Custom Ballast Bags

[Josh Cahoon]

I am working on a winter project. I have a 2011 242. I am working with Wake Makers to build some custom bags for the rear lockers. The issue I am running into is the gas filler pipe on the port side. It runs about six inches from the rear wall of the locker. I am afraid the get to close to the pipe in fear of knocking it off when the bags are in use. Wake Makers told me they have designed some bags for this locker already, but they don't seem to take into account the pipe. I am going to run into an issue if the bag is pushing against the pipe and goes all the way to the rear of the locker. The pipe is near the top of the locker and is held in place with some clamps. I could use some advice, especially if you have installed bags in this area.

I am hoping to get around 800 lbs from each bag.

 

[jcyamaharider]

I used a big zip tie on my old boat and just tied the fuel hose back to gain more room. I actually fit a fly high 1180 pound bag and 3 batteries under the port seat in my Ar230. The new boat is capped at the 600 pound bag that it came with since I have amps and batteries in there.

 

[Josh Cahoon]

I looked into the Fly High bags. Those might work out well. More weight than my design. Thanks for the idea. I thought I had looked at all the bags. Only one concern my height is limited to 16 inches before I push my seats up. Did you have this issue.

 

[jcyamaharider]

I looked into the Fly High bags. Those might work out well. More weight than my design. Thanks for the idea. I thought I had looked at all the bags. Only one concern my height is limited to 16 inches before I push my seats up. Did you have this issue.

The bag will only fill where it can and I had mine vented so no pressure below the seats.

 

[swatski]

@rocknracing is one of the owners with WM customs, maybe he can chime in.
I have 800lbs unvented bags in those behind-rear seat compartments, which are way smaller in my boat than than the pre-2015 models, and they fill in quite nicely as they conform to space.
Likewise @jcyamaharider I (slightly) rerouted the fuel hose and moved the vapor trap, that's the easy part.

--

 

[Josh Cahoon]

I pulled the trigger with Wake Makers. They are drafting the bags now. I should have the CAD design this week. We went with the custom bags and will be installing vents to maximize the capacity of the bag. I do not have the specs on what the weights will be yet. Hopefully someone else can use the specs Wake Makers draft for their boat. I am hoping for a minimum of 800lbs a side. Now to determine if the 1100 lb bag I have will be used. I will be placed a 400lb bag on the platform.

Funny thing did happen. My dealer does not want to install a vent for the bags. Claims it will introduce more problems then it will solve. Not sure I buy into this. Therefore I will be stalling the vents myself, adding a valve to allow water/air to flow out and not in. If I buy a 800 bag I want 800 lbs, not 75% of a non vent bag.

My thoughts for the vents would be to install behind the swim deck seats, opposite the blower vents. That way they are hidden, allow venting and overflow, and I don't have to worry about appearance some much. What are your thoughts on this.

 

[jcyamaharider]

All of my bags on my last boat were vented and I never had an issue. All of the wake boats out there have vented bags, sounds like they just don't want to do it.

Per my calculation these bags will net around 820 pounds of ballast.

 

[Josh Cahoon]

Wake Maker just came through with the rendering. 925lbs. on each bag. That will work. They came through very fast. Submitting the drawings late on Friday. I might get one more surf trip in this year yet. But we did get snow this weekend. Praying for 70's for the next two weeks.

 

[Josh Cahoon]

Forgot to mention this. If you need more storage, this is an awesome product. Having it installed today. No more have four racks hanging of the tower. Very easy to use, and get boards in and out.

http://www.sewlong.com/article/surf-pockets

 

[jcyamaharider]

Wake Maker just came through with the rendering. 925lbs. on each bag. That will work. They came through very fast. Submitting the drawings late on Friday. I might get one more surf trip in this year yet. But we did get snow this weekend. Praying for 70's for the next two weeks.

They must be accounting for some serious swell. I just drew these up in solidworks and I got the exact cubic inch times .03606 for weight of water per cubic inch = roughly 820 pounds

 

[Josh Cahoon]

My initial figures were very similar to yours. Even at 820, I am mostly happy. The goal for me is to have the bags hidden. If all I can get is 800, then I will have to go with that. I am gong to do a weight test when I receive them. He also stated they were estimating a little on the low side. I sure hope he is not blowing smoke.

I have a gravel yard by my house with a truck scale. I think they may let me use it. Otherwise, it will be a guess on the weight.

 

[swatski]

If I buy a 800 bag I want 800 lbs, not 75% of a non vent bag.

A vented bag will not expand as much as an unvented. In fact, you will never be able to fill a vented bag to its nominal capacity, short of some ideal conditions (outside the boat). The whole idea with running unvented bags is to be able to fill and drain completely, or at least to fill as much as the internal space allows (the bag will conform to the compartment's shape, at least to an extent). Also, keep in mind the key issue is not just the bag nominal capacity but to actually be able to fill it inside the boat internal compartments.

Going un-vented, the only disadvantage I am aware of is that you could damage the boat if an unvented bag were to be accidentally overfilled. I have mine on timers, but also end up always watching and sometimes adjusting them as they fill up, so I don't really see the danger. Building a little bit of pressure helps the bags to expand and fill the space.

The same with draining - if unvented they shrivel down and can be emptied completely, even if they are lying on an uneven surface with the drain not in the lowest position, which somehow always seems to end up happening.

Yes, you can install one way valves, but every valve and every split/connector/branch point in the system creates new weak points and potential headaches down the road. I have experimented with various setups and read just about every post in every forum and concluded that the simpler the better.

With your boat, you have a lot more usable ballast space as compared to the new (2015+) 24' hulls which have wet storage compartments and a ton of soundproofing where you have just open cavities. I must say the new boats are way quieter, and I could not complain, but the space inside the stern is pretty severely restricted.
(For comparison, there is actually more open space there in those back compartments on the side of the engine in a 190 model - but those boats are also louder than hell - the empty space acts like a huge acoustic box.)

Anyway, just my two cents. I would think twice about venting vs not, and if you really want the max volume usage, probably unvented is the way to go. If you do vent - the vent outlets need to be way higher than the top of the bag when the boat is listed, which is easier said than done but crucial to avoid siphoning.

--

 

[Josh Cahoon]

This is why I love this site. So much knowledge and experience to draw from. Never could you get this type of information all on your own from a single source. I will need to think about the vents and non-vents. Very much appreciate the feedback.