2005 Tige 24V Rider's Edition Benefit from ballast under Seats

[bigskymontana]

I really love the locker space in the boat, but we need to add some ballast.
Any thoughts
Would I benefit from adding ballast under the bench seats on the port and starboard sides and under the bench seat at the stern?
I know the port side seat has the cooler, but we don't use it.
Would also add a bag in the bow under the seats.

Thanks in Advance

[duffymahoney]

I have dual L shaped sacs, it helps the wave for sure, but the lose of storage sucks.

[bigskymontana]

The StarGazer PerfectPass came in and we installed it. We had to test out the install. Right?!
We have about 500 lbs of people ballast, the TAPS set half way down, doing 10.5 MPH and a Mission Wake Shaper on the opposite side.
Here is a video of my daughter:
https://1drv.ms/v/s!AlIcE-MeYA7QmYJlRQ_fVInwhmYFXA

[duffymahoney]

Nice! I rock dual rear 1700-1850s. The wave just gets better.

[N.Penley]

Contact Chpthril and order the custom sacs. You will not regret it. If you need storage you don’t have to fill them. If you want to surf and only have a crew of 2-4 you can’t beat them. Even with the big L-shaped sacs and bow sac there is still storage under both consoles. I have only had my ballast a few weeks. I wish I would have done it sooner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bigskymontana]

Thanks folks for your feed back. Please forgive my lack of terminology. When you and duff reference L-shaped sacs, do you mean a sac that would fill part or the entire storage locker and then go under the seat on the port and starboard sides?

Thanks again.

[duffymahoney]

Yep! So sort of L shaped, I did customs for my 24v, but now with the invention of the suck gate, I would probably go with a sac that is a little smaller.

[N.Penley]

What we have may be considered overkill, but you certainly do not have to fill them full if the storage space is needed. After using 21'-22.5' boats that require additional ballast bags in the floor or even in the seats to get a good surf wave, I knew I wanted as much as I could fit under the seats. At least then it is out of sight and off the interior. Plus, when the bags are empty you basically still have all your storage. Also, I made a homemade surf gate with a $10 China-freight suction handle and some scrap wood and had so much success that I will probably never order one. I saved a couple hundred bucks there and enjoy knowing I can replace it for $10 and 20 minutes of my time rather than spending $250 and waiting a week on shipping.

We can keep two surf boards and two wake boards in the rear lockers with vests, ropes, gate etc. When it is time to surf those items go onto board racks, in the water, etc. We typically have a couple diaper bags and backpacks and a crew of 4 adults + 4 kids+ a dog and do not miss the storage, but others may. Like you stated the cooler is also useless to me. I've never used mine.

I am by no means trying to sell you on anything, just sharing my thoughts.

[bigskymontana]

Do either of you have ballast in the bow?

Really appreciate the thoughts! The information has been great. I don't feel like anyone is selling me on anything. It is nice to hear from folks with similar boats.
My plan is got get some measurements, contact Chpthril and get a quote. I think with the rear lockers, I want to go part way up (may be half) and under the seats. I plan to put a shelf in the rear locker, so we can put things in without having to worrying about the bags. Using the surf shaper/gate will help.
The kiddos are progressing and having fun.
Thanks again.

[duffymahoney]

Yes, you need as much bow ballast as possible.

[bigskymontana]

Thanks duff for information about bow ballast.

[N.Penley]

I am running under seat ballast plus a couple 250 lb sacks when I don't have passengers up there. One 250 lb sack under the bow filler cushion and the other in the walk through area. I definitely need more prop and will probably install a 5 blade this winter. The boat really struggles when I set it up for goofy riders with the current prop. There is a significant loss of power / more stress on the boat (due to prop rotation) and I actually drop both rear sacks an estimated 200 lbs vs where they would be on the regular side and reduce speed .3-.5 mph. Both regular and goofy waves are very good with plenty of push.

Duffy has much more experience than I do and is what I consider an expert on these boats. I have enjoyed playing around and tweaking my wave this year but I have plenty left to learn.