( 
)Some people may find integrating fat sacs to be a daunting task. There are lots of helpful guides on the internet these days. But, you can never take one person's approach and assume it is right for you. If you are the occasional wakeboarder and don't mind spending extra time filling your sacs manually, the cash you'd spend on sacs could be spent on wakeboards or boat accessories. Integrating your ballast system is not for everyone. Do you have minor electrical skills, plumbing skills, and the nerve to drill holes in your $40,000 baby? Local shops can install the system for you, but may require you to buy their systems at a higher cost.
The major things to consider are:
Let's look at cost. The cheapest system to install in your boat would be considered an "old way of doing things." You can use 2 aerator plastic pumps per sac, one to fill and one to empty. The great thing about this system is the price. Each pump costs around $20-30, but you need to drill 1 hole in your boat per pump you use. There are systems you can install allowing you to use ball valves to reroute the water back to the same pump. In the interest of simplicity we will not cover these methods.
However, the cheapest way may not be the best way for your boat. The new way of installing a ballast system is with a Jabsco Ballast Puppy reversible ballast pump. Designed specifically for wakeboard ballast systems, the Ballast Puppy is the right pump for the job in most cases. It is reversible, so you would run one hose from the sac to the pump and then run a hose from the pump through the hull below the water line. This enables you to fill the sac and empty the sac through the same hole. One less hole in your boat is always a good thing, right? This pump retails for $245, instead of $20. It is the best choice if you are not on a very tight budget. To make the pennies stretch even further you can use a "Y" fitting to fill the two rear sacs at the same time and use just one pump to drain and fill both sacs simultaneously. I've just saved you $245 bucks, not bad, eh? I know there are wake surfers out there saying this method will not work. But if you put a ball valve between the "Y" fitting and the sac you don't need for surfing, you can leave that sac empty.
The biggest question I get is how much weight to put in the front of the boat. This answer is not the same for everyone, but most boats need 60% in the rear and 40% upfront. I install sacs that allow a little wiggle room at either end for adjusting. 300lb uncle Berny is going to need a little more weight in the bow to get the wake just right. A lot of people think the idea is to get the back of the boat in the water as much as possible even if the nose is vertical. The boat needs to sit in the water with full ballasts much the way it would with empty tanks. The idea is to lower the entire boat, not just the stern. While 60 / 40 is not a hard rule, it's a starting point.
Now let's look at types of boats. It might be very hard in some boats to find room to put sacs that are not on the floor or on the seat. For these boats a manual pump would be the best option. For the most part, if you plan to integrate you need somewhere to hide the sacs out of the way. After all, they will be a semi-permanent accessory in your boat. As I said earlier, under the seat in the bow is a good option for front weight. Fly High makes an Integrated Bow sac that fits great in most bows that have storage under the seat. Visit my eBay store for a good selection of bow sacs. For V-drive boats, the Fly High V-Drive Sacs fit in the compartment next to the engine on both sides (check the dimensions of your compartment before buying a sac). This is the most common setup. It would add 800lbs to the rear and 650lbs to the bow. Fly High does make some sacs specific to boats, like the Nautique Wedge Sac, and X-2 and X-Star specific sacs. If you have a section in your boat that would be great for a sac, but you cannot find one to fit, Fly High makes custom sacs of any shape and size.
There are a couple different types of sacs out there. Some manufacturers are still selling water bed bladder sacs. These sacs use the blue water bed style fittings that can cause problems with integrating. These sacs are the most prone to leakage. They may not recommend sitting or standing on them for fear of bursting. If you put the end of a wakeboard on them full or empty, it's likely to puncture the sac. There are hard ballast tanks that are still being installed by many major boat manufacturers. However it can prove to be very difficult to install after market hard tanks. The only sacs I recommend and sell are Fly High sacs made from Valmex. The same material white water rafts are made with. If you have ever seen a white water raft filled with people bounce off a jagged rock and live to see another day, then you will appreciate these sacs. They do cost more money, but they will last a lifetime if proper care is taken. Don't leave them in the sun, empty them when not in use, try not to poke screw drivers into them, etc. You probably only have one boat (Bill Gates excluded) so why worry about a punctured sac dumping 100s of gallons of water into your boat?The thing that really sets these sacs apart is the quick connect system. Fly High has taken great care in designing a system that let's you fill your sacs quicker with manual pumps and uses the Flow Right fittings to integrate them into your boat.
