Simple ballast for day boat?

[Otter]

There's an internal keel channel in the bottom of our Falmouth Bass Boat. I want to put in about 75kg of ballast to increase the stability - what's the cheapest and what's the easiest? Ideally once it's in we'd glass over it.

 

[Concerto]

Concrete. You could use fencepost mix, then just pour in 75Kg and add water to set. Will fill all voids and can leave a level top surface ideal to glass over.

 

[JumbleDuck]

There's an internal keel channel in the bottom of our Falmouth Bass Boat. I want to put in about 75kg of ballast to increase the stability - what's the cheapest and what's the easiest? Ideally once it's in we'd glass over it.

Old sash window weights are very traditional, but I don't know how easily available they are.

 

[Seajet]

As a cheap option, how about sandbags ?

These would be moveable to find the best position re longitudinal trim before a final fit.

One would need to take care to avoid damp possibly causing osmosis in future, so some sort of lining might be an idea.

 

[fisherman]

I have sand bags and they are messy, but that may not be a problem for you. I have some chain, that rusts and causes mess also. If you can get lead it is clean and effective. There are places that sell stainless punchings, which could go in 5litre cans. Wouldn't take many sash weights, from the nearest scrapyard or upvc window fitter, they can be painted and lie in the keel nicely.

 

[Poignard]

Is this a recognised as a good modification for this type of boat? Have other Bass Boat owners found it to be a good idea. Too much ballasting can lead to a vicious motion.

I think I'd prefer a 75kg crew member sitting on the windward side. Preferably "a fine big woman", to use Private Frazer's words.

 

[dylanwinter]

I have sand bags and they are messy, but that may not be a problem for you. I have some chain, that rusts and causes mess also. If you can get lead it is clean and effective. There are places that sell stainless punchings, which could go in 5litre cans. Wouldn't take many sash weights, from the nearest scrapyard or upvc window fitter, they can be painted and lie in the keel nicely.

the traditional material is a hessian sacks with gravel in them. The humber yawl club people used to use it in their 20 footers. They were the original trailer sailers and they took their boats by train or steamer to the thames, the west country, holland and the baltic. They emptied the ballast over the side before loading and then would re-fill the bags when they got to their new sailing ground.

Gravel sounds less messy than sand

D

 

[Mister E]

The bricks from electric Storage Heaters are heavy non messy and used on some Narrowboats.

 

[fisherman]

My sand is in plastic bags, the mess is more to do with the inaccessibility of the spaces round them, and being a FV.
Sand is easily bought ready bagged at 25kg. The bags degrade, so double with woven sacks or some such.

 

[NUTMEG]

My 14' Lune Pilot uses 75kgms of sand, in plastic sandbags from eBay. As said, cheap but messy. Dylan's suggestion of using gravel has merit I think.

I got fed up with sand and asked around the yard if anyone had any lead. Did not have to ask many people before I found two with spare ballast. I now have about 90kgms of lead ballast that I hope to cast into suitable sized ingots.

Steve

 

[chrishelen]

I also used sand in my old kestrel. Double bagged it was still in the boat years later.

 

[fisherman]

Keel of my boat is full of encapsulated punchings. There was a boat which had the keel full of mild steel punchings, covered but not encapsulated. The water got in, swollen with rust, blew the keel apart.
I filled an area level outside the engine beds with sand, covered over with thin ply and GRP. Clean, but removable if necessary. I would strongly advocate that method for enclosing a stern tube rather than the solid GRP I have. Any ballast such as loose sand or cement may hold moisture and encourage osmosis, the inside finish of GRP is not very moisture resistant. Lead is your friend, and 75kg won't cost a fortune. Google suggests scrap lead is between 42p and £1 a kg.

 

[wombat88]

I have a lightly loaded Sussex beach boat and use bags of sand or ballast, some of which has been decanted into smaller bags for stuffing here and there. It can be moved around and is cheap.

I would advise against pouring concrete straight in which would make any future repair a right pain unless you have devised a way of making it removable.

Yes lead is the surely the best answer if you can find it.

 

[fisherman]

If you make a temporary tapered shuttering box (or boxes) in the keel and line with plastic, then pour concrete and add a lifting eye it will be removable, will fit nicely, but will hold moisture next to the hull.

 

[Ric]

How about bottles of wine or beer? High density, clean, can be moved, holds value. Obviously you wouldn't want to drink any of it as it is purely for ballast...

 

[Quandary]

Check densities, some concrete is not that heavy, just seems it when you are laying blocks, but does not take much buoyancy to float a sinker, plenty of old chain added to the mix can help.

 

[sarabande]

The best material is depleted uranium, and it has the advantage that it is self-drying and keeps your feet warm.

Alternatively road gravel (which is limestone really) is available from those kind people who dress the roads. I recently bought for £10 about 4cu m of road sweepings from one of the suction cleaner lorries. It saves him having to return to base (about 20 miles return journey, so is an ecologically friendly deal). All the ballast I shall need for next year's concreting .


A few leaves and bits in it, but they are so pulverised by the suction process that they degrade in the heap.

 

[DownWest]

'Thumbs his Engineers Manual' and: concrete is about 145 lbs/ cu ft. Lead is 710, so, depending on the space, a quick culculation is required.
Interesting, that lead shot is only about 60 odd % of solid, so compares with cast iron at 440 ish solid.

Most DIY builders put as much steel/iron in the concrete as possible to get the ratio up. Punchings or rebar.

Me, on the current build, casting 200kg of lead. Got half now, friend is bringing the rest from uk at 80pence a KG, compared with €2 /kg here

 

[Daydream believer]

My 14' Lune Pilot uses 75kgms of sand, in plastic sandbags from eBay. As said, cheap but messy. Dylan's suggestion of using gravel has merit I think.

I got fed up with sand and asked around the yard if anyone had any lead. Did not have to ask many people before I found two with spare ballast. I now have about 90kgms of lead ballast that I hope to cast into suitable sized ingots.

Steve

If you cast them into the frogs of fletton bricks each one weighs about 4 Lbs & is easy to handle & pack

 

[sunquest]

I bought old lead sheet from a scrap yard, washed it, folded it and hammered into ingot shape job done so much cheaper than lead shot.