JAWJ
New Member
We are about to buy a 1930's 39' Hillyard ketch - one slight sticking point is that she has concrete internal ballast - is this usual in a Hillyard? Is it good practice?
Internal ballast ??
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Mirelle
N/A
Ballast - unusual.
Cement flushing to allow bilge water to drain to the sump with no pockets of foul water - good practice and not unusual.
I would be worried if there is more than say an inch of concrete; check softness of frames at the point where they leave the concrete. It should not cover the heads of the keel bolts - a tobacco tin was usually left over these - and this will give a guide to the depth.
You can always chip a patch out (with owner's permission - use a small, long, cold chisel and club hammer, it takes ages!) to have a look, but I reckon it should be OK.
Cement flushing to allow bilge water to drain to the sump with no pockets of foul water - good practice and not unusual.
I would be worried if there is more than say an inch of concrete; check softness of frames at the point where they leave the concrete. It should not cover the heads of the keel bolts - a tobacco tin was usually left over these - and this will give a guide to the depth.
You can always chip a patch out (with owner's permission - use a small, long, cold chisel and club hammer, it takes ages!) to have a look, but I reckon it should be OK.
Peterduck
Well-Known Member
I have no direct experience of concrete ballast, but have read a number of accounts of folk who have laboured mightily to remove same so that they can assess the condition of the timber beneath. They usually found that the timber was in excellent condition. Thus it would appear that concrete is a successful preservative, if the timber is in good condition when the concrete is put in place. If you remove it, and decide to replace it with fresh concrete, you could benefit by adding a goodly amount of baryte [Barium Sulphate] which is a particularly dense[sp.gr. 4.8] fine powder. It is used in the oilfield industry to revent oilwell blowouts, and may be purchased from drilling supply companies such as Baroid N.L.
Peter.
Peter.
ccscott49
Well-Known Member
Better be careful with Barite, it is banned for use in a lot of countries, and I'm not sure if you are allowed to use it for this purpose, even if it it an excellent weighting material. Not just used for blowouts, used routinely for weighting up mud.
Mirelle
N/A
I am one such. Labouring mightily is about right, and yes, the timber and the wrought iron floors were in excellent condition under the concrete flushing.
In the case of my boat, built in 1937, the cement was added in the late 1960's to promote clear drainage of the bilge water. I know this because I know the mwn who did it (and he replaced it again, last year, after a lot had been chipped out to renew the mast step!)
I would not be too worried.
In the case of my boat, built in 1937, the cement was added in the late 1960's to promote clear drainage of the bilge water. I know this because I know the mwn who did it (and he replaced it again, last year, after a lot had been chipped out to renew the mast step!)
I would not be too worried.