Slight List to Starboard

[PuppyR]

I have a 1981 34-foot Marine Trader double cabin. The house bank is six golf cart batteries and is located under the salon bench on the starboard side. It causes the boat to list about two inches to starboard. The batteries weigh about 60 pounds each so it’s about 360 total pounds. Should I offset this by placing a counterbalance weigh on the port side to even out the boat, or just leave it be? If counterbalancing what should I use. I can’t move half the batteries to the port side.

 

[jleonard]

I would simply re-plan my storage as a starter. For example can you locate your tool box/bag, hardware supply, or canned goods, etc to offset the list?

 

[wwestman]

I had the same issue caused by the tender motor and the batteries placed in the wrong place by the PO.

I moved the batteries and then placed my dive tanks and weights on the opposite side to compensate. Between the two I was able to level things out.

I have known people to put bags of lead shot on one side to balance things.

 

[LaBomba]

I had a boat that naturally listed like yours and I had no equipment or other stuff that I could relocate for balance so I used a storage compartment and put a water bladder in it and filled it with water. Did a great job of levelling. Experiment but don't leave it, it is likely annoying to you or you wouldn't have raised the issue.

 

[Ski in NC]

My boat lists to stbd about an inch. Fortunately I have two fuel tanks, one on each side under the cockpit. If I keep about 2-4" more fuel in port tank (20-40gal), it trims out level. So I try to manage my tank burn to keep it that way.

 

[DHeckrotte]

Look around the boat for things you can move or store on the high side. I moved the spare CQR and rode on the sailboat and it was enough. I've moved the spare anchors and rodes on the trawler from lazarette to bow to begin to compensate for hanging a dinghy on the transom; the shape of the waterline makes the effect stronger than you might imagine.

As others have said, tank management is effective and easy. I've got two hundred gallons of potable water in port and starboard tanks that I really don't need while the boat is doing day trips and living in a slip.

Don't add weight; you'll simply be paying to move it.

 

[eyschulman]

I keep a small plastic level near my helm and when I find a list I transfer fuel from one lateral tank to the other until level.

 

[rwidman]

Assuming full fuel and water tanks (unless they are centered), move spare anchors and rode, spare parts, tools, etc. to balance the boat.

 

[Lou_tribal]

I have a similar issue, port fuel tank is always 1/4 less than starboard one. This means around 63 litres of fuel more to starboard than to port, and so a list. Never found how to solve this. I am thinking to install a fuel pump to equalize fuel level but it would be a pain. A question that I have is what would happen if my port tank goes empty, will the draw from starboard be enough? Not sure I want to test

L

 

[menzies]

There is a long thread on this from earlier this year.

Many (if not boats) have a list.

When my fuel tanks are equal my list is about four inches and very noticeable. In fact one stern exhaust in nearly under water the other above water! To the extent my neighbor two doors down once came over to the front door and told me he thought my boat was sinking!

So I now keep ~ 150 gallons more fuel in the starboard tank and it is even.

The cause - 12 house batteries on the port side.

 

[Greg S]

A list you say.
Some new boats, right from the manufacture, come with movable weights positioned for proper trim. Once the owner loads the boat, you are supposed to shift the ballast weights to gain neutral trim again.
I know of one popular 42 foot trawler that comes new with 600 pounds to be repositioned. Lead if I recall correctly. Another 46 foot I know had an extra water storage tank installed in the lazarette on the port side with instructions to use it last.

 

[Ski in NC]

I was working on a boat and on the port side outboard of the engine there was several hundred pounds of lead ingot. A day later I was working on the stbd side. There was a few hundred pounds of ingot there too!! Different style ingots, so likely added at a different time. And this was a planing hull.

I advised the owner he could probably take it all out.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Don't need to move the batts. Just need to move something. Pick something easy to move and make sure it's secure.
You could use concrete blocks or similar weights even friends on the high side of the boat to quickly and easily determine how much weight needs to be moved.
Don't add weight.

