Outback DD ballast

[drewdwn]

I currently have the launch pad sofa which says it holds 1200lbs but it is very hard to fill all the way up, so I think there is problably around 1000lbs in the back and around 300lbs in the front. I'm thinking of getting 2 of the 750lbs Sumo bags for the back that would give me 1500lbs in the back. I'm big dude so I need as much wake as possible to get some air. Please give me any suggestions or ideas because the sofa is kind of a pain to use.

[Limishowman3]

I can't figure out how you would place two 750's back there, but if you want more weight, fly high makes a 1500lb sac that wraps around the engine and then put a 750 sac in the walkway or in the bow. Although this tends to be a pain in the ass in trying to maneuver around the boat. Though this should do you good.

[jasonwm]

Obviously there are a lot of options for ballast, but here is some feedback I would consider.

The Outback likes weight in the front of the boat. In most applications, I would recommend a 40% front/60% rear weight distribution as a starting point, but in your boat, I would go closer to 50/50 to get the best way. You can fine tune from there to adjust the shape to your liking.

Right now you only have 23% of the total weight in the front of the boat, which means your wake is smaller, steeper and probably crumbles more than it would with more weight forward.

As a starting point, I would recommend simply adding more weight to the front of the boat. Depending on where your front bag is located, you could replace it with a larger bag, or install a second bag elsewhere up front. That will bring the bow down to make the wake bigger, make the transition longer, and keep the wake cleaner. Also, the boat will handle MUCH better, plane out faster and use less gas.

You can definitely replace the rear bag you have now with two 750s (arranged in a "V" shape in the bag of the boat works well in direct drives), but keep in mind that will require that you add even more weight to the front of the boat to get closer to a 50/50 split. A 750 in the walkway with an Integrated Bow Sac under the front seats would be a good combo with 1500lbs. in the back of the boat.

[drewdwn]

Is there enough room in the Outback to fit a intergrated bow sac like the Flyhigh or is there a different one that will work better

[ian ashton]

I can't imagine putting that much weight in the front of an Outback, the nose loves to dip, that will take some careful manuvering!

[kaneboats]

That's for sure!

[pickle311]

Is there enough room in the Outback to fit a intergrated bow sac like the Flyhigh or is there a different one that will work better

Nope, won't fit. That much weight in the bow of an outback would probably sink it. I used to run 3 150lb sacks in the bow of mine and would often take on other boats rollers.

[drewdwn]

i'm looking to get the most wake out of my Outback. Please give me some examples of your set ups

[Limishowman3]

I currently have a 750# in the bow walkway, I think it is closer to 700 though since its not a perfect fit. The factory 400# in the back. Then the rest of my friends will sit in the back of the boat. I had a little over 2000# of weight in the boat the other day and got a nice wake out of my DD.

[NCSUmoomba]

Wow! I thought I was crazy putting 1500# in mine. I have a 2001 which has the huge rear locker. I have a 750 in that (mostly full), (2) 260's under the front seats (mostly full), and I have (2) more 260's that I have put in different areas experimenting. They usually end up laying across the boat right behind the motor box. Wake is decent, but not fabulous. It sounds like that I have been putting too much weight in the rear according to you guys, maybe this year I will try it with more up front.

[deerfield]

A 750 in the walkway with an Integrated Bow Sac under the front seats would be a good combo with 1500lbs. in the back of the boat.

drewdwn - Reading this thread and contemplating the potential weight makes me concerned about how low your Outback will be sitting in the water -- especially with 750 lbs in the bow. It would seem to me there will be little room for driver error as you navigate waves and rough water. I have only the factory rear ballast and could be completely wrong about this. Just telling you my gut feel. If you ramp up with additional ballast, be careful out there. - Deerfield

[jasonwm]

So long as weight is added fairly evenly to the front and back of the boat, the attitude of the boat in the water won't change very much. The entire boat will be sitting lower, but at we're not talking about enough weigh to make a huge difference there. Almost any inboard will take water over the nose if you're not careful, and obviously adding more ballast increases the likelihood that will happen, but it doesn't be cause for extreme caution.

[drewdwn]

Thanks for all your help. I think i'm going to get a 750lbs bag for the walk thru and will keep the sofa in the back, that should be close to the 60/40 ratio, plus a couple of bikinis in the front will aslo help.

[deerfield]

plus a couple of bikinis in the front will aslo help.


I want pictures.

[drewdwn]

As soon as it gets warm enough i'll take some!