Adding Ballasts to Gravity III package on 2006 XLV

[mikenehrkorn]

If you're planning to get an IBS I have a very nice used one in the classifieds......https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?25604-Used-IBS

[brain_rinse]

...I'm not too confident in myself to be able to do it correctly unless its really as easy as cutting it, putting in a coupler and then clamping in the extra hose.

Yep, it's really that easy and Wakemakers will have the coupler and clamps you need as well.

[brain_rinse]

Also worth noting that if you don't upgrade to reversible pumps you will have a hard time doing a piggy-back bag in the front. An aerator pump isn't going to fill or drain an overflow bag properly. You may also want to do the math, but relying on one stock aerator pump to fill a rear 1100, some weight in the opposite corner, another 1100 up front, and yet another front bag would be an amazing amount of time.

I wouldn't add anymore weight upfront until you address the ballast pumps. So 1100 + prop first, then pumps, then extra front weight. Just my 2 cents. It's fun spending your money btw.

[MichaelH]

So what is the plumbing required for an ibs? I'm trying to keep it as simple as I can by splicing off of the center gravity iii fill and drain hoses. Is that possible? I know filling time will be pretty long but I'd rather have that than cut a hole through the hull myself.

For an ibs does it require a fill and drain hose per arm?

Sorry I'm asking so many questions guys, I just want to be able to do it right the first time and this is the first time I've ever added onto the stock system so I'm not sure how splicing into the existing normally goes.

[brain_rinse]

You really can't splice into the existing single aerator pump system. You can add new, separate fill and drain pumps, but relying on pump pressure to overflow to another bag, and gravity to drain isn't going to work. If you went with the IBS horseshoe shaped bag you would need a drain pump on each leg, and then add a diverter to switch filling from center to IBS. And you'd need to drill into the side of your boat to enlarge the thru hulls, or add new ones. Sorry man, no easy way to automate a big ballast system like what you want on a single pump. Maybe consider getting one of these for now to handle the additional bow weight and to help speed up the drain/fill times of the other bags as needed. http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-tsunami-pump.html

[MichaelH]

Yeah, that's understandable. It seems like the older style g3 package has it's flaws to begin with and trying to piggyback ontop of that would be really testing its limits. So if I still wanted to add in an ibs (which seems like the way to go to get the nose down) then I should add in a new pump system such as this.
http://www.wakemakers.com/kiss-compl...t-package.html

To be honest I am really worried about making more holes in the hull. Should I be so worried? It seems like alot of people here to it fairly regularly. It's not that I don't think I could install this kind of system (I've done alot of car audio installations so I'm comfortable with the wiring and the filling draining seems pretty straight forward) , its just that I want to know exactly how to do every single step before I get into it.

[jmvotto]

On my OBV 07 , I added a new switch and a 4 port to the sprinkler system for the direct fill of the IBS , but I had to add two new drain ports on each leg that went out the port and starboard. I a had a G1 to a G111 to a GIV,

[MichaelH]

Oh that'd be a good way to do it, can you give me any more insight on what you used to do that?

[trayson]

I'm pretty sure that's what is in there right now, whatever came with the gravity iii package. It just seems like it's really centered in the boat and an extra one in the bow will help get the nose down and plow out more water for a longer, cleaner wake.

Hey Michael. I've got a 2008 XLV so I'm pretty familiar with what you're dealing with. The gravity 3 ballast system has the 400's in the rear and about a 650 in the front basement storage. You could put another bag on top of the 650 and fill it manually with an over the side pump. However, Brain Rinse was correct that there's just not enough pressure in a aerator pump system to fill daisy chained bags.

Forget all this mumbo jumbo about "IBS" for our boats. They aren't designed for that. Our upgrade of choice is getting the 1180 gravity games bag for the front basement. Yep, that's a BIG bag and will be all you'll need up there.

http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-g...enter-sac.html

When you talk to wakemakers, ask them about the Moomba forum discount. typically 10% off.

Okay, with the 1100 and 1180 bags, you're looking at LONG fill times. And there's really no 'easy/cheap' way to make that better. Adding reversible pumps will make the fill time for each of the bags ~10 minutes on the big bags. I went the route of using the 1200gph tsunami pumps which theoretically will be faster (maybe by a couple minutes) and THEORETICALLY will be less expensive. But honestly the margin of "savings" isn't huge once you add all the extra hose, fittings, etc that are required. Plus it's more cutting and more hassle for sure.

