• Welcome to Jetboaters.net!

    We are delighted you have found your way to the best Jet Boaters Forum on the internet! Please consider Signing Up so that you can enjoy all the features and offers on the forum. We have members with boats from all the major manufacturers including Yamaha, Seadoo, Scarab and Chaparral. We don't email you SPAM, and the site is totally non-commercial. So what's to lose? IT IS FREE!

    Membership allows you to ask questions (no matter how mundane), meet up with other jet boaters, see full images (not just thumbnails), browse the member map and qualifies you for members only discounts offered by vendors who run specials for our members only! (It also gets rid of this banner!)

    free hit counter
  • Guest, we are pleased to announce that Hydrophase Ridesteady is offering an extra $100 off for JETBOATERS.NET members on any Ridesteady for Yamaha Speed Control system purchased through March 7th, 2025. Ridesteady is a speed control system (“cruise control”) that uses GPS satellites or engine RPM to keep your boat at the set speed you choose. On twin engine boats, it will also automatically synchronize your engines.

    Click Here for more information>Ride Steady group buy for JetBoaters.net members only

    You can dismiss this Notice by clicking the "X" in the upper right>>>>>

242X or 212X ballast intake... where to buy?

jcyamaharider

Event Sponsor
Event Sponsor
Vendor
Messages
5,430
Reaction score
5,079
Points
457
Location
Rosebud, Mo
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2017
Boat Model
242X E-Series
Boat Length
24
So this weekend I took everyones advise and only filled my port bag and it fixed my short fill problem!! So now since my system kicks on all three pumps at the same time that means that each pump needs to have its own thru hull to fill the bags to full capacity. This is the way I would have done it anyway. Ok so looking at Yamaha sports plaza they are $145 bucks. That is a little pricey when I want to put in 2 extra thru hulls.

Does anyone know off hand what brand these are and where to get them cheaper? Or I guess I will have to stand on my head and look under the motor to see if I can see any markings. I do like how they have them located in the engine bay

The first big hole has been drilled into the boat so now I am ready for more...LOL
 
My thinking is matching the factory hardware. I was reading up on this because I thought the same thing, but these are supposed to be fiberglass reinforced and hold up to all marine environments.
 
@jcyamaharider did you end up adding another intake or two? I'm thinking about doing this as a winter project and wondered how your install went?
Thanks
 
I haven't yet. It will be on my winter mod list. Your boat actually has mine beat because you have 2 thru hulls already. I am only going to add one more because my port bag gets starved of water when the other 2 bags are filling.
 
I haven't yet. It will be on my winter mod list. Your boat actually has mine beat because you have 2 thru hulls already. I am only going to add one more because my port bag gets starved of water when the other 2 bags are filling.
I want to add one more Jabsco with timer to feed my swim-deck bags and possibly serve double duty as a fresh water shower or rinse off station. Even with two inlets I had to play with the timer on my rear bags to get them to fill. Shooting for 3000# total ballast all filling at once.
 
I want to add one more Jabsco with timer to feed my swim-deck bags and possibly serve double duty as a fresh water shower or rinse off station. Even with two inlets I had to play with the timer on my rear bags to get them to fill. Shooting for 3000# total ballast all filling at once.
Why not just do a simple fill or empty switch?

Here is what we did for the auxiliary bags and wash down. I will end up doing this to the X also. Quick connect port where anchor light used to be.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/ballast-3-0-another-ballast-upgrade-plan.8164/
 
Last edited:
I want to add one more Jabsco with timer to feed my swim-deck bags and possibly serve double duty as a fresh water shower or rinse off station. Even with two inlets I had to play with the timer on my rear bags to get them to fill. Shooting for 3000# total ballast all filling at once.
That's what I have. Four (4) Wake Makers' branded Johnsons, mounted inside the wet storage compartments.
No valves. Four independent intakes/drains. Everything 1" (but the pumps).

--
 
Why not just do a simple fill or empty switch?
That's not my typical MO. Normally I overcomplicate things to the point that they don't work....
Fill/Drain switch is probably a better choice anyway. Usually I have my wife driving while I fly around the deck getting everything ready. My aim was something more automatic to assist me, but I think I'd be trading ease of use for reliability.
@swatski - where are your 4 intakes drawing from?
 
