Joining the Supra fam (2005 ssv)

Im just in the process of finalizing my trade in of my 23' Wakesetter XTI on a 2005 launch ssv 24'.
Just had a few questions after looking on wakemakers.
Is it really a big issue with the ballast fill time? Also is the pump not priming a consistent issue? (I'm not sure if the boat has the gravity games ballast bags yet) any idea what the stock bags are?

I'm hoping the Indmar 340 engine is enough to move this 24' boats well while loaded?

I live in Canada so I'd like to have all my upgrades and bugs worked out before the short 4 month boating season is here.
Any feed back on this boat would be appreciated.

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Originally Posted by Pete24SSV

Im just in the process of finalizing my trade in of my 23' Wakesetter XTI on a 2005 launch ssv 24'.
Just had a few questions after looking on wakemakers.
Is it really a big issue with the ballast fill time? Also is the pump not priming a consistent issue? (I'm not sure if the boat has the gravity games ballast bags yet) any idea what the stock bags are?

I'm hoping the Indmar 340 engine is enough to move this 24' boats well while loaded?

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The 2005 model year did come with the Gravity III Ballast. It was a measly 1000 pounds standard or 1300 pounds with the Gravity Games edition. System was rated at 2000 GPH. There are two guys here on the forum that have the '06 24SSV and '07 22SSV and both have done upgrades to their ballast. I'm not the one that will have a good answer on the fill time or pump not priming. They will have better answers than I would.

As for the motor, I have the 345 horse in my 242 with the Acme 1235 14.5 x 14.25 and that was the same concern I had before purchase. I'm more than impressed with the motor. I load it with over 3k ballast and anywhere from 6-8-10 people onboard and no issue whatsoever. You do have to balance the weight. If you put everyone in back, it will struggle to plane, but overall it gets out of the hole quick and does well on gas. I would check your prop size and if it needs an upgrade, that will be money well spent.
For comparison, the '12 Sunsport 242 weighs about 550 pounds more than the '05 24SSV from the factory at 4,500 lbs. vs 3,950 lbs. respectively.

The Indmar 340 hp was the optional engine for that year over the standard 325 hp across the 8 models that Supra produced. That engine offered new ETX one-piece tuned-port exhaust manifolds that gave it a 5% increase in both torque and horses with high-flow heads and a high-lift roller cam. You should be fine if the engine has been well maintained. The Chevy 350 is a great motor. Performance wise, it will get the job done.

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Originally Posted by Mischief IV

The 2005 model year did come with the Gravity III Ballast. It was a measly 1000 pounds standard or 1300 pounds with the Gravity Games edition. System was rated at 2000 GPH. There are two guys here on the forum that have the '06 24SSV and '07 22SSV and both have done upgrades to their ballast. I'm not the one that will have a good answer on the fill time or pump not priming. They will have better answers than I would.


As for the motor, I have the 345 horse in my 242 with the Acme 1235 14.5 x 14.25 and that was the same concern I had before purchase. I'm more than impressed with the motor. I load it with over 3k ballast and anywhere from 6-8-10 people onboard and no issue whatsoever. You do have to balance the weight. If you put everyone in back, it will struggle to plane, but overall it gets out of the hole quick and does well on gas. I would check your prop size and if it needs an upgrade, that will be money well spent.
For comparison, the '12 Sunsport 242 weighs about 550 pounds more than the '05 24SSV from the factory at 4,500 lbs. vs 3,950 lbs. respectively.

The Indmar 340 hp was the optional engine for that year over the standard 325 hp across the 8 models that Supra produced. That engine offered new ETX one-piece tuned-port exhaust manifolds that gave it a 5% increase in both torque and horses with high-flow heads and a high-lift roller cam. You should be fine if the engine has been well maintained. The Chevy 350 is a great motor. Performance wise, it will get the job done.

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Thanks for all the info! I'll ask the dealer to check the prop for me so I can order an upgrade sooner than later if needed. How did you choose that prop for your 242? Wakemakers recommends different props for my boat... (Acme 1433 for wake/surf then the 1716 for High elevation/heavy load)
When you load your boat up with 3k ballast is that for surfing or wakeboarding? I assume these boats throw a nice surfwave with how much water they are displacing? I've built my own "suck gate" so hopefully that works well enough.

I get to water test the boat before full payment so anything I should be looking for?

Well I am the one with the 06 24ssv. I have had constant issues with the stockvballast system. Primarily with the sprinkler valve system for filling. I bought the boat 5 years ago. And within a month I was replacing those valves. Last summer I replaced them again. The valves direct the fill water to which bag your trying to fill. It was a constant battle keeping them working. I never worried about the fill time until I saw how quickly the upgraded system will fill a bag. Then I realized how slow mine was.

