Adding Ballast to boat that doesnt have it

This off season Im going to be adding ballast to my LSV. I plan on getting 3 Jabsco Ballast Puppies, one for each sack and mount it to a single board. I got the idea from make-a-wake.com. I can find good hose and piping to use, the only thing I cant find is a rocker switch panel, like the one you see in a factory install. Something like the Gravity panel you see mounted down low on the side of the driver. Ive Googled, Ive asked Jeeves, Ive MSN'd, Ive Ebay'd and nothing. Anybody know where I can get one of these?

I added factory style ballast to my LSV last year and purchased all the parts from Skiers Choice which included the Gravity III rocker panel. It was pre-wired to match the wiring harness. Check and see if they sell the panel and rocker switches seperately.

What did that cost?

I can get the ballast puppy pumps for $180 each, add another 200 or so for tubing and valves. Perhaps another 80 for the switch panel (once I find one).

$627 for everything except the bags. Included switch panel, wiring harness, relay & fuse panel, pumps, fitings and hose. Everything was pre-wired and ready to plug in. $199 for a pair of Fly High Pro V-drive 400# sacs.

I called Skiers Choice and they quoted me around $1100. I have no ballast system at all so Im sure thats why my price was higher.

Price includes only 1 pump for filling and 3 pumps for empty. This is the stock system that an '02 came with. I think Im going to stick with my original plan and use the 3 ballast puppy pumps but buy the panel from Skiers Choice.

Did $1100 include sacs? They quoted me $291 ea for the stock 275# rear bags. I bought a pair of Flyhigh V drive 400# bags for $200. The tube sac for the ski locker runs $130.

Yes it did. He said its about 20 line items in all. My next question is, this factory system has 1 fill pump and 3 empty pumps. The fill pump is a 2000 gph and the 3 separate pumps Im proposing to use are around 500 gph. Which is better? One huge pump or 3 smaller ones? Factory or aftermarket?

I think I would stick with one fill pump. I do not know if my thinking is correct, but it seems like a 2000 gph pump would outfill three 500 gph pumps (1500 gph total??). My other concern would be that the three pumps could cavitate each other since the will all be on the same water inlet. I have the 450# ski locker with the Fly High 400# vDrive sacs all filling on the 2000 gph Rule pump and it fills in about 10 minutes or so. I think you would be asking for a headache with the three pumps. There are two more pumps to go wrong and a lot more wire as well as more load on the switch panel since you will be running three electrical motors instead of one big one. I would suggest using the highest GPH single pump you could find.

I wonder if this one would work. It sure would fill fast once primed and it is low pressure, but getting it to prime could be a pain!!!

http://www.rule-industries.com/produ..._246/index.htm

The single pump feeds a larger diameter manifold that the 3 solenoids attach to. Mine fill quicker than they empty. I keep my boat in a lift and have to prime each time out. I get the boat moving forward before switching on the pump to fill. Then drive to the end of the cove where we start while the bags fill and the engine warms up. Usually the bags are full before the first rider is ready. I am quite happy with the factory style and pricing from Skiers Choice was comparable to other sources except for the bags. I put wet location rubber mats in the bottom of the rear lockers to allow air to circulate between the bags and the carpet and keep the bags from sliding around.

Thanks for the input. I agree with your reasoning on the pump size, etc. Sounds like a better setup than a 3 pump system, AND its factory so it should fit like a glove. I have 3 bags already, just might get bigger ones in the future.