Another 205V Custom Ballast Install - Pics

I posted them to my Wakesiderides profile:

http://www.wakesiderides.com/rides/index.php?page=out&id=2282

Nice work!

whats the deal with the nerf footballs?? Dose this system need a seperate pump for pump out or are you using a 2 way pump??

Erik,

one question.. when can you come to PHX and do my 07 Enzo.. I added 2 Fat Sac 750# to the ski locker and want the hooked into the stock ballast.

lol

Very cool!

Just to make your life a little easier if you ever have to do this again in the future. Or if somebody else is reading the thread that is considering it. You don't have to get exact on the cut outs for those switches.

Lots of places sell prefabbed billet plates with carling switches in them. Most of them will engrave the plate with what ever you want it to say. In this example though, they already say "Port / Starboard / Center" etc..

http://www.danamarineproducts.com/GroupCatProducts.cfm?CatId=175&group_id=2&page=1&C FID=312465&CFTOKEN=16056506

Bildge Dumps, annodized, powdercoated or polished.

http://www.danamarineproducts.com/GroupCatProducts.cfm?CatId=3&group_id=2&page=1&CFI D=312465&CFTOKEN=16056506

And before someone suggests it..

No I don't work for Dana. LOL

BTW, if you call them I'm pretty sure they custom make some billet panels for a couple of smaller wake boat mfg's, so they might already have some that say "Port Ballast" etc.. in stock with circuit breakers in them.

RD

(Message edited by riverdave on June 05, 2007)

(Message edited by riverdave on June 05, 2007)

Phillip,

I needed something for shock absorbtion and support from the bottom, otherwise I was worried about too much stress on the hole in the hull and/or my PVC manifold cracking. I didn't know what to use, so did the old "go to WalMart for an hour and search" method.

It's an all aerator system so each bag has a drain pump attached directly to it for draining. Three of my four bags are the old school kind so I had to cut the bags and install thru-hulls in the bottom of them.


Patrick,

Depending on the power of the pumps, you might be able to just put a T in the supply line of another bag. I'm not too up on the factory ballast systems and modifying them as my job was from scratch (no factory ballast).

How did you cut the bags to add a drain fitting? I am saving up for an install in the winter and this would keep me from having to get new locker sacs.

Kirk, two methods.

One method is to use an actual boat thru-hull. Cut a hole a little smaller (as small as possible) than the widest part of the thru hull. The bag will stretch just enough to fit the thru-hull into the bag. Then seal the thru-hull in with a good below the waterline sealant like 3M 5200. I used this method on my rear bags.

Another method that I used for my center sac was to use two of the plastic nuts that come with the pump. I cut a similar hole, turned them towards each other, screwed in the pump, and sealed them with 5200. This method will result in your pump sticking into the bag itself, therefore taking up less room outside of the bag.

To be quite honest I don't have full confidence in either method but it will work until I decide to buy the new style fat sacs.

Erik I have a Hippo system, but want to put factory switches in, How did you wire your switches? they look like the switches I bought from mastercraft.
thanks

Hopefully this ghetto fabulous Microsoft Paint drawing will help you. One thing I forgot to write on here - is that the negative wires from the pumps should be grounded locally - no need to run those wires to the switch.

Good info, RD. I've been looking for something a little more custom than the generic switches I installed. Those bilge dumps would look ten times better than the stock black or white plastic as well.

No worries, glad somebody got something useful outta me being here.

RD

Erik, really nice work, I know you put a lot of time planning and installing. No matter how much you research, it's still gut check time when you drill that 2" hole in the bottom. Our systems are pretty similar.

Good thinking on cushioning the manifold. On mine, I connected the manifold to the thru-hull with a 1.5" ID rubber hose with steel clamps on each end (it was in the drain / sink trap section). That way the PVC won't crack from a hard bounce, and I can easily disconnect it if I need to take it out.

Erik, now you need to think about strengthening the engine dividers.

http://www.wakesiderides.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18468

Very nice Erik. I've got a similar setup in my 205V. When you fill up the front integrated bag, do your cupholders pop out? That's how I can tell when mine is about full! Pretty high tech.

JM - that happens to me as well. I was joking the other day that I should draw lines on the cupholder to serve as a ballast full/empty guage!

Malibu Monkey - My bags only slightly lean into the dividers, there is still a couple inch gap before they touch the manifolds. If they ever do, I will do a modification though. Another user, IronJ, has a better way to do the mod, although I can't find the pictures I took of his setup.

i like how you did the ballast system. how much clearance is there between the starter and the manifold? could you get a wrench in there to take off the starter?

Hey Erik, amazing job on the ballast. I just finished up mine as well(just have switches left to wire up) on your switch diagram, you have the left side untouched. I've got 2 750 bags, and running a 1200 gph pump on each bag to fill, and a 800 gph on each bag to empty. can you tell me where to hook the wiring for the drain pumps on the same switches. I only have 2 switches to accomodate 4 pumps. fill will activate 1200 gph pumps, and empty will activate 800 gph pumps. also, not sure if you know about the enzo switches, but on the back side of the panel where the stock ballast switches are, there are a couple of empty switch boxes. would you know if these are spares for using power so i could just use them in my 2 new switches. thanx

Ryan,

If they are rocker switches unused, I would think you could use them. I'm not sure what the configuration of them would be. For your plan of two switches, I'm assuming you have front ballast as well that you didn't mention? Anyway, if you want the two fills to be on the same switch, then just wire up the other side of the switch the same way. Power in the middle, and positive pump leads on the top and bottom. If that is your plan, you could have the entire rear ballast on one switch. I chose to use 2 switches for rear so I can drain/fill one side for wakesurfing. You may want to think about doing the same.

Hey Eric, I just finished up my system today. I used your diagram and kind of figured it out. My rocker switches only had 5 prongs as opposed to the 8 i believe you had. the 3 on the one side(middle was main power, upper prong for drain pump and lower prong for fill pump) I wanted to have the fill and drain pump for each bag on one switch. it worked out great. the other 2 prongs were for the back light of the switch. I just t'd into the power(upper and lower prong) and it worked great. so I've got 2 switches, one for port bag empty and fill, and one for starboard ballast empty and fill. once again, bang up job on your ballast system. once my nads feel up to it(had my nuts cut on friday) i'll snap some pictures of the setup. hoping to go out tomorrow or tuesday and see if i got everything tight or if this bad boy is gonna sink. I'll have someone with hand on the through hull valve just in case.lol