Adding Ballast to stiffen Boat

jeffg,
HaHa that’s the opposite of the percieved problem I have.
Took out all the concrete and steel punchings and replaced w lead. Just the Laz though. But it’s still qite a difference I think. And I do appear to be stern heavy. Beats bow heavy by quite a margin though.

However most of the lead on top is birdshot so won’t be much of a problem getting it out. Does anybody think breathing the air in the laz would be a health problem? I’ll wear a paper mask but???

Perhaps I should give you my lead? haHa

Does this mean I have a “lead ass”?

Incase anybodies wondering ... my avatar pic shows the boat only about a week after we bought her. No lead then.

Sorry, you describe your problem succinctly enough, I just didn't read your post very well this morning. It is the time of long days at the yard and I was very tired.


Adding ballast to the keel would only serve to stiffen her further. You would ultimately get her to calm down if you just kept adding weight, because you would decrease the response to small wave inputs, but this would come at a prohibitive displacement increase.



Adding ballast high up to slow the roll is a terrible idea because it adversely impacts your stability curve at the extremes, which can leave you in a death trap.


Like I said, you should look into bilge keels. They're easy to engineer, cheap to experiment with and usually work pretty well. Wedge keels work better on hard chined vessels, but they're damage prone if improperly designed and increase your draft.


Willy, the soup created by decaying bird shot is horribly toxic, tread lightly.

"Less judgment than wit is more sail than ballast" - William Penn

(Been waiting quite a while for an excuse to bring that old quote out for an airing).

I worked for a charter company in the BVI that had several Ponderosa 35 sundecks. I believe they were the same design or mold. the charter company added poured lead in the bilge to help with the 3-5' swells and 2-3' seas that were typical there. FYI

Henning,
You wrote;
“Willy, the soup created by decaying bird shot is horribly toxic, tread lightly.”
Isuspected as much. Thanks

cappy208 said:

Maybe your expecting too much out of a little boat? Better weather awareness and laydays may be the easiest cure.

Click to expand...

That too and in spades!!!!

Al-Ketchikan

I would invest in a really good weather app and then use it. If you are out and it is too bad, change course. Heck, if you were in a sailboat, you would be changing course all the time...