Adding ballast
Adding ballast
I am considering adding ballast underneath the v berth to help balance the boat out for the motor and it's natural tendency to squat. Has anyone worked with the flotation in this area. I was thinking of making a hole and removing some then replacing it with concrete or perhaps some sort of water container.
I will most likely do something similar ...I nowhave a 4-stroke 9.9 HP onteh transom and the thing is almost 80 lbs!
Also if I can't figure out why my boat lists to port...putting the sink drain dangerously near the waterline.... I plumbed tehmast..that helped the most... surprisingly..moving the battery ( a big heavy grp 24 car battery) did not seem to have much effect. I will now move everything...not stow a single thing to port and see what happens but as EE or Ron said...the C-26 has a lot of structure onthe port side so it is not surprising it lists to port...but other boats don't seem to do this.
Also if I can't figure out why my boat lists to port...putting the sink drain dangerously near the waterline.... I plumbed tehmast..that helped the most... surprisingly..moving the battery ( a big heavy grp 24 car battery) did not seem to have much effect. I will now move everything...not stow a single thing to port and see what happens but as EE or Ron said...the C-26 has a lot of structure onthe port side so it is not surprising it lists to port...but other boats don't seem to do this.
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EmergencyExit
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Well I cut a 10" hole toward the back of the v-berth storage area and dug out about 1.5 cubic feet of foam. It was pretty easy to do. I will insert a plastic garbage bag and fill it full with concrete today, the bag is to keep the moisture from the concrete from soaking into the foam. Should add about 150 to 200 pounds. I am going out Saturday again and will see how much of a difference this makes.
EE,
I will check this wwknd whe I get to the boat , but it has the early v-berth foredeck style that is rounded and shaped liek a bullet ( unlike your flat foredeck..so I am thinking 1977 or 78.
I am going to cosmetically fix her up this winter and update teh navionics and electronics...
GET THIS FOR THE OLE' BATTLEAXE..........
OK, I have the OEM depthsounder (Bristol Electronics) and KNOTMETER.
THe stuff was so old, decrepit, pitted crazed rotted etc. that I figured forget it...and bought all new instruments to install this winter. Most impt. is the depthsounder as I have the fixed keel version soI had the battery hooked up to check the nav lights tosee if they needed to be replaced as well and I hear this buzzing alarm below decks..it is awful.. I go below and the depth alarm i sgoing off liek the day it was installed. I look at the depth guage in teh cockpit bulhead.. so old you can't imagine and low and behold..shinning through all that crap and crazing is a 70's era ols style sci-fi looking green "5" on the guage....unreal..."IT LIVES" ( I was at teh slip so the 5 feet is pretty damn accurate too and the reason teh alarm was going off as she daws about 4.4 feet!!!) I was stunned and saddened that I spent money on new instruments and had given up on het without giving her a chance to even prove herself...now about that vintage kntmeter......
I will check this wwknd whe I get to the boat , but it has the early v-berth foredeck style that is rounded and shaped liek a bullet ( unlike your flat foredeck..so I am thinking 1977 or 78.
I am going to cosmetically fix her up this winter and update teh navionics and electronics...
GET THIS FOR THE OLE' BATTLEAXE..........
OK, I have the OEM depthsounder (Bristol Electronics) and KNOTMETER.
THe stuff was so old, decrepit, pitted crazed rotted etc. that I figured forget it...and bought all new instruments to install this winter. Most impt. is the depthsounder as I have the fixed keel version soI had the battery hooked up to check the nav lights tosee if they needed to be replaced as well and I hear this buzzing alarm below decks..it is awful.. I go below and the depth alarm i sgoing off liek the day it was installed. I look at the depth guage in teh cockpit bulhead.. so old you can't imagine and low and behold..shinning through all that crap and crazing is a 70's era ols style sci-fi looking green "5" on the guage....unreal..."IT LIVES" ( I was at teh slip so the 5 feet is pretty damn accurate too and the reason teh alarm was going off as she daws about 4.4 feet!!!) I was stunned and saddened that I spent money on new instruments and had given up on het without giving her a chance to even prove herself...now about that vintage kntmeter......
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EmergencyExit
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2956
- Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2003 5:02 pm
- Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast
I forgot you had the fixed keel. Although this still may be a valid thought since there still is ballast under the sole.
Some older C26's (77-78) had the "lead bars encased in foam" ballast under the sole. Was just thinking that if one side of the boat's foam was waterlogged ,and moreso than the other side, it would cause that list.
