Ballast bags for 09 Xstar

OK.. So I think I decided to NOT install the full PWT additional ballast system that connects to my existing pumps. Instead I plan on adding fat sacs and use an external pump for a couple of reasons;

1. Simplicity - Wont have to worry about pump inlets getting clogged and being able to do nothing about it untill the boat is out of the water. I had 2 occations where I had to load the boat onto the trailer with 1 tank full.

2. Portability - Moving bags around will be easy, especially for surf setups.

3. Faster fill times. The external pump has a much higher capacity than the on-board pumps. Also I can fill the bags at the same time as the tanks.

4. Not having to worry about cooking impellors and just having somthing go wrong with the ballast system. Every boat I had had some issues with the ballast pumps - 2 pumps replaced under warraty, impellors replaced.

So here is my question; Are the 750# (50"x20"x20") fat sacs a good choice for the rear locker of a 2009 X star? or is it too tight. Im not interested in paying the additional $$$ for the X-Star Specific bags even though they are only 40" long.

What bag would you recommend for the bow walk through? Jumbo sac?? or another fat sac? I dont know what the width of the walkthrough is so Im not sure what bag is best suited for the bow.


Im also open to any other ideas... thanks

Hey Bryan,

We ran the 750# sacs you mention for a while. They are a little long for the X-Star lockers and will push up against the back seats and whatever is mounted on them. But, they will work and you should be able to fill them about 90%. The X-Star specific sacs are shorter and taller so they definitely fit better.

For the nose, I would recommend getting the X-Star specific pair of sacks. They will fit much better under both nose seats. for the walkway, a tube sac or a pair of side sacs (butted up against each other) fit great. You can also stuff a fat sac in the nose of the walkway instead, (you will definitely need to do that if you're not going by the X-star specific nose sacks).

Recap:
Best Setup: 1 Pair- X-star rear sacs, 1 Pair- X-star nose sacs, 1 pair- side sacs butted up against each other (OR tube sac) in the walkway. Cut out the side-sacs/tube sac if you need to save money, but they really firm up the wake.

Economical: three fat sacs (one for each back compartment, one for the nose walkway), 1 tube sac (placed right behind the nose fat sac, or right in front of... depending on how you like the lip of the wake and if you care about putting weight on your seats.

Added tip- if you're not going to plumb, buy a plug-in splitter for the outlets so you can plug more than two pumps in at a time (since the X-Star only has two outlets).

Brandon

The additional $$$ for the x-star specific bags may end up being worth it. The 50" bags can be a little long for the compartment, and when you try to fill the bag completely full, your fat sac will be rubbing against the water strainer and/or other accessories that you might want left alone.

That is the whole reason that the 40" bags were made. If you are only filling up the stern sacks about 1/2 way, then don't worry, but if you want them full, I would get the 40" bags.

We run the W719's in the rear lockers.. #1100lbs... 50X24X24.. Plenty of room.. You don't fill them more then 60% for wakeboarding but has the weight option for surfing.. Don't waste your money on the #750's.. you'll be replacing them... My Star is capable of #4000lbs, all hidden, but rarely use more than $3k for wakeboarding..

A lot of good advice here! If you have the optional heater the 750# will crush up against it. I have the fly system and it hits the heater and casues it to come loose periodically. I run two separate intakes under the boat (factory and fly high) and separate pumps for each sack and factory tank. Love this system but it is expensive and very 2 years 7 impellers is expensive. I also occasionally run a 500# in the front walkway too.

With this much weight the star is very finicky and you'll be shifting your passengers around to clean the wake up. That is why I like the separate pumps, from the driver seat I can clean the wake up dependent on the rider. Guess you could still use the factory system for this though too.
Cheers,
DC

I do have the heater (cold evenings up here in Canada). According to the info I found, you fill the bags from the top connection (pump in the water) and open the other top for venting. To empty, you connect the pump to the top connection and pump out the water. What about connecting a tail peice off the bottom drain outlet that can be used to connect the pump to only for draining to prevent airlock. Has anyone tried this?

I relocated the heater under the aft starboard seat from the compartment wall.. The ducts and hoses were long enough without having to replace them..

Bryan - It could work with a tail piece setup. My setup pumps in and out the bottom of the bags and if I don't lay them out before filling correctly, the hose will get pinched. That's a lot of water weight shifting over the hoses in the rear locker.

Wake Pro - Thanks for the tip never thought about moving the heater, seems easy

I like the idea of going with #1100 sacs but not filling them all the way but having the added capacity if needed. However, hope that I will not regret it later if they are too tight or increast the potential of damaging anything.

Im alsl deciding between either a #1100 or #750 in the bow walkthrough. We dont use the bow much either. Looking at some of the PWT videos, it looks like they are using either a 750 or 1100 sac in the walkway.

Anyone have photos of either a #750 fat sac or #1100 jumbo stuffed in the bow walkthrough... also a photo of them in the rear compartment would be nice.

I have the heater too and run a 1100# in the rear port locker for surfing. I put a plastic barrier (storage bin lid) between the bag and the heater and have not had any problems. I did however have a problem with the factory barrier between the locker and the motor bowing and coming out of the two locator brackets on the floor. This happens when I fill the 1100 full or as full as you can get it and still shut the hatch. (That's a but* load of water BTW) I fixed the problem by reinforcing the factory barrier and adding a third (center) locator bracket on the floor.

Concerning pumps, I got sick of external pumps on my old boat so I use the factory pumps to fill my sacs. After talking to Spencer at wakemakers I put a Y valve on my fill hose. After I fill the stock tank I switch the valve over to fill the sac. The fill timers on my 2008 are adjustable and will run long enough to fill both. You can also use the overflow on the stock tanks to fill the sacs but except for the port tank, they are really hard to get to.

Spencer at wakemakers is a good resource and knows the stars well. I recommend him.

Bryan,
I may have a pair of the custom XStar bow bags for sale. If you are interested shoot me an email at jlfogelson@hotmail.com.

I'm not totally 100% certain that I'm selling them at this point, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to get out on some open water and do some testing soon.

I did have a caving problem with the compartment engine side dividers.. The fix is install a 2X2 strip the full length of the divider secured to the floor.. It'll keep it from bowing into the engine compartment..

I'll be out Sunday ridin with the star.. We're testings the new surf tabs.. If you want pics of anything, let me know... Supposed to be 83 dezgrezz this weekend..

All you need is one of these guys wake will be mackin'!

He looks to be barely 200lbs

No he's a big dude 300+

Hmmm #300 ballast that you can move anywhere... I would be worried about the sweat ruining the upholstry

Anyone have photos of their ballst set up?

Just got off the lake with the #1100's filled to the brim... I didn't take any pics b/c i hadn't heard from ya.. but the deck compartment pads close and latch easily.. Probably 2 inches of clearance..

These are #1100 filled to the brim...