LEAD BALLAST

[steadybrook]

What is the best size and shape for movable lead ballast for a 20'Catboat?

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[DickB]

Perhaps you might mention how much you want to move and how much there is of it? Kind of catboat, etc. My 20' cat/yawl (Bolger Chebacco)has a mere 20# of lead cast into the lower portion of the centerboard--primarily to keep the c'board down when it is supposed to be down. If you're thinking of shifting and removing lead on the floor, you're beyond my meager experience.

[Thad]

You might get lots of opinions on this. I think you want the ballast pretty generally distributed through the boat, from just aft of the step through to the sternpost near to the centerline and low as you can get. Most important might be that the pieces not be too heavy to handle. On my 18' Fenwick Williams a previous owner had ends welded to 18 inches of 4" channel iron and had cast 18"x1"x3+" bars which can be laid in on top of the ribs. When she had an engine installed the 200# or so that had been in the aft sections was not used, there were still 350-500# of lead. The distribution wants to take fore and aft trim into account.

[ 09-23-2003, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: Thad ]

[Russell Sova]

If it's movable I'd try burlap bags. If you put it too close to the ends of your boat, however, you'll get a hobbyhorse motion. It's best near the center directly behind the mast.

[John E Hardiman]

For "portable" ballast, i.e. ballast to be installed and then removed, the US Navy uses bars 3" x 3" x 9" (~37 lbs) covered in tape (lead dust is very hazardous in enclosed spaces BTW). This size has been determined by a lot of experience to be the most manageable size to carry through the ship, place, and stack by hand.

Just a point of experience to bring up. ;)

[rbgarr]

I've heard of lead 'pigs' about that size that have bent rod handles set into them to make carrying easier. Another consideration for safety's sake is to have some way to prevent the lead from sliding around in case the boat takes a knockdown. And yet others put lathes across the frames so the lead doesn't bear directly on the planking. Depends on how much lead you need and what kind of room you have in your bilge, I guess.

[ 09-23-2003, 11:35 PM: Message edited by: rbgarr ]

[steadybrook]

Thanks for the replies.The boat is a 21' F.Williams designed Catboat.The designers call for a 1000# +/- most of it around the keel close to the center board trunk.
The foundry is going to make whatever size ingots I decide on.

[rbgarr]

Sounds like you'll need about thirty of them if you use the 'Navy size' suggested above, which would be fifteen on each side of the cb box. Sounds doable to me, maybe without stacking. Have them made in a trapezoidal section for shape to keep the weight as low as possible.. They also pop out of the mold easier that way.

[Lion]

Cool boat!

For my FCW 18' re-do an amount of ballast is vaguely referred to. In an earlier post on this forum some wise heads reminded me that the engine is a significant weight factor in this equation and should be allowed for. As the line(?) has been clearly scribed by the original builder I figure that I will get her on the water fully rigged and powered and then add the appropriate amount of ballest to trim, do some sailing and further adjust as required. The size and configuration recommended here sounds about right to me.

Lion

[steadybrook]

Got all my lead ballast cast in tapered ingots around 10 lbs each.*830 lbs total.Anyone ever dip their lead ballast in wax?