If you have questions click here to contact me. Need parts for your system? Go to http://stores.ebay.com/maxwake-auctions for everything you need. Look for "How to Install Your Ballast System" soon.
The major things to consider are:
- Cost
- Time to install the system
- Weight distribution
- Type of boat and options available
- Types of sacs to use
Let's look at cost. The cheapest system to install in your boat would be considered an "old way of doing things." You can use 2 aerator plastic pumps per sac, one to fill and one to empty. The great thing about this system is the price. Each pump costs around $20-30, but you need to drill 1 hole in your boat per pump you use. There are systems you can install allowing you to use ball valves to reroute the water back to the same pump. In the interest of simplicity we will not cover these methods.
However, the cheapest way may not be the best way for your boat. The new way of installing a ballast system is with a Jabsco Ballast Puppy reversible ballast pump. Designed specifically for wakeboard ballast systems, the Ballast Puppy is the right pump for the job in most cases. It is reversible, so you would run one hose from the sac to the pump and then run a hose from the pump through the hull below the water line. This enables you to fill the sac and empty the sac through the same hole. One less hole in your boat is always a good thing, right? This pump retails for $245, instead of $20. It is the best choice if you are not on a very tight budget. To make the pennies stretch even further you can use a "Y" fitting to fill the two rear sacs at the same time and use just one pump to drain and fill both sacs simultaneously. I've just saved you $245 bucks, not bad, eh? I know there are wake surfers out there saying this method will not work. But if you put a ball valve between the "Y" fitting and the sac you don't need for surfing, you can leave that sac empty.
The biggest question I get is how much weight to put in the front of the boat. This answer is not the same for everyone, but most boats need 60% in the rear and 40% upfront. I install sacs that allow a little wiggle room at either end for adjusting. 300lb uncle Berny is going to need a little more weight in the bow to get the wake just right. A lot of people think the idea is to get the back of the boat in the water as much as possible even if the nose is vertical. The boat needs to sit in the water with full ballasts much the way it would with empty tanks. The idea is to lower the entire boat, not just the stern. While 60 / 40 is not a hard rule, it's a starting point.
Now let's look at types of boats. It might be very hard in some boats to find room to put sacs that are not on the floor or on the seat. For these boats a manual pump would be the best option. For the most part, if you plan to integrate you need somewhere to hide the sacs out of the way. After all, they will be a semi-permanent accessory in your boat. As I said earlier, under the seat in the bow is a good option for front weight. Fly High makes an Integrated Bow sac that fits great in most bows that have storage under the seat. Visit my eBay store for a good selection of bow sacs. For V-drive boats, the Fly High V-Drive Sacs fit in the compartment next to the engine on both sides (check the dimensions of your compartment before buying a sac). This is the most common setup. It would add 800lbs to the rear and 650lbs to the bow. Fly High does make some sacs specific to boats, like the Nautique Wedge Sac, and X-2 and X-Star specific sacs. If you have a section in your boat that would be great for a sac, but you cannot find one to fit, Fly High makes custom sacs of any shape and size.
There are a couple different types of sacs out there. Some manufacturers are still selling water bed bladder sacs. These sacs use the blue water bed style fittings that can cause problems with integrating. These sacs are the most prone to leakage. They may not recommend sitting or standing on them for fear of bursting. If you put the end of a wakeboard on them full or empty, it's likely to puncture the sac. There are hard ballast tanks that are still being installed by many major boat manufacturers. However it can prove to be very difficult to install after market hard tanks. The only sacs I recommend and sell are Fly High sacs made from Valmex. The same material white water rafts are made with. If you have ever seen a white water raft filled with people bounce off a jagged rock and live to see another day, then you will appreciate these sacs. They do cost more money, but they will last a lifetime if proper care is taken. Don't leave them in the sun, empty them when not in use, try not to poke screw drivers into them, etc. You probably only have one boat (Bill Gates excluded) so why worry about a punctured sac dumping 100s of gallons of water into your boat?The thing that really sets these sacs apart is the quick connect system. Fly High has taken great care in designing a system that let's you fill your sacs quicker with manual pumps and uses the Flow Right fittings to integrate them into your boat.
If you have questions click here to contact me. Need parts for your system? Go to http://stores.ebay.com/maxwake-auctions for everything you need. Look for "How to Install Your Ballast System" soon.
Guide created: 04/01/08 (updated 05/23/08)
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