How should I install extra ballast in my boat???
 

Hello everyone,
I have been doing A LOT of research on this matter and I have browsed many ballast upgrade posts on this forum, but I was hoping some of you could help me make up my mind.

Essentially I am going to do a lot of this the same way, but I am wondering if I should do it the way FlyHIGH does it, using valves to route the input from the hardtank to the soft tanks, or the way WAKEMAKERS does it, using the hardtank overflows to fill the soft tanks. If I do it the FLYHIGH way with valves, I will splice the soft tank into the the hardtank overflow hose.

For example, in the picture below, it shows how I am going to route the hoses for the two forward bags. Where it says "To Manifold" that will either be FROM the overflow (vent line), or from a valve that routes water directly from the pump in the rear of the boat.

I was also considering using a valve for the front bags, and just the overflow technique for the rear bags.

I really appreciate any help/insight on this matter.

Thanks,
Chris

What would the advantage of the fly high way be? If your gonna fill the sacks then your gonna fill them all so it would seem like you wouldn't have a need for the valves. I just put my fly highs on the hard tank overflow.

Just do it from the overflow. I had mine installed with the valves (granted the guy who did it, did a hack job) only to have to pay an extra $500 (stupidity tax) to have it set up correct from the overflows. I don't know why fly high has those stupid things. Just one more thing to charge you for I guess.

Ben,

On my x-star my KGB overflow fills a 750# sac in the walkway (because I didn't want to give up my storage under the bow seats)
You can plumb it the same way for the rear sacs, but I chose to eliminate the hard tanks completely and just go with sacs in the rear (because the hard tanks on the X-star are too far forward)

Well I am not sure what makes the Fly High way better... thats what has me thinking. I guess the only bad scenario I can think of with the overflow method is that the sacs might not always drain into the hard tanks to be emptied?? Does that ever happen??

At this point I think I am for sure going to use the overflows for the rear sacs, but with all the hose for the front sacs, is gravity always enough to force the water into the center hard tank when draining?? Also, I had my center hard tank overflow kink last year causing a small crack in the hard tank. So to prevent this crack from getting worse I was thinking of just using the valves for the front bags. Unless I could find a way to fix the kinked hose for the over flow and patch the crack?? I guess I will just figure it out. I will be taking lots of pictures and posting a "how I did it" on here.
Thakns

The fill for my front sack under the bow seating is down low at the rear so draining has never been a problem. Same as the rear sacks. I pulled the bags out at the end of the season to dry out and there was no more water in them then were in the one I throw on the seat for surfing.