Some older C26's (77-78) had the "lead bars encased in foam" ballast under the sole. Was just thinking that if one side of the boat's foam was waterlogged ,and moreso than the other side, it would cause that list.
Maybe it's the C26's low initial stability?
I was thinking about how easily the C26 heels due to the lovely shape of the hull. While she never feels insecure (to me), it doesn't take much to get her to lean over.
Step on the gunwale of your boat from the dock, then do the same thing on a newer, or beamier, boat around the same size... bet your boat will heel more with that static load. Perhaps that also translate to more sensitivity and visible reaction to fairly slight imbalances in weight distribution.
Windward used to list to port as well, but now sits level.
On the port side I have an embarrassing amount of cooking gear and food beneath the galley, and a few projects in the settee locker below that. Aft of the galley I have an Optima blue top that is currently dedicated to starting the motor (deep cycle so that it's available for emergency use on running lights and electronics if necessary). Std issue 5 gal can is still under the sink. There's a flexi tank holding about 20 gallons dead center in the aft bilge.
Head is yer basic, large Porta-Potti. Head is also the hanging locker.
To starboard, I have two GP 27 batteries between the two settee locker hatches, a massive load of tools in the forward settee compartment and my heavy ground tackle (22# bruce knock-off, 30' 1/4" chain, 300' 1/2" nylon) ahead of that. In the starboard aft settee locker there's the working tackle (16.5" Bruce knock-off, 20' of 1/4" chain, 500' of 3/8" nylon), plus a pair of 200' floating poly double braid lines that I use to tie off in coves on our lake.
No need for extra ballast with all that, um, STUFF on board low down, and the way it's laid out leaves the boat dead level. Some day I'll get motivated and unload everything except the batteries and see how she sits, but for now my need for apparent symmetry is met.
Step on the gunwale of your boat from the dock, then do the same thing on a newer, or beamier, boat around the same size... bet your boat will heel more with that static load. Perhaps that also translate to more sensitivity and visible reaction to fairly slight imbalances in weight distribution.
Windward used to list to port as well, but now sits level.
On the port side I have an embarrassing amount of cooking gear and food beneath the galley, and a few projects in the settee locker below that. Aft of the galley I have an Optima blue top that is currently dedicated to starting the motor (deep cycle so that it's available for emergency use on running lights and electronics if necessary). Std issue 5 gal can is still under the sink. There's a flexi tank holding about 20 gallons dead center in the aft bilge.
Head is yer basic, large Porta-Potti. Head is also the hanging locker.
To starboard, I have two GP 27 batteries between the two settee locker hatches, a massive load of tools in the forward settee compartment and my heavy ground tackle (22# bruce knock-off, 30' 1/4" chain, 300' 1/2" nylon) ahead of that. In the starboard aft settee locker there's the working tackle (16.5" Bruce knock-off, 20' of 1/4" chain, 500' of 3/8" nylon), plus a pair of 200' floating poly double braid lines that I use to tie off in coves on our lake.
No need for extra ballast with all that, um, STUFF on board low down, and the way it's laid out leaves the boat dead level. Some day I'll get motivated and unload everything except the batteries and see how she sits, but for now my need for apparent symmetry is met.
Jeff
s/v Windward
1978 C-26 #481
http://www.lizards.net
http://www.sv-windward.com
http://www.chryslersailing.com
s/v Windward
1978 C-26 #481
http://www.lizards.net
http://www.sv-windward.com
http://www.chryslersailing.com
EE,
thank you for that timely tip...timely since I have a very soft sole and I will soon do a whole sole repair job and it would be time to inspect ( if it is even accessable) the foam around teh ballst...I will also attempt a teak/holly sole.
so far I think I will put a solid seacock on the sink drain and not worry about the slight list for now...although some "knowitall" at the marina did call the harbormaster reporting that the old sailboat is sinking...
Which got me upset but did get me to check the bilge pump...an old not working RULE 400 that is not made anymore...so I am adding a manual Rule 500 to the shopping list
thank you for that timely tip...timely since I have a very soft sole and I will soon do a whole sole repair job and it would be time to inspect ( if it is even accessable) the foam around teh ballst...I will also attempt a teak/holly sole.
so far I think I will put a solid seacock on the sink drain and not worry about the slight list for now...although some "knowitall" at the marina did call the harbormaster reporting that the old sailboat is sinking...
Which got me upset but did get me to check the bilge pump...an old not working RULE 400 that is not made anymore...so I am adding a manual Rule 500 to the shopping list