Welcome to another installment of the WakeMAKERS How-To Series. In this piece we will be going over portable ballast solutions and how they work. When using a portable ballast solution, you use a portable pump to fill and drain the ballast bags in your boat. This WakeMAKERS How-To will teach you all the basics of portable ballast and get you the products you need to start building a better wake behind your boat. Let's get started!

Once filled, the ballast bags add additional weight to your boat helping further displace the boat hull in the water and create a more sizable wake. For wakeboarding and wakesurfing, a bigger wake makes for a more enjoyable riding experience. Using ballast in your boat is an absolute MUST if you are wakesurfing or wakeboarding.

Even if your boat has a factory ballast system, you will want to add additional ballast to create the desired wake for the best riding conditions both wakesurfing and wakeboarding. A simple equation: more ballast = more fun.

Not to waste any more time, let's get down to the good stuff: how to use a portable ballast pump.

The video below shows one of our ballast experts filling the ballast bags in a boat using a portable pump. In this video we are using the Straight Line Sumo Max bags and Sumo Max Flow Pump. Although each brand's portable ballast system is slightly different, they all work in similar fashion.

Watch the video below and you'll quickly understand the basics of filling/draining bags using a portable ballast pump.

Filling Ballast Bags

• -Place ballast bags in desired locations
• -Open fill valve on bag and connect pump hose
• -Toss pump over side of the boat and into the water
• -Plug the pump into the cigarette lighter and turn on power
• -Start filling the bag(s) until they reach max capacity
• -Once filled, unplug the pump from power
• -Disconnect pump hose from valve on bag and close valve
• -Put pump away in stored location
• -Time to start riding!

Draining Ballast Bags

• -Open valve on ballast bag and connect pump to the valve
• -Toss the pump hose over the side of the boat and into the water
• -Plug the pump into the cigarette lighter and turn on power
• -Begin draining the bag(s) until they are fully drained of water
• -Once drained, disconnect pump from the bag and close valve
• -Put pump and bag(s) away in stored location
• -Easy as that, you are all done!

It really is as simple as that. No fancy install or anything required. Once your WakeMAKERS order of ballast bags and pump arrive at your doorstep, toss them in the boat and you are ready to hit the water. It's time to ride that new wake.

WakeMAKERS is the industry leader in ballast and a dealer of FATSAC, Eight.3, and Straight Line ballast products. No matter the size of your boat or the location you are trying to put additional ballast, we got a ballast bag that will work for you.

Our bag + pump combos are the place to get started. These combos include ballast bags and the compatible pump for that system. Everything you need in one package to improve your boat's wake and have more fun on the water.

WakeMAKERS has over 50 portable ballast bag + pump combos from FATSAC, Eight.3, and Straight Line to choose from. Below we will highlight the three brands we carry and their key features. Click on the photo to start shopping bag + pump combos by that brand.

Port Size: 3/4"

Pump Rating: Tsunami Pump (1200GPH) or Supa Tsunami Pump Juiced Edition (1700GPH)

Price ($ to $$$): $

Port Size: 1"

Pump Rating: Sumo Super Max Flow Pump (4250GPH)

Price ($ to $$$): $$

Port Size: 1"

Pump Rating: Eight.3 Telescope Pump (Available in 3000GPH and 3700GPH Model)

Price ($ to $$$): $$$

We hope you've found this WakeMAKERS How-To piece insightful and even learned a thing or two about using portable ballast pumps. Still got questions? Need help finding the right ballast bag + pump combo for your boat? Our knowledgeable team of ballast experts are available to help answer all your ballast questions. Give us a call or shoot us an email.