I also had many problems with the drain pumps. Replaced them twice since I have had it. Half the time I would pull the hoses off my sacks and drain then into the bilge. Also one year I had a pump break where they snap together and when I would fill that sack the water would just pump into the bilge.

If you plan on surfing you definitely want to upgrade the rear sacks to the eleven hundred pound bags. They make all the difference in creating a surf wave.

This year I have purchased the upgraded pumps from wakemakers. I have not installed them yet but plan on getting started soon. But there are three huge pumps, one for each sack. And each pump will have its own intake. The same pump also drains the sack. So it will be much faster. I am looking forward to the season with this new system. I look forward to quickly switching from wakeboarding to surfing when we want. And to making adjustments to the wake when wakeboarding and the boat people aren’t sitting in the right spots. Will be able to quickly add water to one side or the other to even it out.

So if you have the money to spend and want to get it out of the way I would just go ahead and get the bigger sacks and upgraded pumps. That way you won’t be fighting it all summer.

I do love my 24ssv. It’s a great boat. Mischief’s motor performs well. I have the 8.1 in mine. It does a great job as well. You will love the boat.

FOR THE BALLAST BAGS:
Back in the mid 2000s, Supra boats came with an option called Gravity Games Editions (1, 2, and 3). My 2007 (22SSV) had the Gravity Games III. The rear bags were around 400-600# which will not work for surfing (probably 42" x 19" x 19"). Wakeboarding you would be fine. If you did not have the Gravity 3, I've seen smaller bags in the back 400#s (42″ x 16″ x 16″)

For the rear bags you will need to upgrade the rear bags to 1100# on each side. From Wakemakers, that's probably around $199/each + Fittings. I think the size is 50"L x 24"W x 24"H. Someone was just selling a pair of them on Facebook for cheaper - $350/pair with fitting - one was used/one was brand new. The 1100# bags and suck-gate will get you surfing to start.

For the center bag, you probably have the 1180# bag. That will work. I think that size around 88"L x 19"W x 19"H. Pretty big ballast bags.

FOR THE PROP:
If you boat has the 'stock prop' on the boat, it's probably an OJ model. It's a good all-around prop, but will be bogged down if you load your boat with weight and people for surfing.

The upgrades listed above are what everyone is/was upgrading to: ACME. Probably $450-$500 to swap out. You can buy them online at Wakemakers or Nettle Props (TX).

When I upgraded mine, I used the wake/surf model. It increased the RPMs and helped a bunch with the hole shot/take-off. I did not use the high-elevation one.

The 340 motor is fine.

FOR THE PUMPS:
If they are not upgraded, you have the 'sprinkler value' system (Orbit Brand System Valves) or the ?hippo ballast system?. One aerator pump fills the bags and a different Rule Pump will drain the bags (each bag has a Rule Pump). They will work, but you will soon have issues. They were a pain in the azz. No Vent Lines. No Check Valves. Slow b/c all bags will share that one aerator pump to fill and one thrul hull fitting.

One of the best upgrades on my boat was to get rid of all that.

Most people are upgrading to the Johnson/Jabsco reversible pumps. That is what's on the new boats starting from 2009+ Usually 3 pumps on the boats. Now they are going with >3 pumps on the 2018 models. To swap out to those pumps will start at 1k-1.5K for parts. No labor.

There is another thread around here or on the Moomba Forum that describes how the upgrade the pumps w/o the investment in the Reversible Pumps. It deals with installing 3/4 motorized ball valves. There are other threads that talk about using >1 aerator pump, but you need to drill an add'l 2 thru hull fittings in the bottom of the boat to increase flow.

Aerator:
Less AMP draw
Lower Cost - but probably not by much in the end if you replumb all the bags - depends on how many pumps you install.
Air Locks/Do not empty all the way

Reversible:
More AMPs draw. Run the pumps with the motor running.
When it's done (with vents) your bags will look like raisins. Completely empty.
Easier Install
More Expensive - but not by a big amount

If you compare the bigger Aerator vs Reversible pumps, there is probably NOT much difference in fill times with the same 1" or 1.25 lines and thru-hull fittings. Aerators might me faster, but I know the Wakemakers came out with larger Ballast King pumps. But there IS A BIG difference in the standard pump setup.

