Supra SL - PNP ballast installation

After using a 540lbs bag in the walkthrough to the bow and filling/draining it with the wakemakers 1700gpm tsunami pump ... I wanted the whole thing hidden and being able to use the standard pumps ...

So after checking where the current double pumps are and where I could tie into - here’s the design.

T inserted after rear top pump (pump is inside rear locker behind a carpeted panel - easy access) and bringing hose to the midship storage areas. T inserted in the vent lines coming out next to battery switch in the left (or trash bin in the right). Forgot vent valve at first so bags were draining but once empty the factory ballast wasn’t as it was pulling in air ... should have seen this coming.

I used 1 1/8 tubing ... thought that Supra was using that too but that wasn’t the case and as I bought all fittings for that size I just heated up the factory tubing so I could install my fittings. One thing I wanted to accomplish was that I can remove/disconnect everything if I needed to. So the T fittings are flow-rite connectors - so if I want to remove the whole thing I just use a connector to put 2 end hoses together and system is back to original.

Bought everything from flow-rite.com except the one way vent valves (wakemakers.com) and the bags (the-house.com or amazon). Flow rite is cheaper as they make the stuff and they ship really fast - got my stuff within 2 days each time. Why I didn’t go with a larger ballast bag is simple - I wanted to have it all underneath without being pinched against hinges or rubbing on fiberglass. I’m not using the entire depth of the storage compartment nor it’s length - however under each corner seat cushion I still have storage left. So the entire system is now filling and draining for the same amount of time as the front ballast before - just below 8 minutes or so. As said in the 2019 thread if I have 6 adults in the boat and they mostly sit in the back the system is passively draining but only from the added bags. Not sure if one of the impellers is shot but when trying to replace the lower ones I realized that I need to take out the floor panel above the gas tank as I don’t have enough access to the lower pumps ... so 8 save that for another day. Cost overall is about 350 for all of it - will be cheaper if you just plump it in without the removable fittings obviously.
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And hose clamps can be found cheaper at any sprinkler supply store ... Oetiker 425R ... 100 for 25 bucks ... flow-rite charges way too much for those - just make sure you get the stainless ones and not zinc. And this will fit the 1 1/8 tubing!!!

Nice work! Very thought out and professional using flow rite connectors and the proper clamps.

Thanks but it was a simple drawing after looking at the options. Except that I forgot the anti-siphon valve at first so someone had to plug the hull thru fitting initially to avoid air going to the upper pump ... so I would call it more trial by error ...

I was also contemplating the laziest of all methods to just use the vent line and put the anti siphon valve above the T fitting ... but common sense eventually prevailed ...

last night I was disappointed in the wake (Sunday with same setup was great) … nobody knew why. So as I still had the same 540 bag in the boat I originally put into the walkway - well - let's do that again and it was money … will post pics tonight to compare both setups and wave. Now that I have another 540lbs somewhere in my man cave I'll quickly exchange the 250s for the 540s to see if this will fix be the better solution …

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Originally Posted by monkey_butt

last night I was disappointed in the wake (Sunday with same setup was great) … nobody knew why. So as I still had the same 540 bag in the boat I originally put into the walkway - well - let's do that again and it was money … will post pics tonight to compare both setups and wave. Now that I have another 540lbs somewhere in my man cave I'll quickly exchange the 250s for the 540s to see if this will fix be the better solution …

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So you put the 540 back on the floor in addition to the 250s and it was better?


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yup and I don't like that - because I want the floor empty and not dealing with a pump hanging over the side. But I also discovered that my left bags are passively draining - the right is fine. So I guess I will take the floor up and replace the impeller on the lower pump first before I do anything else. With the help of a buddy I'll get this done in 30 minutes … it would just be nice if Supra had mounted the pump with the impellers accessible … grrr

Do you notice a loss of push when you burn most of the tank of fuel?

Nice looking job. I am not so familiar with the Supra system... as yet. Is there any particular reason why you have T'd the system into the pump line rather than run the underfloor bag overflow into the additional bag then add an overflow hose from top of bag to the overflow thru hull fitting? Would save a lot of fittings and can easily be bypassed if needed.

Answering 2 questions here - yes as soon as we go below 3/4 quarter things start to change and half a tank and rear is up in the air ... like a kitty [emoji12] so we’re never below 3/4 ...

Plumbing options - this is what I considered. First I looked at both intake pumps. The lower pumps/hose connections provided little access and routing another hose under the seat meant drilling holes to get there. Using the rear vent lines to fill the bag was another option but doing that meant that i have to stay BELOW the subfloor of the storage locker otherwise my bag wouldn’t fully drain (storage locker floor is higher than the rest!). Filling via the vent lines in the front was another option but I tossed that ... and was eventually proven right ... remember that I said that I forgot the one way valve so had to plug vent line until I plumped it in? Well I would have had a similar issue with that solution until I would put the anti-siphon valve above that tee ... currently it’s below.

With all that said if you would plump it to the rear vent lines you’re even more likely to passively draining out of there because your PNP sits above that while under way. By using the vent lines you’re eventually pushing water thru a line and hope it goes where it needs to but it also goes out at the same time. Draining will be a pain because the venting of your bag tends to be higher so water will stay in the rear of the bag and will not drain (and remember we already tossed the rear vent lines out because of passively draining).

So yes I used more fittings than maybe necessary but the cost is irrelevant ... sorry you just paid 100k+ for a boat and save 50 bucks in fittings??? [emoji849]

And get me right - not trying to be condescending but water follows gravity - filling and draining ... if you only consider half of it ... well ...

And before I forget you have two pumps per bag. That creates quite a lot of pressure once they’re full ... so Supra has put in 3 vent lines per side ... one in the front and 2in the rear. So the bags below the floor are co gained with walls ... your PNP not so much ... well we almost blew a. Ag recently so I know how much they can stretch but I wouldn’t try to figure out how far thy can go before bursting [emoji12]

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so here is the comparison - w/o the additional 540 and then with … may not seem like much but it was a lot cleaner and as you can see longer. RPM stayed at 3400 - no change