ballast tanks

[Johnny B]

I think one of my ballast tanks is leaking but I'm not sure how to inspect it.  how the hell do you get to the tanks on the SX's?  after filling both sides, my boat began it's typical Epic bullshit, missing and sputtering again.  I lifted the hatch and noticed that my boat was full of water  and I assume it was splashing off my belt and into my intake causing the miss....  Once it dried out it ran fine but how do I get to the tanks to find the leak?  I sure get tired of f@#$ing with this boat sometimes..  just when you think everything is good and you are ready to sack it out and ride, more bullshit happens.   

[Rambling Wreck]

"typical Epic bullshit, missing and sputtering again" - strange, mine has never done that. Of course, I don't operate mine with a flooded bilge. You indicated that your ballast inlet valves were leaking in March 2008 but said you didn't know how to tighten them. I assume you never did anything to fix that issue. Therefore, "I sure get tired of f@#$ing with this boat sometimes..  just when you think everything is good and you are ready to sack it out and ride, more bullshit happens." doesn't appear to be an accurate statement.

[masonlk]

Just checking. Does this only happen when you use the ballast system? Last year I had a drain left open that I thought was tight. It's amazing how fast the bilge will fill when the engine is under load and producing pressure and yes they don't run well when using water for fuel.

Watch while someone else drives and operates the ballast to see if you can pinpoint where it's leaking from. Maybe only be a worn hose or faulty valve or fitting. Take a deep breath and eliminate all the simple things first. You'll have great satisfaction when you figure it out and fix it. Then you can tackle the next problem with a smile on your face knowing that you can handle it.

On a side note, I watched several new boats driving around the lake this weekend with the "hood" up and someone bent over inside the engine bay yelling instructions to increase speed, decrease speed, or shut it off! Just remember they are all money pits and the best day is the day you get it and the day you get rid of it. No matter what make or model!

[Wet-N-Frugal]

  B.O.A.T  ...   Bring On Another Thousand     

[Ktown]

Johnny,

Sorry to hear about the ballast leak.  My left ballast tank has had a slow leak since I bought it a few years ago.  I always thought my left ballast tank level indicator was not working propertly, but realized that it was leaking into the bilge after I finally saw another epic that didn't constantly have the bilge working.  My leak is only seen from the rear hatch floor (small panel that pops up from the floor).  I think I have a picture of it on the site somewhere (you can see the water leaking from the port side and draining directly into the bilge).  The good news is that it isn't that bad, the bad news is that its not easy to get to and even more difficult to find the leak.  The only way I know to get in the tanks is through the level sensor (under the rear corner seat).  Unfortunately it is very small and would probably require you to use some sort of flexible camera or cut a larger hole there.  I originally planned to cut a larger hole and replace it with a floor cap (12" variety).  Would be cheap and allow you to get access better.  The main problem would be ensuring you don't try to cut any of the stringers.  I think there are some pictures on the site of what the inside looks like and I think I determined there should be plenty of room there.  Again, I haven't talked this, but I'm sure you could find a boat shop that would be able to help if you didn't want the hassle.  Another option is to buy some sacks and enjoy your Summer and fix it in the winter.  If you do a few searches, I'm sure you will find some of my posts as well as some others on the issue.  Each one is different, but since the tanks are built into the hull, they are very painful to work on.

Good Luck,

K-Town

[skibeau]

Johnny,

I hope you find the leak without a lot unproductive searching.  If the simple searches don't find it and you try Ktown's idea of a 12" floor cap, consider using a stud finder to locate the stringers.  If they're solid to the floor, it may send back a signal showing their location.  Just a thought..  Please let us know how it goes or how we can help.

[Johnny B]

hey Rambling Wreck,

Why are you talking smack?  Yes, my inlet valves were leaking before but just because I may not have posted my solution doesn't mean that I am an idiot and didn't do anything about it.  I shut off the intake pumps all together and now fill them with a separate pump manually.  The valves are no longer leaking. Things have been fine since then but I haven't used the stock ballast and now that I did, it leaked, filled the bilge and ran shitty.  There is no need for you to be a DICK!

[Johnny B]

do you even have a ballast system in your boat?

[Johnny B]

to everyone else,

thanks for your ideas and support.  I'm sure I can figure it out, I just thought I finally had all the issues resolved and was ready to ride and crank up the wake.  I wasn't expecting it to fill up with water and run bad again.  The boat has been running perfect without using the stock ballast as I have fixed all of the other issues.  I will look into it when I get some time and let you know if I locate the problem. 

[Johnny B]

Ktown,

thanks for the advice.  I will work on it this weekend on land.  I will pull the floor panels, motor hatch and rear panel, then fill each side manually with a water hose ( one at a time ) and see which one is leaking and how bad.  Hopefully I can locate it and fix it.  I do have other sacks but I like to fill the stock ballast, ad 600 lbs to the front and another 600 in the trunk for a nice fat wake.  I hate to put another sack in the floor to compensate for the ballast because it takes up too much room and looks ghetto.  Either way, I'll figure something out, thanks again for helping.

[cyclone]

Johnny,
Replacing my valves and making sure I had tight connections everywhere made a big difference in the performance of my SX ballast. There is an access plate on the side of the tanks facing the gas tank, so by removing the gas tank you can at least get your arm in there in the forward half of the tank. Depending where the leak is you might be able to seal it up. I would also not hesitate to put another access plate somewhere to get to a leaking area. It may be hard to find where they are leaking as it may leak under the liner.

It seems like you have a pretty bad leak, it should be easier to find. I may have a slow leak in my starboard tank, my system is working reliably for the first time, not sure yet.
Either way, I'd pull the valve manifold out and tighten all the connections. Check the base of your pumps for cracks, even a tiny one will prevent the pump from priming.

[Johnny B]

Cyclone,

I haven't had the fuel tank out yet so I wasn't aware of the access panel.  thanks for the tip.  seems like a pain to get the tank out..  I will look into it. any tips on getting it out? 

[cyclone]

I've never removed mine, but it doesn't look hard other than lifting it out of there. I think Toyotafreak had his out, haven't heard from him in a couple years though, not sure if he's still lurking.

The ballast manual shows the access plates. Adding another in the trunk or under a seat or even right in the middle of the floor would not bother me one bit if it would enable me to fix my system.

[wakejunky]

Ive had the tank out and it was a bit of a pain. first remove the sending unit at the back of the tank and try to remove all the fuel. trust me your not getting it out with even a little left in it. remove all the brackets and hoses connected to the tank. lift from the rear and pull backwards. the hard part is getting the tank past the 45 degree floor plate next to the built in ice chest. definitly a two person job when pulling it out. once its out you can pull the access plates and check out how its built inside. it will give you access to the front part of the tanks and will show you where you can and cant put another access plate if you need it.

Good luck man. its definitly worth fixing i couldnt live without the additional 700 lbs.

oh yeah i think you have to remove the drivers seat for clearance or at least to keep it from getting damaged.

[Johnny B]

thanks wakejunky, I figured it would be a pain. I almost pulled it before but as you mentioned the 45 degree part in the front stopped me.  I will go ahead and tear into it I guess when I get a chance.  I drained the tanks completely and cleaned out my bilge screen and took it out yesterday.  Then boat ran perfect and I filled up 2 600 lb sacks and 3 250lb fat buddies but still couldn't get a nice surf wake.  The wake shapes up nice for boarding with that much weight but I can't clean it up for surfing.  any ideas?  I think having the stock tanks full would definitely help.   Atleast the boat is running great..