 

[rwidman]

I have a similar issue, port fuel tank is always 1/4 less than starboard one. This means around 63 litres of fuel more to starboard than to port, and so a list. Never found how to solve this. I am thinking to install a fuel pump to equalize fuel level but it would be a pain. A question that I have is what would happen if my port tank goes empty, will the draw from starboard be enough? Not sure I want to test

L

If your port tank goes empty, the engine will draw and and stop. You will need to prime the whole fuel system to get it to start again. Best to not let that happen. If you can valve it off, do that before it goes empty.

Assuming you have a diesel engine, it should draw equally from both tanks. If it does not, you can partially close the feed valve from the tank that more fuel is being drawn from or partially close the return valve so more fuel is returned to the other tank. My choice would be the feed valve so there's no chance of overfilling the other tank.

 

[Lou_tribal]

If your port tank goes empty, the engine will draw and and stop. You will need to prime the whole fuel system to get it to start again. Best to not let that happen. If you can valve it off, do that before it goes empty.



Assuming you have a diesel engine, it should draw equally from both tanks. If it does not, you can partially close the feed valve from the tank that more fuel is being drawn from or partially close the return valve so more fuel is returned to the other tank. My choice would be the feed valve so there's no chance of overfilling the other tank.

This was exactly my fear
I have no return valve so I will always check that I have enough fuel in both tank and play with the feed valve.

L

 

[menzies]

If your port tank goes empty, the engine will draw and and stop. You will need to prime the whole fuel system to get it to start again. Best to not let that happen. If you can valve it off, do that before it goes empty.

Assuming you have a diesel engine, it should draw equally from both tanks. If it does not, you can partially close the feed valve from the tank that more fuel is being drawn from or partially close the return valve so more fuel is returned to the other tank. My choice would be the feed valve so there's no chance of overfilling the other tank.

That all really depends on how the valves are set up.

As you can see from this set up, the tubes in the middle of the fuel supply and in the middle of the fuel return systems will handle a tank emptying, ensuring there is always fuel available to the engines so long as any one of the tanks has fuel.

 

[Lou_tribal]

That all really depends on how the valves are set up.



As you can see from this set up, the tubes in the middle of the fuel supply and in the middle of the fuel return systems will handle a tank emptying, ensuring there is always fuel available to the engines so long as any one of the tanks has fuel.

Jeez how many valves do you have!!!
I have only one with 4 directions, port, starboard, both and closed, simple enough

L

 

[catalinajack]

I had the same issue caused by the tender motor and the batteries placed in the wrong place by the PO.

I moved the batteries and then placed my dive tanks and weights on the opposite side to compensate. Between the two I was able to level things out.

I have known people to put bags of lead shot on one side to balance things.

I use lead shot in 25# bags. Quite easy ti shift from side to side when necessary.

 

[catalinajack]

Look around the boat for things you can move or store on the high side. I moved the spare CQR and rode on the sailboat and it was enough. I've moved the spare anchors and rodes on the trawler from lazarette to bow to begin to compensate for hanging a dinghy on the transom; the shape of the waterline makes the effect stronger than you might imagine.

As others have said, tank management is effective and easy. I've got two hundred gallons of potable water in port and starboard tanks that I really don't need while the boat is doing day trips and living in a slip.

Don't add weight; you'll simply be paying to move it.

Don't add weight? Perhaps. My boat was bow heavy. I needed weight in the stern as I had removed the aft fuel tank that resided under the bed in the aft cabin. Every boat differs. There are no absolutes.

 

[Nomad Willy]

CatJack,
Perhaps you could reduce weight fwd.

 

[C lectric]

Couple years ago I added 160# of lead ingots. Batteries were the cause. I moved everything I could without tearing the boat apart. But the ingots were finally required.

I didn't want to add them but at some point I realized it was needed.
Not all boats are well balanced and some time we unbalance them , like it or not.

Fuel imbalance management can help but as seen it can be a headache. My boat, single engine with dual tanks, developed a list from tanks feeding unevenly. It took a lot of tweaks but now the fuel caused list is virtually gone. Not entirely but almost.
I have valves on each of the return lines and ever so slowly closed the one down to the tank that was NOT drawing so much. That forced more return fuel to go to the tank that was feeding most. But you will need to be able to control the return line fuel flow.

Never close the returns down completely with the idea of adjusting flow upwards or injector system damage can occur. Always adjust down from fully open return valves.

