Adding Ballast

[jwag956]

Our GB42 has a slight list to starboard. We have a dinghy (#225), 3 8D batteries, and hydronic heater on that side, and 1 8D, hot water heater, and fridge/freezer on the port side - other than that - pretty evenly loaded from what I can see (our fuel tanks have a cross over). I am in the planning stage of adding an additional holding tank on the starboard side - which will likely make the list slightly worse. Any experience adding some sort of weights to even things out? What did you use, how were they secured, and any thoughts on where (fwd/aft/mid) to fit the?

Thanks.

 

[Comodave]

I added ballast to a boat about 20 years ago. I used lead ingots that weighed about 60 pounds or so. Laid them in the lazarette and then glassed over them to keep them in place and also to contain any possible lead dust.

 

[tiltrider1]

Unless you do long transits were fuel is an issue, I would balance the boat with fuel tanks. I would only add weight as a last resort.

 

[Mambo42]

After I moved my batteries to the starboard side I compensated that weight by adding a 300 liter fuel tank on the port side. When I see the boat is listing a bit I fill up the tank by transferring fuel to the small tank. It does the job for me.
The fuel tank was not too expensive and quite easy to install, can recommend it.

 

[mvweebles]

Trim ballast is pretty common in the boat building world. You might look for lead ingots ("pigs" as they are sometimes called) installed outward somewhere. When the builder launched the boat, they would touch-up the trim with these.

My big refit of Weebles required a total re-ballast exercise. I found a salvage metal place in San Diego and sorted through their lead to find divers weights and sash-weights that fit the bill well for around $1/lb (2-years ago). But there are ingots/pigs available too for around $2/lb plus shipping. I had some standard 60# ingots that I glued beneath the side decks using 4200 or something similar. I had to re-locate one and it was a bitch to get out so 4200 was fine.

Get a couple buddies to stand on the side deck and calculate their weight to level the boat.

Pretty rough-math here, but it works. You're not out of line going down this path.

Peter

 

[Figment]

maybe triplecheck that the fuel crossover is actually flowing? I developed a list to starboard because the generator was drawing fuel from port and returning to starboard with the crossover valve closed.

My first thought on adding ballast is to do it in the form of batteries, but you seem to have plenty. Maybe move one of those 8D over to port?

A Luhrs 34 we had 30 years ago used a water bladder to starboard to offset the weight of the inverter (they were HEAVY back then) to port. I'd regard this as a temporary/experimental solution.

 

[Shrew]

I used bags of reclaimed lead shot.

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I placed mine in extra heavy-duty garbage bags to prevent water from leaching lead into the bilge.

 

[Frank60]

I used these. Got the 50lb size and distributed them where I needed them to correct a port side list. Reasonably priced and convenient to handle.

All Products

www.leadwake.com

 

[seighlor]

I moved my house battery bank from port side to starboard. Now nicely balanced.

 

[Comodave]

Moving batteries would be ideal but the reality is that most boats don’t have extra room to move a whole battery bank, at least mine have not.