Thanks for all the info guys. I don't have the boat in my posestion until my water test in the spring so I've asked the dealer if he could check the make of the prop and also the rear ballast bags sizes.
Judging from what you all have said I'm just going to order the wakemakers rear ballast bags and have those ready to install. I'll wait on the pumps as the boat is coming with a 45 day 50/50 warranty so hopefully I can work with the dealership on something to get those pumps replaced. Even if I buy all the equipment and they install.
My big issue is I'm in Canada so I'll be spending about 30% more on all this with exchange rate and duties....
anyway thanks for all the feedback! I'm excited to get into my first v-drive!

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Originally Posted by Pete24SSV

Thanks for all the info! I'll ask the dealer to check the prop for me so I can order an upgrade sooner than later if needed. How did you choose that prop for your 242? Wakemakers recommends different props for my boat... (Acme 1433 for wake/surf then the 1716 for High elevation/heavy load)
When you load your boat up with 3k ballast is that for surfing or wakeboarding? I assume these boats throw a nice surfwave with how much water they are displacing? I've built my own "suck gate" so hopefully that works well enough.

I get to water test the boat before full payment so anything I should be looking for?

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The prop I have came with the boat. Previous owner had upgraded. Wakemakers has it listed as a perfect fit for my boat.

3K ballast is surfing. I did upgrade the bags. 600# came standard in rear. I went with the 1100#s when I bought boat at dealership. Never tried wake boarding yet behind this boat. Not my thing.

Be thorough when testing. I brought along my brother as the second opinion and spot things I may overlook. My wife is also very detailed oriented so we had 3 sets of eyes to scope out the boat.

The dealer gave us time on the water to test ballast, drive fast, drive slow, let everyone drive, corner hard, reverse, test stereo, test lighting, test the heater, electric captain's chair and every button I could find to push on or off.
We inspected the motor before we left dealer, once in the water and kept cushion up to hear motor while underway.
Luckily, we found just minor things like a rip in the bimini and transom stereo control not working. They fixed it all before I arrived the following week to pick up.
When we came back and closed on deal, their mechanic showed me basically how to winterize the boat myself. Also, they went through the electronics, circuit breakers and shutting down batteries, etc. They were great to answer all my questions.

If you've owned a boat before, you will know what to look for. Btw, welcome to the forum and Supra.

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Originally Posted by Pete24SSV

Thanks for all the info guys. I don't have the boat in my posestion until my water test in the spring so I've asked the dealer if he could check the make of the prop and also the rear ballast bags sizes.
Judging from what you all have said I'm just going to order the wakemakers rear ballast bags and have those ready to install. I'll wait on the pumps as the boat is coming with a 45 day 50/50 warranty so hopefully I can work with the dealership on something to get those pumps replaced. Even if I buy all the equipment and they install.
My big issue is I'm in Canada so I'll be spending about 30% more on all this with exchange rate and duties....
anyway thanks for all the feedback! I'm excited to get into my first v-drive!

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Where abouts in Canada are you located? I’m in Edmonton. Congrats on your purchase we just bought an 08 24ssv in the fall and got out a few times before winterizing. The fill times weren’t terrible with the stock pump but ours came with the upgraded fly high bags and it threw an awesome wake. Picked up a suckgate over Christmas and will definately be investing in the acme prop to help with hole shot but I’m waiting for the boat show to roll through next month before I order anything online. Gonna stick with the essentials before getting carried away. Most projects don’t take more than a weekend and it’s better to research it on here than decide what to spend your money on.

I finally got up to see the boat again. It appears to already have an upgraded prop. Says 14.25/14 on the four blade prop!

The ballast bags seem pretty small, I'd guess around 500lb each rear locker. No labeling anywhere on them for brand or size. Front bag seems huge must be the 1000 or 800lb bag.
I managed to find 3 ballast pumps all near the transmission, I'm hoping they are upgraded as well but I wasn't able to see a brand or get much info off those pumps. I'll need to bring some tools next time.
There is still snow on the ground here but it's officially spring so I'm itching to get out for my water test and test everything out.
Thanks for all the help!

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Originally Posted by CGSSV

Where abouts in Canada are you located? I’m in Edmonton. Congrats on your purchase we just bought an 08 24ssv in the fall and got out a few times before winterizing. The fill times weren’t terrible with the stock pump but ours came with the upgraded fly high bags and it threw an awesome wake. Picked up a suckgate over Christmas and will definately be investing in the acme prop to help with hole shot but I’m waiting for the boat show to roll through next month before I order anything online. Gonna stick with the essentials before getting carried away. Most projects don’t take more than a weekend and it’s better to research it on here than decide what to spend your money on.

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Hey! Sorry I missed your post, I'm located just outside of Ottawa so not very close to you!