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Old 02-18-2014, 03:05 PM   #1
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Lead for Ballast

Hy guys

It's getting close!....
I am getting lead ingots to use as ballast in my boat.
Is there any special care apart from getting it far from other metals?

Thank you
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Old 02-18-2014, 03:09 PM   #2
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I wouldn't think so...many older sailboats just had a big chunk bolted on as a keel. Painted over with copper paint.

Just make sure it's secure.
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Old 02-18-2014, 04:04 PM   #3
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Don't lick it.
Wear gloves
lead poisoning ain't pretty.
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Old 02-18-2014, 04:34 PM   #4
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We have lead ballast appeared to be 5200'd in.
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Old 02-18-2014, 05:34 PM   #5
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If you are putting in ingots just ensure that they are well secured so they don't move around, either use brackets or some sort of adhesive.

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Old 02-18-2014, 08:11 PM   #6
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I built a couple of boats from a bare fiberglass hull and deck and had to install lead ballast. What I did was use 60 lb lead ingots and then poured a mixture of lead shot and polyester resin to fill the gaps. I had a 2 lb coffee can that I mixed the shot and resin into to make a mixture that barely flowed. I pour that into the space and toweled it smooth. The 2 lb can was pretty much all I wanted to work with. It was pretty heavy when full.

I don't know if you can get the lead shot where you live but I got mine from a gun club who regularly went out to the range to pick up the expended lead. They clean it and packed into 25 lb bags and sold it to the public.
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Old 02-18-2014, 08:29 PM   #7
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Portuguese- When placing the 900# of 55# ingots in our boat, most were placed in a perfect fitting slot over the keel. The remainder were placed on the outboard side of the engine rails. Those I secured with an American tape product called "Gorilla" tape. On occasion as the boat is used, we have shifted some of these outboard ingots. In doing so we had to remove the Gorilla tape and found that this tape adheres to the fiberglass with tenacity that gives me confidence that the ingots will remain in place. Wanted to submit this as I had started a ballast thread some months ago where good advise was offered.
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Old 02-19-2014, 08:45 AM   #8
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I made lead ingots from salvaged wheel weights from the tire store. They were held in place in the bow bilge of my boat using silicon sealant. They never moved! Made about 40 ingots of 15 lbs each.

My experience.
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Old 02-19-2014, 10:16 AM   #9
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Don't lick it.
Wear gloves
lead poisoning ain't pretty.
Huh!
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Old 02-19-2014, 11:42 AM   #10
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Might want to use heavy metal shot blast mixed with cement/epoxy. You can probable get for free at a shop that shot blasts. Our plant usually has a 50 gallons drum of used shot.

The Eagles bilge and keel is filled with cement with a fiber glass top over to keep in place. Shot blast is a lot heavier then cement Juat a thought!
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Old 02-19-2014, 12:34 PM   #11
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I made lead ingots from salvaged wheel weights from the tire store. They were held in place in the bow bilge of my boat using silicon sealant. They never moved! Made about 40 ingots of 15 lbs each.
How long did it take you to collect 600 lbs of wheel weights?
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Old 02-19-2014, 05:10 PM   #12
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Approx 60 lb ingots stuck in place with 3M-42000 you can see the ingots were sawn in half to fit in USPS "if it fits we ship" The best price I could find was a company in California, Rotomold, Which sold including free shipping. My Mail Lady got a nice Christmas envelope that year.
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Old 02-19-2014, 05:29 PM   #13
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My boat is heavy enough. Nevertheless, my Dad's 28.5-foot sloop weighed 4 tons, half of which was lead. It was contained within the keel. If adding ballast, I'd want it not to shift.
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Old 02-19-2014, 06:23 PM   #14
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The only ballast I have found on my boat is in the form of coarse powdered lead, located in a sealed compartment below the vee berth. I haven't found any ballast in the stern of the boat but their may be some in the keel.
The powdered lead may not be quite as dense as solid lead but it fills the void completely, and can be removed easily if required.
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Old 02-19-2014, 06:39 PM   #15
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Might want to use heavy metal shot blast mixed with cement/epoxy.

Is that steel shot?
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Old 02-19-2014, 06:43 PM   #16
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Greetings,
Mr. RickB. "Is that steel shot?" That was my question to myself. I wasn't going to bother bringing it up....sigh...
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Old 02-19-2014, 07:47 PM   #17
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WesK,

I went to the tire shop and got them free,they were throwing them into 5 gal buckets.
When I melted them I fished the steel clips out of the molten lead and then poured into a homemade mold.
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Old 02-20-2014, 01:48 AM   #18
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If installing any ballast with polly or epoxy , do it in smallish batches as both can get VERY warm when curing a large batch.
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Old 02-20-2014, 06:59 AM   #19
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WesK,

I went to the tire shop and got them free,they were throwing them into 5 gal buckets.
When I melted them I fished the steel clips out of the molten lead and then poured into a homemade mold.
I'm just surprised you were able to get 600 lbs of them. Molding the lead to fit the boat seems like the best plan for weight vs. space.
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Old 02-20-2014, 07:23 AM   #20
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I'm just surprised you were able to get 600 lbs of them. Molding the lead to fit the boat seems like the best plan for weight vs. space.
Doesn't take many 5 gal buckets, they must be 60 lb or so when full.
My son has a auto repair business, and he fills a bucket in a few months so a tire shop must fill a bucket in a few weeks I would think.
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