For those who fill ballast manually

Do you empty them after your morning session and then fill them back up for the evening set? On ALL DAY lake days. I hate filling ballast and emptying so I was thinking of just cruising around the lake fully loaded to spots and just chilling out. Im the type that will normally just drive to a sand bar or beach and hang out all day not wasting gas. However, in Havasu Im scared the weight might make it hard to get the sand bar.

I also rarely drive faster than 25mph anyway and we run 2000lb ballast, and I don't have funds to make it all automatic

Do you use manual pump for fill and empty?

We fill & leave it for the day, Lake Havasu included. No problem getting from the lake to the river & sand bar.

A tsunami pump but the hassle of hooking everything up is very un-appealing when it comes to multiple days on a lake trip. I kind of want to fill it and just run it all day. Whats the fuel consumption difference between empty at 25mph and fully loaded at 25mph?

1-2 gal/hour difference in my Sanger V210, 350 mag MPI engine.

Originally Posted by ottog1979

1-2 gal/hour difference in my Sanger V210, 350 mag MPI engine.

Oh in that case then I will just run full weight. I have that same engine but in a tire 2100v

we leave it in, we run a 1100lbs flyhigh in the middle and 540lbs in the nose then internal ballast but thats no biggie it takes 20minutes or atleast thats what it feels like to empty the two bags but we dont go very far from the house mile or so we dont travel far

I usually get 3-something an hour unweighted. 4-6 with the 1,100#'s that we most often run weighted. Of course, it depends and varies greatly based on speed. Fast runs to far away places burns gas at 5+/hour no matter how the boat is weighted.

Now here's the kicker, would you guys pull the boat on the trailer with that weight? And drive a mile doing 7mph back to the house? OR even just empty the bow sac and have 500 in the rear lockers? while on the trailer. I wold have everyone get out but it would be equivalent to 7 people sitting in the boat.

i wouldnt keep the weight in

i never keep the weight in. When we camp/HB - at the end of the sunet sesh - ill empty everything - including internal ballast.
If you have to cruise to another area of the lake to chill for the day - maybe empty a few of them only so youre not burning all that gas.

Always empty when on the trailer.

I'm always paranoid about distance and fuel when I leave my normal riding spot. I'd empty to keep consumption down unless fuel is convenient wherever you hang out.

We mainly surf, and we fill a ton, so it will depend on the crew. If its a long day with a lot of people who are learning and the water isn't too smooth, Ill wait to fill everything until the guys that will free surf ride when the water isn't as choppy. Use less gas this way. I don't need to haul around an extra 1500# for someone the hang on the handle....they don't know the difference haha.

no way I'd trailer with that weight in. However leaving it in all day would be fine - the more you start and stop the more gas burning difference you'll notice. If you're not constantly stopping to pick up fallen riders the difference will not be as much.