Ballast (formerly Bust) Situation?

[Disco Bay]

I'm in the process of tearing down the Anne Katherine for a complete refurbishment. Progress is painfully slow, but proper.

The plans as drawn up by Wm. Garden call for #400 odd lbs. of bust riding aft of the lead keel, internally. It's there allright, composed of concrete and scrap iron.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid162/pfd3eb8aa6e3fe81f793f5f35c429b5d1/f4aa7da2.jpg
The engine (installed after the build and no longer w/ the boat) was riding above this on half-ass mounts. The plans only called for this bust if no engine were installed.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid162/p66ff6d0450b40e5a66d0be43ffac7c48/f4aa7d7c.jpg
Looking at the very bottom of the pic, you can see the top of the bust. On either side are the supports, both wood and aluminium, for the mounts.

I'll be repowering, but don't yet know what'll be going in. I'm hoping to get away with properly built mounts coupled into the floors and no bust as in this rebuild of the Folk Boat "TJOCKIS" (http://www.woodwindyachts.com/Restorations/Tjockis/tjockis.htm) performed by Woodwind Yachts (see two pics below- wicked beautiful!):

http://www.woodwindyachts.com/Restorations/Tjockis/tjockis16.jpg
http://www.woodwindyachts.com/Restorations/Tjockis/tjockis18.jpg

The issue here is whether I even need this crap. It is going to be removed for thorough cleaning and inspection of the frames and keelson underneath. The frames above the bust have been shaved away to almost nothing to provide for the previous engine's mounts and will have to be replaced, at least scarfed.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid162/p2adb239e82a5313b83f619d32154eca9/f4a7df73.jpg
Have a looky here at the frame on the left and try to imagine whats under that bolted mount on the right.

Once removed and the hull is back in shape should I plan on pouring another bust?

I'm just bouncing this off folks for opinions, support, berrating remarks, etc.

What is the best way to remove this stuff anyway? By that I don't mean quickest, but kindest. The garboard and strake above will, of course, be removed. Both happen to be in need of replacement.

MJB

[ 03-30-2005, 12:27 AM: Message edited by: Disco Bay ]

[ssor]

That looks alot like my islander did when I started to take her apart. Just get rid of the crap and follow your head. If you feel that you need to add ballast aft consider house batteries.
I tried not to put anything back in that was dead weight. Remember that moving the weight farther aft is just as good as putting more of it closer to midships.

[Cullen T.M. McGough]

Sister the shaved frames. Unless there's rot issues, ripping them out and replacing/scarfing will damage the planking/waste time.

(Plus steam bending is fun).

As for the bust, I don't know of a gentle way to remove concrete that isn't tedious and unpleasant. The slow gentle way is to bore a whole lot of holes in it to weaken the structure and then bust it out with a sledge. The fast rough way is to *WHACK* it with a sledge until the concrete cracks and then pull out the chunks.

As for re-installing a new bust...

Personally, I prefer moveable ballast so that you can adjust trim, or off-load when circumnavigating and you need an extra 300lbs of beer. Weapon of choice would be lead blocks cast in 10lb units. Rust-proof, stable, easy to brace in the bilge.

HOWEVER, I know several people who swear by concrete. The plusses are: (a) dump the boat in the water and then pour concrete into the bilge until the boat hits it's lines. (b) makes a nice easy-to-clean finish in the bilge, stable and it won't move around.

Rotsa ruck.

[Cullen T.M. McGough]

p.s. Concrete dust will devour your soul. Wear a filter.

[Cullen T.M. McGough]

p.p.s. Maybe I'm not seeing the picture correctly, but WHERE is floor timber under the engine beds? Did they attach the engine beds directly to the frames?

Slap some nice beefy floors in there!

[Disco Bay]

You got it McGough. Shaved the frames down for fit and hung the motor right on 'em. The floors for Anne Katherine are buried under the bust. Those floors they did for TJOCKIS are so sweet. In that first picture, the black squares in the runners between floors are rubber mounts set right in the wood. They bedded bolts up through to accept the engine. I just gotta have it!

[ 03-29-2005, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: Disco Bay ]

[Ed Harrow]

Hmmmmm, not exactly what I was expecting to see. I confess the pictures are a disappointment. ;)

[Don Z.]

Originally posted by Ed Harrow:
Hmmmmm, not exactly what I was expecting to see. I confess the pictures are a disappointment. ;) Yeah... I thought he was carving a new figurehead...

[Disco Bay]

I promise better and more intersting pictures once the situation is resolved. I am, after all, in the literal bilge...

[paladin]

...and I thought this thread wuz gonna be about well endowed wimmins.........

[Disco Bay]

:eek: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid162/pc0eed47b2f83070dbc237b1938e8dc37/f4a74cf6.jpg :eek:

For those I've confused w/ the "BUST" terminology:

According to the lines plans and drawings, Mr. Garden repeatedly referred to areas of permanent ballast (i.e. poured concrete) as bust. It was a new application of the word for me as well, but over time it came to sound o.k. if not familiar.

I'm sorry to have let anybody down. ;)

[ 03-30-2005, 12:26 AM: Message edited by: Disco Bay ]

[paladin]

...aw..golly gee...I wuz only jokin'.......

[Disco Bay]

No, no... No offense taken... Just makin good on my terminology tongue.gif .