Boat Ballast

How Boat Ballast Works

Ballast adds weight to your boat so it sits deeper in the water and throws a bigger, longer wake or a cleaner surf wave. There are two ways to add it. Water ballast uses tough bags or sacs you fill with water and drain when you're done — the weight is there when you want it and gone for trailering and higher-speed runs. Lead ballast is far denser than water, so it's compact and portable, but the weight is fixed until you carry it off the boat. Water ballast is the common choice, and it comes in shapes for where it sits — bow, V-drive, floor, side and seat sacs. Bags fill and drain through an external pump, with hoses, quick-connects and hull fittings completing the system. For the full mechanics and the brand range, see the FATSAC collection; for the hardware on its own, the ballast pumps and fittings and ballast bags collections break it down. Fill with water, never inflate — these are water bags, not air. Wake shapers are the other half of a good surf setup. They clamp to the hull with suction and deflect passing water to shape one clean, surfable side of the wave, with no added weight. Most surf setups pair ballast for size with a shaper for shape. Wake surfing should only ever be done behind an inboard boat, never an outboard or stern-drive, because of the exposed rear propeller. How much ballast is right depends on your hull and motor — more weight makes a bigger wake, but only up to what the boat can safely carry and still plane. Browse the full range online or visit the Brisbane store and we'll spec a setup for your boat.