combined, they take charge differently as well.

[majestic]

I guess thats what I meant to say! That just gave me an Idea to add some more weight to my boat. I have always thought after surfing the 2010's with the infloor tanks that my 08 could use about 250 more pounds in the back.

Chpthril,

What do you think about the idea of relocating batteries and getting some custom sacs for behind the wall? could I get another 250 lbs per side and either piggyback them with my custom surf sacs or they could fill on their own?

[chpthril]

I guess thats what I meant to say! That just gave me an Idea to add some more weight to my boat. I have always thought after surfing the 2010's with the infloor tanks that my 08 could use about 250 more pounds in the back.

Chpthril,

What do you think about the idea of relocating batteries and getting some custom sacs for behind the wall? could I get another 250 lbs per side and either piggyback them with my custom surf sacs or they could fill on their own?

Ok, just for chits and giggles, lets say that you where to put a 250# sac or tank back there. Moving the 90#s of battery out of there only nets you a 160# gain.

2nd, the factory tanks pretty much fill up the transom cavity as they are limited by the floor, the transom and the bottom of the transom activity storage. The inner sides of the two tanks nearly touch as well. So, even adding a sac, 250# would be it. Now, the tanks have an irregular shape to them as the have to mold around the front of the engine to clear it and if I remember correctly, part of the tanks actually hang over the bilge with no floor under them. If this is the case, the sacs would have no support and would need to have a shelf built.

For you, I would think that a few lead bags might the easiest, least space consuming and most cost effective way to supplement your current ballast.