Ballast upgrade for 2013 Z1

[dmbisbest]

The boat is away for the winter so my winter research will be on the best ballast upgrade for my '13 Z1 with Pro ballast. I am looking to go bigger in the port surf side.

I do NOT want to mess with the bags in the front. I have heard that too much weight in the back will cause the wave to get very tall but extremely short. I have a few quotes around $700 - $800 installed as I don't really want to do it myself (and thus screw it up).

So my question, without having to change out the front bags, what bag works best in my Z1?

Thanks guys!

[JohnnieMo]

I also plan to get the Wake9 bags for both rear lockers and then cross drain and vent.

My Z1 is stock pro ballast and it's just not good enough.

I'd also like to get the new Vx brackets but I'm not sure Tigé will even sell them. I don't need the adjustable stuff, just the improved angle.

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[Dandy]

I will be putting a write up together on the upgrade that I did to our Z1 before we traded it within the next couple of weeks (time permitting). I took quite a few pics.

dmbisbest: You are correct, too big of bags does make a very tall/short wave. We installed the Wake9 bags and filling the port it was HUGE but SHORT. Adding some weight to the off side helped some (we only played around for 2 days with it before trading). I believe that it is possibly more weight then needed. FYI: I have some additional pumps/hose/fitting... that I had left from my install. I intended to give this to a TO if they purchased our old boat. If you want this stuff, you can have it. I would be happy to meet up with you sometime and give you an overview of the work for this project. It's not difficult, just time consuming. Just get everything ahead and set aside some time and you can possibly do this. I had the dealer add some additional thru-hull fittings, as I didn't want to drill them myself. Time permitting I would be willing to help you out next spring - pizza and quality margaritas generally covers my labor.

JMo - I honestly didn't feel the Wake9 bags were quite "as advertised". The fittings on the bottom of the bag are spaced different than the factory bags (closer together) This caused the fittings to rest on the floor instead of in the cutouts. Ragboys response was to turn the fittings so that they tucked into the bag and the column of water on top would not cause issue. This may be true, but I cut out a section for them to drop into instead of having the water weight on top of them. When full, they also pushed the side compartment wall into the engine bay. The compartment walls need to be reinforced - I was not expecting this from a custom bag. I will so some of this in my write up when I get time.

Good luck in your research. DM, I believe you have my email address, if not PM me and I will get my contact info to you if you would like some assistance.

[Wood]

If your gonna upgrade the rear bags to the wake 9 bags like I run or some other bag. You will need to add bow weight. We run 400# of lead. You can see the results on the wake 9 site. The new brackets make the goofy wave way more stable.

[dodgeman]

Where did you get the lead from Wood? Does any anyone know of a place in Canada to get it?

[JohnnieMo]

Thanks for that info dandy. I've heard less than ideal reviews on the wakemaker sacks too. Maybe the wake9 Z1 sacks aren't quite as good as the Z3 variants.

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[Wood]

Where did you get the lead from Wood? Does any anyone know of a place in Canada to get it?

LeadWake. Not sure about Canada. LeadWake is quality gear I would highly recommend it

[BCRider]

Dodgeman: You can always try the local tire shops to see if you can get the old wheel weights that they use and make your own bricks. I had a local customer that sold steel. I had him cut me these 4 bricks which are the same size and thickness of a block of photocopier paper. I then had a friend weld on handles and I then had them Rhino Lined. I've had them now for about 8 years and they are still holding up great. Each one weighs just over 50lbs.

[dodgeman]

Hey thanks for the info BC Rider and Wood. Going to look into both options.