On any recent Mastercraft model that uses 1" hose you basically have two options for integrating additional ballast on top of the factory system.
- Option 1: Connect the additional bags to the overflow from the factory tanks. This is simple, affordable and works reasonably well, but does have some drawbacks (such as negative pressure damaging the factory tank as discussed above). You can buy the components to do that separately, or you can purchase a pre-packaged solution like our Mastercraft Piggyback Ballast Upgrades.
- Option 2: Install a system that allows you to divert the flow of water from the pump to either the factory hard tank or the auxiliary ballast bag, much like the Plug and Play option available on 2010 and newer boats. This solution will cost more money, but avoids the risks of damage to the tank because the bag is a separate system.
Strictly speaking it is possible to retrofit the factory Plug and Play option, but as pc_sledge mentioned that would be quite expensive. For significantly less money you can install the
Fly High Mastercraft X-2 Factory Ballast Upgrade which is essentially identical to the factory Mastercraft Plug and Play option. The only difference is that the Fly High upgrade has manual valves to control the flow of water, instead of the electronic valves that are controlled from the dash that the factory system uses.