Two ballast questions. One answer. Since we're talking about trawler style, semi displacement hulls, we aren't overly concerned about weight. Well, at least not as much as we would with a planing hull. Assuming that you have waterline depth available you could just add to the stern as much as you want to even things out. Or if waterline depth is a problem, (thru hulls too close to the waterline, waterline is low already, etc) then you might want to relocate some heavy items to a different spot. I.E. That 60 pound toolbox in the bow might be moved to the stern, a 120 pound difference in trim. Now how do you know how much ballast you need? Rent some self propelled portable ballast. It only costs a bottle of wine at the local marina. Have your friends move to different parts of the boat and watch how the boat reacts. Be especially sensitive about how you estimate their weight..... ;-) Where to put the ballast? In the lowest part of the boat is generally best. Keep the center of gravity low to maintain boat stability. Virtually anything can be used. Sand bags, lead pigs, water, or anything else. Some people are able to move their batteries from the front of the engine to the rear and get good results. Lead pigs are expensive, but compact and easy to move later. Sand is cheaper, but more difficult to store where it won't get wet or loose in the bilge. Plastic 5 gallon square pails filled with sand work pretty well. Water can be difficult to store but think about gallon jugs, 5 gallon pails, flexible bladders, or small poly tanks. Depending on your specific boat you might need to be creative with any of these. Make absolutely sure that whatever you use cannot shift when underway. A 5 gallon pail against your rudder arm will make you pucker pretty quickly. The same things will hold true for minor problems with list. Moving items from side to side will help balance you out. Or, an extra pail or two on one side will take out the list you see at the dock. Another small point, make sure you are in your normal cruising mode when you do this. If you bring 150 pounds of "stuff" to store in the bow on vacation have it there when you balance the boat. If you normally cruise with full water tanks, fuel tanks, etc. have them full when you balance. As always, do things safely. If it takes a lot of ballast to even things out look for other causes. Saturated laminate, major remodeling by a previous owner, etc may make the boat unstable and unsafe. If in doubt, consult an expert. Ken Buck A Couple of Bucks 40 Puget Trawler Puyallup, WA Our boat, Aqua Vitae, is a 43' Albin Classic trunk style trawler. One of the things that we've always loved about her is the flare of her bow, and the way she takes head seas (she parts them, like Moses!) But at anchor or at the dock she has a tendency to be bow down on her lines. Tell me about ballast. . . how do we know "how much?" What kind do we use to make it easy but stable? Where do we put it (exactly, if anyone knows.) We don't want heavy stuff rolling around anywhere, but it would be nice to see a level waterline. Any advice on ballast would be welcome. Thanks, Peggy Bjarno Aqua Vitae 1986 Albin 43' Classic Baltimore, MD ------------------------------ Message: 36 Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 19:58:29 -0700 From: "Rich Werner" <poco@werner2.com> Subject: Re: T&T: Ballast To: "'Peggy Carr'" <chesapklady@comcast.net>, "'Trawlers and Trawlering'" <trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com> Message-ID: <00e101c8b4a5$399552b0$acbff810$@com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Similar question for a GB32. We have 180 ft of 3/8" chain plus windlass etc and the bow seems low. The chain weight is about 280 pounds. Would an equal amount of weight at the back of the boat in the lazarette provide a balance. We do have a problem with water draining out of the cockpit. Rich ______________________________ Rich & Laura Werner GB32-277 **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)