Adding Ballasts to Gravity III package on 2006 XLV

[bergermaister]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpW_x9MeAQo

If you go this route do not use a heat gun as they advise. Ask me how I know...

[wolfeman131]

how do you know?

do you have any pics or video of what happened when you used a heat gun?

can you provide a more detailed explanation of what you did, how you did it and what you might do differently in the future and/or any other options one might consider?

[MichaelH]

Wow thank you for the great write up trayson! I really appreciate the effort into helping me out here. I'm pretty sure that the center right now is 1180# though, I'm sorry I wasn't more specific before because I just saw that there is actually a difference between the gravity iii package and the gravity games package. My boat is the gravity games edition and that comes with the big center bag, does it not? If that that would be great because I would love to just be able to put 1100# bags in each spot and be set but right now I think I have the big bag already in the center and I'm still looking for some more front weight.

Sorry to be questioning you as you definitely have more experience with alot of ballast weight in this boat, but in your opinion I should be fine with 1100# all around? Right now if that's the case I think I will go with your "bandaid" method and just use a handheld pump to help out the stock pump. (Maybe throw one of the old 400# bags in the bow on surf side too and fill that with the handheld pump)

Edit: Also I really wish I could just go and check my bag and get back to ya about what size I have but I just can't get to it in person for a while since I'm going to school ~4 hours away.

[jstenger]

how do you know?

do you have any pics or video of what happened when you used a heat gun?

can you provide a more detailed explanation of what you did, how you did it and what you might do differently in the future and/or any other options one might consider?

I bet he got it too hot and melted the bag. I know that's what I did!!!

[trayson]

Wow thank you for the great write up trayson! I really appreciate the effort into helping me out here. I'm pretty sure that the center right now is 1180# though, I'm sorry I wasn't more specific before because I just saw that there is actually a difference between the gravity iii package and the gravity games package. My boat is the gravity games edition and that comes with the big center bag, does it not? If that that would be great because I would love to just be able to put 1100# bags in each spot and be set but right now I think I have the big bag already in the center and I'm still looking for some more front weight.

Sorry to be questioning you as you definitely have more experience with alot of ballast weight in this boat, but in your opinion I should be fine with 1100# all around? Right now if that's the case I think I will go with your "bandaid" method and just use a handheld pump to help out the stock pump. (Maybe throw one of the old 400# bags in the bow on surf side too and fill that with the handheld pump)

Edit: Also I really wish I could just go and check my bag and get back to ya about what size I have but I just can't get to it in person for a while since I'm going to school ~4 hours away.

No worries. I don't know which package mine had to be certain either.

I bought the 1180 bag over the winter, so I have never surfed it with the big center bag. The 650 when totally filled basically only went up as high as the main wider portion of that locker and didn't fill the slightly narrower top section (if that makes sense).

Also noteworthy IMO is that the 1100 bag won't completely fill in the rear locker because the trim panels that Berg says are supposedly there to protect your hoses...
Trim panel keeps forward part of bag from being able to fill completely.


No trim, but Berg is scared I'll puncture a fuel hose or something, so I might just fab up some protection of some sort to protect my hoses so Berg doesn't lose any sleep.


That said, I've done the 1100 as full as I could get it in the surfside. to this I've done just the 650 center. I've also done the 650 with another 400 bag as filled as would fit on top of it. I've also added a 400 bag on the surfside seat. I don't have the optimal combo yet.

I will say that I took off the OEM swim platform and made my own that was smaller and didn't have the fiberglass lip on the bottom that was digging into the wake like a shovel and robbing me of push. I did this project on my last boat and repeated it on this boat.

I'm in the middle of a ballast system overhaul so we'll see how things go. I also intend on fabbing up a "ghetto gate" and putting that into the mix. Lots of stuff to play with.

I think that using a throwover pump to supplement the factory pumps is a great idea. It'll get you by with minimal cost and the portable pump is so much faster than the factory it's crazy.

I guess there have been others (Kaneboats) that have added a 2nd pump to their factory manifold system. I'd never thought of that. I'm probably going to have my factory Rule 2000 pump up for grabs. I was thinking about repurposing it into an over the side pump, but I've already got a Tsunami pump so I really don't need another over the side... I actually bought the fittings to make it connect to the fly high bags, so it'd just need the wires and a section of hose. But I hadn't even thought of selling it off until now, so if you're interested in doing a TEE like Kaneboats did and doubling your pumps lemme know. I could see a custom setup where you have 2 rule pumps that go to the high flow sprinkler valves as a "stage 1" upgrade. (have 1 pump for the front and the other pump for the two rears since you'll unlikely be using them both at once for surfing)

[trayson]

how do you know?

do you have any pics or video of what happened when you used a heat gun?

can you provide a more detailed explanation of what you did, how you did it and what you might do differently in the future and/or any other options one might consider?

From what I remember he ripped the port out of the bag. then he tried to fix it with 5200 and failed. Then he ultimately installed a "thru-hull" in that spot that was a smidge bigger and it's now holding.

Fly high says the bags aren't repairable, so Berg was in uncharted territory.

[jmvotto]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpW_x9MeAQo

If you go this route do not use a heat gun as they advise. Ask me how I know...

Watch the video again! No sign of a heat gun , hair dryer worked just fine and all the threads we great, did it on 4 bags from 2 different boats

[MichaelH]

Yeah there would be a big difference in results from a hair dryer compared to a heat gun haha

That's how you are supposed to loosen them up though? By using a hair dryer?

[jmvotto]

Yeah there would be a big difference in results from a hair dryer compared to a heat gun haha

That's how you are supposed to loosen them up though? By using a hair dryer?

Yep about 5 minutes right at the rubber gasket. The video by wakemakers is spot on.

[jmvotto]

Fly high says the bags aren't repairable, so Berg was in uncharted territory.

Berg is often uncharted