We sell a lot of Fly High wakeboard ballast bags, and many times customers are using them to replace smaller capacity sacs that came in their boat from the factory. Most customers want to reuse those factory bags elsewhere in the boat with a Tsunami wakeboard ballast pump}, but unfortunately the fittings used on those factory bags are typically cemented in place when they are made, which makes it much more difficult to replace them with the Quick Twist Adapter for use with the Tsunami pump. Although it is possible to remove fittings after they have been cemented in place the process is not something most of our customers want to deal with.
Occasionally though they’ve asked us for instructions, which for the better part of a year has consisted of a brief outline of the process that we forward in an email. Due to a request on the Moomba boats forum we finally got around to taking some pictures of the process, and figured we would post them here along with a description of the process for everyone to see.
Once you remove your factory fittings head over to our wakeboard fittings category to pick up some replacements for use with a Tsunami pump, or any other application you have.
Lay the bag out on a hard, flat surface (a cement garage floor works well) with the fitting of interest sticking straight up into the air.
Using a hair dryer (and only a hair dryer, nothing more powerful) on it’s low setting, apply heat to the area where the black flange in the bag meets the grey fitting. Leave the hair dryer in place for AT LEAST five minutes.
With the hair dryer still pointed at the bag, stand with your feet on either side of the fitting so the soles of your shoes are on the black flange portion of the bag. The hair dryer should be between your heels pointing at the fitting in the direction you are facing.
With the hair dryer still pointed at the bag, push the end of the fitting straight away from you. Try to get the end of the fitting to touch the ground while your feet hold the flange of the bag flush with the ground.
You will be “popping” the fitting out of the bag, NOT unthreading it. If it doesn’t pop out the first time that’s fine, just start over with step two above. It usually takes a couple of tries to get the process down, but once you do it one time, the rest of the fittings will come out easily.
Once the fitting has been removed both it and the port on the bag are undamaged and ready for reuse.
This process will allow you to use any of the standard Fly High ballast fittings with the ballast bags that came in your boat with fittings cemented in from the factory.
CAUTION: It is very easy to damage the bags beyond repair while trying to remove fittings either by applying too much force or too much heat. Start slowly, and if the fitting does not come out easily repeat from step 2 above.
If you are concerned about damaging your bags, or unwilling to attempt this process you can send your bags to us and we will remove them for a small fee, contact us for more information or to setup that process.