That's not my typical MO. Normally I overcomplicate things to the point that they don't work....
Fill/Drain switch is probably a better choice anyway. Usually I have my wife driving while I fly around the deck getting everything ready. My aim was something more automatic to assist me, but I think I'd be trading ease of use for reliability.
@swatski - where are your 4 intakes drawing from?


I agree, and going thru 3 ballast modification I went under the " KISS" method for the last one.
 
@geohil Here are some project pics, it is all completed since then w/timers. I used Wake Makers kits for pretty much everything, made my life so much easier.

upload_2017-7-18_20-31-11-png.59884


upload_2017-7-18_20-31-42-png.59885

upload_2017-4-10_1-1-4-png.53817


upload_2017-4-10_1-1-16-png.53818


upload_2017-4-10_1-4-8-png.53819


--
 
@geohil Here are some project pics, it is all completed since then w/timers. I used Wake Makers kits for pretty much everything, made my life so much easier.

upload_2017-7-18_20-31-11-png.59884


upload_2017-7-18_20-31-42-png.59885

upload_2017-4-10_1-1-4-png.53817


upload_2017-4-10_1-1-16-png.53818


upload_2017-4-10_1-4-8-png.53819


--
That looks perfect. I have to take my boat back over to wakemakers to talk about removing the hard tanks (honestly I’m leaning on not doing this) this fall so I’ll grab some of their pumps and fittings. I wish there was one more place to hide an 1100# bag. I hate having bags on the swim deck.
I did a fair amount of fab work to test the reverse hydrofoils (like a power wedge) this summer to try and drag the backend down, but the lack of mounting points and ability to get it to clear the jets when up still has me stumped. I guess pumps and bags are my future since I love my Yamaha too much to consider a dedicated wake boat.
 
If adding a bag and a pump circuit I would seriously consider a WM kit. I know, those are ridiculously overpriced wire w/ Deutsch connectors, an electronics hobbyist could put it together for 1/10 the price but in reality for me it was so worth it. Being able to mock everything and put it together without worrying about starting an electric fire was a big motivator to shell out some $$$.
Here is one pump circuit assembled - just the electric harnesses mocked with the timer, pump and and switch - super simple...
upload_2017-10-9_21-37-40.png

Until you start putting it all together in the boat, your forearms encrusted w/fiberglass... Having it modular and pre-assembled really added a safety factor for me:
upload_2017-10-9_21-40-39.png

I ended up manufacturing my own mini-distribution blocks for easy access:
upload_2017-10-9_21-41-42.png

Having those all routed and labelled for easy access in the helm lets me disconnect/reconnect the pumps when not needed - for example, when going to Bimini I did not want to think about accidentally activating a pump in the middle of Florida Strait, LOL, etc.:
upload_2017-10-9_21-43-37.png

I ended up with three ballast switches in the helm - right under the RideSteady controller - for my center locker and two rear 800lbs each bags, the forth switch for aux pump lives in the wet compartment, I have it mounted on a 10' cable w/wand for now until I decide on a permanent fixed location:
upload_2017-10-9_21-45-5.png

Here is the Aux ballast port - the idea stolen from @jcyamaharider - with a quick connector, plumbed to one of four pumps in the wet compartments underneath. That space is a remnant of where the stern light mount used to be (for anchor light - which is on the tower):
upload_2017-10-9_21-53-40.png

Here is the temporary "wand" with the Aux switch - still haven't decided where to mount it, need to know the best locations for Aux bags first, so that is still open (the hose going up connects to the Aux port w/quick connector):
upload_2017-10-9_21-56-38.png

--
 
Last edited:
@swatski - beautiful install! I’ll be sure to do the kit. Every trip to Bend Oregon I swing by wakemakers to see the latest. Very cool guys and they do some great work.
 
@swatski - do you drain your external bags via pump, or pull the plug and let them gravity drain?
 
Now if only I had a wet compartment like you big 24 footers!
Hah! Forgot about it, but you guys with those 21fters throw a mean wave!!!

--
 
Back
Top