ballast bags: Straight Line vs Fly high....

[jasun]

I am looking for some bags and found really 3 different bags. The fly high, the Straight Line Sumo and the Straight Line Big Bag.

I notice the Sumo Sac says puncture resistant but the Big Bag does not.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

My Fiancé rides goofy and I ride regular so I was thinking of putting a 600 - 800 pound across the back bench and then doing 2 300lb bags we can move from the port to starboard. Then I have a 200 lbs back I will put in the front.

Any thoughts?

[jtryon]

i have had a couple 540lb big bags for 4 years now with no issues. they get tossed around, stuffed into storage, used weekly, and never had any issues with leaks yet.

[Supra-in-steamboat]

2nd the Big Bags. My 540lb has been solid. My dogs walk all over it.

[wotan2525]

I had sumo sacs a long time ago and had nothing but problems. Replaced them with the Straight Line bags and never looked back. I've never had a leak or a problem with them.

[CJD]

High Fly's came with my boat. 10 years later they are still not leaking...knock on wood!

[korey]

I have had a mix of all of those bags over the years, plus a couple of others that are still in the mix.

The SL Sumo vs Big Bag is not a huge difference. I think the Sumos are more designed to be added to compartments with or replacing factory ballast systems (cube shaped and fill an entire compartment better), where the Big Bags are designed to just lay in the floor (cylindrical and more stable on the floor). The Sumo does seems to be slightly tougher. I did get a pinhole in my Big Bag 540 2 weeks ago, but it didn't ruin that day, and was easily repaired with a bicycle tube patch that I had in the garage. I had a sharp (slightly stripped) screw head on one of the screws in the locker, and I usually cram all of the deflated bags and pumps back there when not in use. I don't blame the bag.

The check valve in the Straight Line bags is recessed, and the way the pump interfaces with it helps keep it from folding over on itself when draining, therefore (on my boat) they are a little more trouble free. Although that pump is also a little slower (lower GPM) than the pump that I have for the Fly High/fat Sacs. I think the one that gets packaged with those bags now is nearly equivalent (1100 GPM) to the one that you'd get for the Fly High or Fat Sac (1200 GPM).

My setup For wakeboarding:
This in the locker (actually an older version of it with waterbed fittings and Fly High adapters to their QD for the tsunami pump):
http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-rear-seat-sac.html

This behind the doghouse (probably doesn't get fully filled) with what I think is their older 800 GPM pump. I should by the faster pump now, I only learned that I exists be looking up these parts for you
http://www.wakemakers.com/launch-pad-540-ballast-bag-single.html

Wake plate as far down as possible, to the point of bending the corners more than the center...

When it's surf time I add this to the surf side:
http://www.bartswatersports.com/images/Product/largeimage-6977.jpg
It is no longer available, but perfectly fills up the space behind the driver's seat. I'm naturally goofy footed, Somehow I've managed to form the wake better on that side of my salt, and The boat is more manageable without a big bag laying in the floor in the ONLY walk space left. Get ready for your 22' boat to feel tiny!
If I had to replace it, I'd buy this:
http://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-fat-sac-dual-drain-port.html

I don't use ANY weight up front - I try to use the wake plate for that. There is always some fine tuning by moving people around, but I usually end up with the heaviest person in the surf corner (except that's usually me, and I'm usually at the throttle or behind the boat), second in the observer's seat, and the rest is just trial and error. With this setup, the rubrail in the surf corner touches the water while sitting still, and is actually below the waterline when running. it takes some getting used to and some extra caution...

The fill/check valve caps are tethered on everything that I've got, but the extra drains are not, so i keep a few spares on hand. That has saved they day twice, and well worth the couple of extra bucks. Get the fastest pumps that you can get for your bags - it really is a big deal. I also had an o-ring fall apart on the SL pump, so I've got a bag of those in the boat too. It was still getting water in the bag, but it was getting just as much in the floor when it failed.

Let's get that Saltare weighted down!

[jasun]

Let's get that Saltare weighted down!

And how good a surf wake do you get?

Can people sit on these bags?

[korey]

Oh yeah, people it on, step on, woller all over, throw boards on the bags. it's not a big deal.

I can get it surfable for most riders on either side of the boat with these tools
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11825547_10102926871937100_5959082995817247828_n.j pg?oh=db8635c16616a44d39bc2c053e7bb329&oe=567ADC50
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dUNDLyOhyig/VcieW0PYZwI/AAAAAAAADoA/IpcpppmW8qU/s640-Ic42/G0663190.JPG

[jasun]

I can get it surfable for most riders on either side of the boat with these tools[/img]

Do you have any pics of the inside with all the bags laid out?

Looks like a nice wave though!

[korey]

I don't guess that I do. By that time I usually have my hands pretty full.

One thing that I will say: despite the simple math of 2000lbs/8.35lbs-gal/1100GPH pumps/2 pumps*60 minutes per hour = 6.5 minutes of pumping, it actually takes me closer to 30 minutes of pain in the butt work to get this system ready to surf, and longer to break it down - probably because I'm pretty notorious for getting "just one more" ride in and being completely pooped out. Side note, "Just one more" has become the name of my boat ;-)