Ballast sacs

Does anyone have experience with these ballast sacs?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MASTERLINE-WAKEBOARD-FAT-SAC-BLADDER-SACK-WAKE_W0QQitemZ230186930861QQihZ013QQcategoryZ47363 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

(Message edited by poontank on November 03, 2007)

What are you looking to use them for - i.e. where are they going to be placed? I've never been a fan of the tubular style sacs since switching to the Fly High Pro-x style.

I have a friend that used one of these; they worked fine for his situation, but at the end of the day he didn't like the design and the fact that it didn't have an outer cover . But if you are going to place them in between something (seats, divider, etc) they will work just fine - but my opinion is you get what you pay for. You can use sacs for as long as you board, but if you're getting the tube style get something with a outer cover to protect it from the damage the will occur from the 'roll'.

I was thinking about putting one in the bow on the floor between the seats and the other in the ski locker of my I/O. As far as dimensions go, I think they will fit in both places well. I'm just wondering if I should be concerned about durability.

Durability is an issue, but a minor one IMO. If you know where you're going to place the sacs and how much they will get abused - rolling around rubbing on the boat, or how much people will be kicking/stepping on them you should be alright.

For the price, you really can't go wrong...but at the same time, are you sure you're I/O can handle the added weight (if you're only adding ~1200lbs you should be alright with a 4.0L (assuming that's the minimal I/O power you're working with), but just be careful if you ride with a crew larger than 3+ people.

But what type of boat are you rocking? I'm curious because of how you described of where you're going to place the sacs - usually you want to go with a 60%/40% weight ratio back/front in the boat - "one in the bow on the floor between the seats and the other in the ski locker of my I/O," - sounds a little bow heavy to me.

I used to rock a 165hp 1984 I/O with two old skool side sacs beside the engine compartment and one launch observer seat in-between the driver and observer seat - plus the crew. And that setup was pushing the limits of the V6 engine to plane the boat out in a respectable, and economical, distance.

So just to check, make sure you know what power you are working with before you buy ballast to bomb out the boat.

**and yes, my post was a - **

(Message edited by Sinkoumn on November 03, 2007)

Sinko,

I'm riding in a 20' Sea Ray Bow Rider with a 5.0L and a 1400lbs weight limit.

Some others with I/O's here recommended that I weight my boat like this. I can always throw a little bit more in the rear under the seats next to the motor box though. What are your thoughts?

The benefit that you have over any d- or v-drive is that you can trim up your lower unit to improve the shape of the wake, but unfortunately the 5.0L will limit you in your total weight limit (pay no real mind to your 1400lbs weight limit on the plate, you can easily have 2k pounds of weight in your boat (you might not be able to plane out in 200 yards, but you'll still float just fine and eventually get onto plane). Ultimately you'll have to test, and re-test your weight setup, but likely you'll end up running the 60/40 (back/front) ratio to dial in the wake.

We use to slam the I/O; then when picking up the rider I would have the people in the back get up and stand in the front and trim the engine all the way down, once we'd get underway I'd trim it down to about half-way and eventually we'd be on plane. And that's what you'll eventually run into - you'll be able to slam the boat with weight to get a great wake, but getting the boat on plane will be a pain in the arse - so it's a love/hate relationship with the I/O.

Thus, you might want to run the 60/40 setup (maybe use that 600lb sac for the middle, but then get two smaller sacs to run in the rear (375lb each). That way you can still trim the lower unit to plane out the boat easily, but you will still have enough weight in the boat to get a decent shape and size to the wake.

I used to have a whale-tail on the lower unit as well (with an average three-blade prop), that would help get the boat on plane under weight. But as I said, trial and error as to where your weight limit is... you'll quickly learn where it is when you start adding weight to the boat, and rightfully respect that limit because you're boat will put you in your place right-quick (meaning it won't plane out to save your life)!

As far as getting on plane, I'm hoping the 5 blade high five ss prop will aid in that with extra weight.

if you call up a boat dealer and tell them you want to order pile of FlyHigh Pro-X stuff they usually can give you a great deal.... I got a triangle bow sac, fat seat bottom, v-drive sacs, 3 tsunami pumps for like 500 bucks, if you run the prices for each it way way cheaper, just call a dealer and see what they can do for you