Another Ballast Thread - Building in the Transom Bag(s)

[JasonSchoenrock]

After now spending some time with the Wake Booster and the @jcyamaharider transom bag and realizing i really only need the center locker bag and the transom bag in my setup, I'm wondering if there is a way to streamline or automate. The over-the side pump takes 15 minutes to fill the transom bag and I've virtually eliminated the ability to switch sides, which is a pain for my regular-footed family and friends. Centering the transom bag is an option if we know we'll have switch, but it's not ideal for the best wave. All this got me thinking..

I now have two pumps for my under-seat bags that are going unused - so why not somehow re-route the fill hose through the wet storage on the transom and use those to fill the transom bag? Ideally it would be cool to have the bag sort of roll out of that locker on fill automatically, then somehow roll back in. This could work sort of like @swatski dual pump system where the two pumps could empty/fill from one side to the other. Another, more manual option would be to just manually empty one side while filling the other. This setup would obviously require a second transom bag and emptying through the pump would probably require rethinking the location of the ports.

Am I overthinking? Anyone else thought of something along these lines?

 

[swatski]

Am I overthinking? Anyone else thought of something along these lines?

That is more or less what I'm trying to do - re-routing/re-purposing/cannibalizing(?) the rear storage locker dedicated pumps in my custom WM system to fill the Gatlin transom bag(s) faster/easier.

Depending on the passenger load we do not see much, if minimal, benefit that the rear storage locker bags would seem to impart on the quality and/or size of the wave, as long as the GTB is filled to the maximum capacity and properly deployed pushing the corner of the swim deck under water and listing the boat to the surf side, see below:


Unlike the (badly designed and executed?) factory "wake" system all 4 of my high speed reversible pumps are mounted inside the rear storage compartments and use dedicated intakes (1 intake/1 pump/1 bag) w/ no superfluous valves. Therefore my system is intrinsically fast, and it is relatively easy to built on it!

My new system (AKA the SwatskiSurfBallast 2.0, lol) is a dual (or triple) dedicated intake transom bag concept wherein the GTB will hide inside the wet storage along with the plumbing when not in use, and rolled out for fillup.

We are still debating the wisdom of servicing/surfing on both sides, given all the added complexity. I have now watched many videos of people surfing the "other" side of the wake (in reverse position to the wave but without reversing the stand, regular or goofy) and we may decide to just do that. However, if the system I'm building works extremely well I may be inclined to elaborate.

If we stick with the all-surf-one-side approach, my GTB will likely end up rolling out of the wet storage following a triple intake fill/drain scheme, and that I know will be very fast! Not as fast as "RAMFILL", lol, but pretty damn near.

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[JasonSchoenrock]

This is great info! My integrated system (I have a 2016 LS) is technically 'after-market' but was installed by my local dealer, who I'm sure used the XE as the template. It's got the three separate pumps in the engine compartment, all plumbed to a single input/output. I think what I'll do for an initial test is to get a fitting to connect my under-seat fill hose (3/4" Flow-Rite) to the hose that comes with the Tsunami pump just to see what the time is to fill the center bag and the transom bag using my existing pumps. As long as the convenience is there (push-button vs. over the side pump) and the time is either the same or less, then I'll figure out how to plumb that hose from the engine compartment out through the wet storage locker and keep it attached to the bag, store the bag there, etc. Should be fun!