Extending the surf side ballast fill hose

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06-22-2008, 04:13 PM
cab13367

Extending the surf side ballast fill hose

All,

There have been some recent posts about extending the surf side ballast fill hose when upgrading to the 750# sac as the factory does not leave enough slack in the hose to accommodate the bigger/taller bag. I ran into the same problem.

In taking a look at the way the set up is plumbed, I discovered that by switching up the front and the rear electrical and plumbing , I am able to extend the left rear fill hose by about 12". Below are before and after pics. Took all of 5 minutes and did not require any materials.

FYI, my boat was upgraded from Gravity I to III by the dealer so the factory installed Gravity III might have been done differently.

Here are before pics of the amount of slack in the fill hose and how it was plumbed by the dealer.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/IMG_0981.jpg

The hose in the middle is the one that goes to the port side sac.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/IMG_0979.jpg

Here's are after pics after I switched out the front and port sac plumbing and electrical. The hose in the middle now goes to the front sac, and the port sac hose is now connected to the solenoid on the right ...
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/IMG_0980.jpg
... which effectively adds about 12" of length to the hose.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/IMG_0982.jpg
06-22-2008, 05:46 PM
tlatoani

Nice idea. Did you only put a 750 on the port side? I wish my XLV plumbing was that neat...
06-22-2008, 05:57 PM
cab13367

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlatoani

Nice idea. Did you only put a 750 on the port side? I wish my XLV plumbing was that neat...

Thanks. I run a 400 lb sac in each rear locker when wakeboarding. I switch out the 400 lb sac on the port side with a 750 when surfing.

Looks like this. This is before I extended the hose.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/IMG_0953.jpg
06-23-2008, 12:36 PM
AustinXLV

I actually just did the same bags in my XLV. I took the fill hose out and drilled a new hole coming in from the top. It works great!
07-07-2008, 04:07 PM
moombadaze

Al, i just got a 08 lsv with the gravity 3, how long does it take to fill/empty that 750lb bag? in looking at the pictures is that another fill or empty port in the front of the bag? if it takes a long time im wondering if you could get a portable tsunami pump to help speed it up--this is one of the familys biggest gripes about me surfing is the time to fill and empty.

thanks

stacy
07-07-2008, 04:24 PM
deafgoose

Quote:

Originally Posted by moombadaze

Al, i just got a 08 lsv with the gravity 3, how long does it take to fill/empty that 750lb bag? in looking at the pictures is that another fill or empty port in the front of the bag? if it takes a long time im wondering if you could get a portable tsunami pump to help speed it up--this is one of the familys biggest gripes about me surfing is the time to fill and empty.

thanks

stacy

I fill them while cruising away from the marina and empting them when going back.
07-07-2008, 07:18 PM
cab13367

Quote:

Originally Posted by moombadaze

Al, i just got a 08 lsv with the gravity 3, how long does it take to fill/empty that 750lb bag? in looking at the pictures is that another fill or empty port in the front of the bag? if it takes a long time im wondering if you could get a portable tsunami pump to help speed it up--this is one of the familys biggest gripes about me surfing is the time to fill and empty.

thanks

stacy

Stacy,

Congrats on the new boat. It does take a while - around 15 minutes maybe - to fill and empty the 750# bag. The other fitting on top of the bag is a vent hole but you can certainly speed things up by filling thru that hole as well.

We typically just save surfing for last so we only fill and empty the bag once.

Al