rebuilds and ballasts

[docdrs]

But, the amount of foam they put in these boats isn't sufficient to really do anything. It would be the equivalent of having a spare tire and when it is time to use it you find out it is flat. It's a false sense of security.

Are you sure about that? Ever see the submarined mastercraft? The flotation foam is what keeps it from sitting on the bottom. That's why lead should be carefully used as ballast as it increases the overall combined density of the boat.

[Okie Boarder]

As far as I know, the foam isn't enough keep the boat floating at the surface flat. The information came from pretty reliable sources that know Supras. Maybe other manufacturers have enough where it works right. Foam or no foam, one of the older Supras would end up in the same position once enough water swamped it...bow up bobbing at the surface. I'm not sure if the same is true in a newer style Supra, though.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

To be honest I don't really think you NEED to do subfloor ballast on the SunSport. Unless you upgrade the engine I personally would not run more than about 2000lbs ballast plus a small crew (no pun intended lol).

If I could improve my setup, I would probably do:
-Bow: 2x400lbs
-Rear: 1x400lbs rear bench seat base replaced with hard tank used in the Launch's rear bench seat
1x350 locker sac
~250lbs dry weight stashed in the gunwales.
Total: Wakeboarding ~1800lbs + crew
Surfing: 2200 + crew (that is wakeboard weight minus one 400lb bow sac, plus one 720 surf sac)

About the bow weight - with my two bow sacs, I can use both for wakeboarding. Or since they are close to the outer hull I can use just one or the other depending on if I want a regular or goofy wave. This is an advantage over having a large central sac.

Then you would not have any floor sacs unless you are surfing, and then only one big 720lb surf sac. BOOM!

[shuswapslaysher]

Devo* Ive considered the saltare...in truth i like the stout look of the 1st gen sunsport...especially at the bow.+ i dont want to obligated to buy a bohemyth tow rig...baffles prevent slosh...i have to admit Okie really got me thinking about raising the floor in the rear section...=-)

mike*Ur wake will definately pump...im impatient and dont want to wait 10-15 min to fill and drain...pumps = clutter ...that is the reason for the thru hull forced fill...pump drain combined with gravity and under floor ballast should speed up the process..

Okie, maple,doc & wotan* thanx for clarifying my foam issue for me...i will definately be running foam under the floors in the voids...and most def. giving the top cap and gunwales a coat as well...i dont like getting flats..lmao

Mikey* i have terrible ears that take on more water than a sinking boat...i wear ear plugs and the speed impact of takin a biff while sk8ing usually = perforated ear drums.. so 70' behind the boat is an after thought for me...this is a purpose surf boat...dippin rub rail on the darkside...i have to thank you for all the kick as threads you've left all over the www. very inspiring to say the least...

Im wondering what ur guys take is on sealing the inside of the ballast system...im afraid that if i gelcoat it will deteriorate and crack over time plowing thru the sometime haggard swells of the shuswap or ...im thinking it might be better to do a water tight flexible rubber coating of some sort? anyone know of any products that would be suitable for an operation like this?

Here's whats goin thru my head ...




Uploaded with ImageShack.us

pink=sacs (1 free surf sac for starbord/port) the rest hidden
yel=exhaust
blue = powered water gates 2.5-3"
green= baffles
purple=air vents
red= additional stringer work to box in the system
black=existing stringer system

Thanx for all the input guys=-)

Bottom line i want a 1 off boat that no one else has, keeps up with a sac'd out vdrive...my cahones keep telling me there is never too much weight.
keep slaysh'n

[docdrs]

As far as I know, the foam isn't enough keep the boat floating at the surface flat. The information came from pretty reliable sources that know Supras. Maybe other manufacturers have enough where it works right. Foam or no foam, one of the older Supras would end up in the same position once enough water swamped it...bow up bobbing at the surface. I'm not sure if the same is true in a newer style Supra, though.

All the new foam floating regs go back to something like 1974......in order to prevent the earlier bow up useless 13% flotation rule.....but I'm no expert

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Hey yeah sorry I could have left out all the wakeboarding references, by the time I really got typin I forgot you said it was a surf only boat (which is SUPER cool by the way).

For the record, MY system takes 15-20 mins to fill but that is with slow reversible pumps. If you were to use three or four sets of impeller pumps the whole thing could be full in about 3-5 minutes.

Also sorry to offtopic but have you considered a helmet with earflaps and/or professional quality (read: vented) watersports earplugs (not wax)? If you want to discuss at all we can start a new thread or somethin. Oh and thanks for the nice words. Hope my SunSport wave vids were helpful

[Okie Boarder]

All the new foam floating regs go back to something like 1974......in order to prevent the earlier bow up useless 13% flotation rule.....but I'm no expert

Are you talking the standard USCG floating regs?

[shuswapslaysher]

I have looked into the helmets...but my problem is the pressure that is related to impact. my ear drums are mostly scar tissue, more so in my right ear...a result from 11 sets of tubes and multiple ear infuctions when i was a litl grom...so the force of my head hitting the water with plugs in is what does a number on my ears...think of it as someone slapping ur ears at the same time...hurts right...well my one eardrum ruptures on a yearly basis..doesn't even hurt anymore...and it pretty cool when i pinch my nose to equalize my ears the one whistles at an audible level that other ppl can hear...but hey work with wat ya got right.lol

okie an doc...uscg regs and ccg regs wont hold me back...its not like they are going to peel a 25 year old boat apart to see how much foam it has...lol

i should have named myself the "porpoise surfer"...holy crap thats a good name for the boat too.

[chrisk]

I don't know if this was discussed earlier in this thread but khelfrich did a pretty cool sub-floor ballast system on his Rider. He basically constructed boxes to work as both support for stringers and floor and to hold ballast. I'm pretty sure he sealed them up with the same stuff he used for the stringers but you would have to ask him. His boat and rebuild thread are up in the classifieds section. I believe it's the 1984 Rider.

[chrisk]

Mikey,

I was just thinking, to solve our problem of finding a hard tank to go under our rear bench seat, why couldn't we construct one out of marine ply? You would obviously have to waterproof it just as if you were doing stringers but I think it would be relatively easy to do. We'd just buy a sheet of ply, cut it to our exact dimensions, screw it together and poof, hard tank. Sealing in a fitting for hose probably wouldn't be too hard and if I'm doing my math right, a sheet of 4' x 8' ply would be enough for a decently sized tank. $55 at first search. Thoughts?