 

[catalinajack]

CatJack,
Perhaps you could reduce weight fwd.

Nomad Willy, thanks for the suggestion. Only way is to chuck the anchor chain and go with line. Plus, the weight I added to balance the boat (600#) aft was way less than the weight of the tank and 275 gallons of fuel. I also hung a 500# dinghy on davits at the stern so the boat is approximately back to design. The lead in 25# bags gives me the ability to correct list if I need to. By the way, using lead shot in bags is way cheaper than fresh lead ingots and probably easier to handle. The other issue was, even with the dinghy, without the additional 600# the diver's plate anode lied just one inch below the surface. The boat now sits squarely on its lines.

 

[Donna]

This is a common problem with Marine Traders. Mine is a 1986 double cabin Sundeck. It's a combination of things. ie: Zodiac motor on starboard, both heads on starboard, etc. My solution was to put heavier items on port. I have a port to starboard full galley with massive counter space so I put my 50lb icemaker on port side, along with several gallons and cases of water in the port cabinets. ALL of my tools are n port in the engine room. Problem solved.

 

[Nomad Willy]

That's it Donna,
Manage the location of fairly heavy things in the boat.
Many things like holding tanks can be put just about anywhere there's space for them. Things w a fixed weight like batteries have an obvious advantage.
One of my jobs at Uniflite was to move things around in a specific boat until there was no list. Now I suppose that would be done on a computer. But a huge problem w the weight distribution issue is that larger boats are all different. Too many options like engines and number of same. But w holding tanks and generators and many other peices of equipment the weight gets distributed wherever there's room. So at times installers on the line wind up choosing where to put things and then other things need to be put somewhere else.

So the clever boat owner can continue the manufacture of their boat and move weighty things around for good balance. One chronic problem for the trawler is the bow down attitude. I suspect it's usually caused by engine location being dictated by cabin configuration. The wheelhouse frequently gets put quite far fwd and then (of course) the engine or (worse yet) engines find their way too far fwd for good balance. Boats are pointed at the fwd end and support much less weight. The result is a bow down boat that has numerous running issues. Moving weight aft is about the only thing that can be done.

 

[Ski in NC]

One trick the Carolina builders used was to wait until after splash day to assign permanent location for the batteries. Put in temporary batteries and temporary cables, then once trim is determined, put in battery shelf and batts to trim the boat. Spaces left open for this on both P and S sides. If batts not heavy enough for good trim, then they added more batts!!

 

[Hawkeye]

My list was addressed by first locating and then cleaning out a fuel vent fitting that had been stopped up by insect larva. Uneven fuel burn every time at sea.

 

[Panacea123]

I have a similar issue, port fuel tank is always 1/4 less than starboard one. This means around 63 litres of fuel more to starboard than to port, and so a list. Never found how to solve this. I am thinking to install a fuel pump to equalize fuel level but it would be a pain. A question that I have is what would happen if my port tank goes empty, will the draw from starboard be enough? Not sure I want to test

L

If your tanks have fittings on the bottom, install a cross flow line, gravity will
take care of the rest

 

[Nomad Willy]

Panacea123.
Assuming he didn't have a list in the first.
The tank level will high on one side if the boat floats low on that side.
The cross tube will not fix a list.

 

[Panacea123]

Panacea123.
Assuming he didn't have a list in the first.
The tank level will high on one side if the boat floats low on that side.
The cross tube will not fix a list.

Correct you are!
Correct list with load adjustment or ballast.
Never owned a boat that did not have ballast from the factory.
Cross tube will only mitigate fuel consumption IE: gen set or un equal fuel burn.
Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Airstream345]

Interesting discussion. I'm dealing with a list to port at the moment. I can see a few obvious issues: more fuel in the port tank than starboard all of the cabinetry in to port (settee, galley, head, pilothouse couch and watch birth, etc. Most of the starboard cabinetry would be in the center stateroom, stairs, etc. I also have 2 batteries on the port side under the settee.

Ordered a fuel transfer pump to better balance the fuel. Been playing with water tankage balance as well but I fear eventually I'll need to either relocate the batteries to centerline or add weight somewhere forward and starboard.