Changing Ballast

[jacksevens]

Changing ballast. I have a Fibeglass 26 ft Folksong (Folkboat derivative) which has an encapsulated keel full of concrete ballast and she is too tender I feel. So I would like to try to chip out all the concrete and put in some lead Ballast in, as this would lower the weight in the keel making her less tender. Has anyone any experience of trying to remove concrete from a keel - with any suggestions? Also where could I get some lead ballast from that is in shot form?

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[BootleBumtrinket]

Ballast lead shot

from here

http://www.fjchurch.sagenet.co.uk/default.htm

They also have the URL of www.shipballast.co.uk, but it don't work too god



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[qsiv]

I'd be just a little careful...

If the boat was delivered/designed with the concrete ballast, then changing to lead (or lowering the CofG in any other way) will certainly stiffen the boat. At the same time this will mean greater loads on the rigging, so you may well need to strengthen the chainplates, hounds and wire rigging. Having done all that, you may now be exerting greater compression on the mast and that may need strengthening. You will also be carrying more sail in stronger breezes, so sheet attachment points may need beefing up - and also the sails may have been cut with the original characteristics of the boat in mind, and may be more prone to stretching.

The motion will also be changed, and you will find the roll motion will be of a significantly shorter period. At anchor this will be a bonus, but at sea may be less of bonus.

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[Anchorite]

Concrete (density < 2) is rarely used on its own: it will enclose chunks of steel
(density 8), offcuts etc to bring its density up to 5-ish. Very difficult to remove.
Ballast doesn't have to be deep: it might be worth adding a few (hundred?) kgs
in the bilge, properly fastened down to see if it improves performance.

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[qsiv]

I wasnt really commenting on the replacement - simply noting that if the boat is stiffened, then by definition there will be increased loads on the rig. As an aside, the boat is likely to become wetter - if only because she will be capable of being driven harder to windward.

If the Folksong (if I recall correctly this was a carvel GRP version of the Nordic FB), kept the basic characteristics of the Folkboat, I would suspect that it would be easier to have a negative impact than a positive one on seakeeping and performance.

I would certainly approach the concept of removing any form of encapsulated ballast with immense trepidation - the scope for damage is significant. As you say some pigs in the bilges could be experimented with - but this will add displacement quickly for relatively small impovements in Gm/Gz

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