'75 E-29 Ballast, What form & material is it?

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John N.W.Webb

Junior Member
I have been informed by an engineer that boats like mine , with the ballast inside the fibreglass hull & not bolted on could be in trouble if the ballast area is holed on a rock & the salt water gets into the ballast. I can understand this being a problem if the ballast is loose iron or steel pieces but if it is lead shot?
My hull is sound in this area & sounds very solid when tapped with a hammer in the ballast area, as opposed to tapping where the hull is hollow inside & it makes a "hollow" sound.
Can anyone enlighten me in this matter? Thank-You, J.N.W.W.
 
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jkenan

Member III
I have a '77 E29 with lead ballast. The problem is not being holed and water getting into the lead, but rather being holed and water coming into the boat via the empty bilge area in the keel aft of the lead, and sinking!

There are a number of threads on the matter. Some people have added a little extra ballast in the form of scrap lead (100Lbs or so) to stiffen up the the boat, and then poured over that some hydraulic cement using an admixture to seal the lead in place and fill the bilge mostly but not all the way - leaving maybe 8" or so for a shallower area to mount a bilge pump in the lowest spot and collect bilge water. Others have just filled the same area with a high density foam. Both methods require glassing in the new bilge floor after the filler has cured. It would probably also be wise to put a barrier coat over that to keep the glass intact since it will be subject to constant moisture. The overall idea is that sealing the area and reinforcing it with roving will keep water out if the keel hits a rock. Pretty compelling, in my view.

I have heard some positive reports on the extra ballast strategy, and am considering going that route myself as I find my boat a bit tender, but can also understand other's concerns about adding permanent weight to the boat (only 150Lbs or so).

Personal preference I guess, but the overall goal of protecting the bilge area is worth doing, I think.
 
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Dave Hussey

Member III
My E27 was holed by an errant submerged object, and had been (poorly) patched. During a haulout, I investigated a weeping crack on the leading edge of the keel and discovered a patch of bondo which a previous owner had applied.
My repair involved grinding out layers of fractured fiberglass and digging out loose and broken resin, in an area about the dimmensions of my hand, exposing SOLID lead balast. It appears that a solid lead casting is lowered into a bed of resin which encapsulates and fills voids between the hull and the lead. The end result is one solid boat! :egrin:
 
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Seth

Sustaining Partner
not to worry

If the boat has not been damaged you will have NO issues. If was, and as long it was repaired by a professional you are fine.

The only concern, and this is true any boat and any design of keel, rudder or anything else, is poorly-made repairs..

Cheers,
S
 
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