Ballast emptying

So on my Mobius V 2000 i have two hard tanks either side of the engine in the rear, and one ski locker fatsac which i added myself last summer.
I have also added 6 x bags of sand to the bow under the seats, which makes the wake just right.

I am thinking of replacing the fatsac and bags of sand with one or two fatsacs to take up the whole ski locker.

Problem is, the fatsac never really empties, i guess because the fatsac is lower than the pump at the rear of the boat.
I plumbed in to the existing pipework when i set it up, it fills great, but hardly empties.

Is there a standard pump available which actually sucks rather than just pumps water once it makes contact with the impeller? I would like to add the fatsacs in the front, but don't really want lots of weight hanging around all the time in the front.

Any ideas?

The impeller style pumps (Jabsco & Johnson) provide suction and should take car of the issue. Wakemakers will have what you need, and they can also provide guidance on your ballast system.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wolfstone

I am thinking of replacing the fatsac and bags of sand with one or two fatsacs to take up the whole ski locker.

---

Are you talking about the big basement ski locker that is about the size of a small coffin? Or do you not have playpen seating up front...

You've got me curious what fat sacs you have in there and if they are vented. I have a 750 in the basement that fits perfectly, drain plumbed at the back on the bottom with a T-1200 pump right off the bag doing the work. It will get the bag empty down to maybe a gallon or so left. You can get it more empty by running with the bow high and letting all the water flow back to the pump for a minute or two if you're really picky.

I have also started running a 400 in front of it, tucked up under the playpen seating sometimes. An 1180 Gravity Games bag would fit too as I know a few other MobiusV's on here have run them. Same basic width/height, just longer than the 750 so it will crowd up towards the front where the height narrows.

Attachment 17746

Yes, the big basement ski locker, see the attached pic giving you an idea of my boat model.

It runs from the fuel tank (deep), right up to the bow of the boat.
Obviously it gets shallow at the front.

Thanks for the pump manufacturer name, i will have a look for some!

What do you mean by "vented" fatsacs? Never heard that term before.

The bow is just too shallow to fit an under-seat-bow type fatsac.

By vent line I'm talking about one of the top ports on the bag is a fill line, one is a vent line, and then the one on the bottom is the drain line. Some of the older fat sacs only had two ports. The additional vent line allows the bags to both fill and drain more completely without air pockets. That is actually my max ballast setup right there - 2 1100lb bags in the rear, 750lb bag in the center locker, then 2 400lb bags to move around if needed
http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k...V/P1070055.jpg

My fill pumps are in the bilge area but then each bag has a dedicated drain pump attached right to the back of it. Basically like this but the middle locker one has a shorter tube between the fitting and pump - and the pump should actually sit so the outlet on it is facing straight up 12 o'clock or close to it.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k...V/P1060977.jpg

This shows the fill, vent and drain lines running into the ski locker - I call it the basement. The drain line runs up around under the nose. The fill and vent run up under the drivers helm. The vent then has a one way valve (out only) and a T-fitting to share the same exit thru hull as the drain line.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k...V/P1060983.jpg

Empties out the front here -

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k...V/P1070816.jpg

Here's a schematic of what I did. Lots of guys have gone to the reversible pumps. I've had good luck sticking with the aerator pumps. Hope this helps a little.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k...-ballast-1.jpg

Fair do's that is a serious amount of ballast......probably take me a week to get on the plane with that lot and a boat full of people!
Thank you for the explanation, I will check my system at the weekend.
Great pics and diagram too, thank you.

But ohhhhhhhhhhhh what a wake you'll have!

Re-prop is definitely in order when you start going that heavy.