MB's Ballast System

I just watched the video on MB's ballast system. No pumps, limited plumbing and wiring, quick to fill. It seems like a no brainer of a system. Why are others not employing similar systems.

Here's the link.

http://www.mbsports.net/accessory_vi...essory=ballast

I always wondered the same thing my Calabria has the same system it works great

1) there's a licensing fee associated with the use of the Pure Vert ballast system
2) The hull molds have to be reworked to create the voids for the below deck tanks. So you will likely see it on more brands as they come out with newer generations of a particular boat.

It is such a simple idea. All they are is RV waste gates. I had a Cal Air that one of them quit working on. I found the waste gate online at an RV supply place and bought one for $30 I think. It really is a great and simple system. Sooooo much better then pumps although If I bought an MB, Calabria or a centurion(they use it now as well) I would still add pumps and bags for surfing.

While searching for a buddies failed neutral switch on his saltwater run Nautique 230, which is on the top of the transmission not the old school throttle location, I kept staring at the three pumps and thinking about the potential failures and repairs. Anyone with a few years of boating can honor the beauty of simple. I love that ballast system.

The PureVert has been around since at least 2002...my Calbria ProV had the system. It worked great for adding that 1000ish lbs. I still, however, needed to add 600lb sack to my walkthru to optimize the wake. The shortcoming is twofold:

1) most hull designs start to sweep upwards from the helm forward, making it difficult to get enough weight forward to balance the boat when loaded. i am guessing you need a "cab forward" design (i.e. small bow) moving the helm and extra weight forward like I had on my ProV (which I liked...the bow is useless for how I use my boats). I could be wrong...I often am.
2) the "plug and play" systems that allow the piggy backing of sacks on top of pump filled tanks is a huge benefit for those of us that add additional weight. on my pump filled system I have 2150lbs of bags that fill on top of the factory 1000lbs with the flip of a switch and the enjoyment of a beverage. no additional work needed.

For the $600 in 3 Jabsco pumps, $500 in sacks, $300 in fittings/hoses/switches (all retail), MB would be brilliant to offer a "slammed" option of the aforementioned parts for that $1500...it may shift some market share, and since they pay wholesale, there would be a profit to be made....

Originally Posted by tdc_worm

For the $600 in 3 Jabsco pumps, $500 in sacks, $300 in fittings/hoses/switches (all retail), MB would be brilliant to offer a "slammed" option of the aforementioned parts for that $1500...it may shift some market share, and since they pay wholesale, there would be a profit to be made....

Centurion has a plug and play option on top of the 1,000lbs of Pure Vert (total around 2,200lbs). However, I believe MB's pure vert is 2,400lbs. My guess is that they do not want the liability of offering a boat with a ballast system more than that.

I agree the design is simple, inexpensive, & easy to fix issues. I've had cracked hoses & a short in the electrical in my Malibu & the problems are a drag to find & get fixed. Plus being a foil rider, I like the idea of Murphy retiring in style because he is making a few bucks off his inventions.

All that said the system does have it's shortcomings. Besides the bow tank issue, the boat owner needs to revise his thinking on how it all works to use it to his advantage. Filling while the boat is at rest is a given. But emptying AND ADJUSTING boat attitude has to be done while the boat is underway. Seems like it's not that much different than a system with pumps but it sure seems get to some guys.

Seems like a bow tank could be done in my Malibu pretty easily. The lowest part of the boat's hull is like right about where the driver sits.