Okay, your fill pump is a single Rule 2000 that goes to a sprinker valve manifold to fill the 3 pumps. with those sprinkler valves and ONE pump, it's slow. like twice as slow as your other upgraded alternatives. I've heard that you can most certainly upgrade to the high flow irritrol sprinkler valves (search, you'll find threads on this). But it's just addressing one of the many bottlenecks on the factory system.

on the empty side, you've got three 700gph pumps. Again, SLOW!!!!!!!!!!! However, I have recently been thinking that a quick and easy upgrade for the drain side would be to replace them with the 1200gph tsunami pumps.

Here's some that are $34 each.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ATTWOOD-T-12...1af053&vxp=mtr

You'd also need these fittings:
http://www.wakemakers.com/attwood-st...00-3902-1.html

Of course, the problem with those fittings is that they're made for the 1" hose, so then you're looking at plumbing in a reducer to get it for use with the factory 3/4" hose.

They sell plenty of 1" to 3/4" barb reducers at plumbing stores, but again, you're nickel and diming yourself getting the 1" stuff to work with your factory 3/4" hose.

it's honestly a slippery slope. Because you COULD just replace your factory drain hose with 1". But then you're having to get new bag fitting, new quick connect hose fitting, and a new thru-hull for each of them. (a step drill bit would be excellent for enlarging the hole to go from a 3/4" thru hull to a 1 1/8" thru hull.)

every bag fitting or connector or thru hull that's plastic is easily $6 to $9 each.

Another approach would be to get the above pumps and get these adapters (instead of the barbed ones) http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-p...ting-w747.html and then go to your plumbing store and get a 3/4" female to 3/4" barbed connector. that might work decent and be cheaper and let you still use your existing 3/4" hose (if you don't want to mess with the hose and thru-hulls.) that would get you a drain system that's faster than the 700's in there now, but not as fast as if you went with 1" hardware.


So, if you have all the right fittings and adapters, it's "relatively" easy compared to changing out the fill side.



Now, I'll also suggest another idea that was a "bandaid" to the GIII ballast system that I used for a few months.

Currently, for each of your bags, you have a fill and a drain hooked up. The factory system didn't use a vent line. Instead of just having a PLUG in the bag, change the plug out to a fly high quick connect port:
http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-p...ting-w730.html


Then you can use an over the side Tsunami pump to supplement the factory SLOW GIII system on the big bags.
They also make a "check valve" option for the above fitting that makes it so you spill a TON less water. But they aren't cheap and add up as you need one per bag!

Either way, if you use the fly high quick connect fittings, you have the ability to use it as a manual vent and also to have a throw-over pump piggybacking on the fill and empty.

Yeah, it's a hassle, but it will cut your fill/empty times in half or better.

This is The basic tsunami pump for $99
http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-tsunami-pump.html

If you want, you can buy one of the pumps I linked you above ($34), but this hose/fitting piece ($25)
http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-t...extension.html

and then buy this fitting:
http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-p...ting-w744.html ($40)

and for the same price as the $99 pump, you've built yourself a pump AND got the better hose AND the check valve functionality. (okay, I guess you'd have to add some wiring if you want it to connect to a cig lighter 12v socket...)

But if you're not going the check valve route, then you could just get this fitting and "build your own" tsunami pump (w/o wiring) for $68. http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-p...ting-w734.html



Bottom line is that there's NO quick and easy fixes for the GIII ballast system as far as speed. beyond pretty much starting over, there's not a ton that can be done that isn't a bandaid with tradeoffs.

As far as capacity, 1100's in the rear lockers and the 1180 gravity center bag will be the best option. That's what I've done.

I'm sure I've probably overwhelmed you with options, so if you have questions, just let me know. And I can clarify anything above that I've spoken to.

-T

[trayson]

I'm pretty sure that's what is in there right now, whatever came with the gravity iii package. It just seems like it's really centered in the boat and an extra one in the bow will help get the nose down and plow out more water for a longer, cleaner wake.

If you want to verify for sure what bags your factory bags are, there should be a tag on the back of the bag that will have a handful of numbers on them. 6 of those numbers will be the dimensions of the bag. For example, somewhere on the 1100's it will say 502424 or something like that to show the dimensions of 50" x 24" x 24".

I know that my XLV had 400 sacks rear and 650 front. And I think that the 650 was an "upgrade" because there was a smaller front sack that was also included when I bought my boat.

I'll also caution you. the factory GLUED in the male quick disconnect flo rite fittings into the bags. Getting them out sucks and I almost ruined mine with channel locks and heat gun. So trying to remove those flo-rite fittings might mean risking destroying the fitting and/or the bag. The new bags don't come with the flo-rite fittings.