I had the feeling that my water ballast tank is not full enough. I put the tip of a screwdriver into the vent hole and it cam up dry. I unscrewed the valve, and pusheed it down to let in more water, but none came in. Does that mean the water in the tank is the same level as the lake? I have no idea.
23.5 Water Ballast Tank
- Thread starter jreedae
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Water Ballast
Thaks again Mike. I was unsure. When we first launched the boat, I opened the valve and the ank started to fill. I did stop it prior to not feeling any more air from the vent plug. A day later, I wanted to make sure it had filled all the way so I removed the vent plug, opened the valve, and pushed the rod down. I could not hear or feel any air, so I assume it is full. Thanks again....
Thaks again Mike. I was unsure. When we first launched the boat, I opened the valve and the ank started to fill. I did stop it prior to not feeling any more air from the vent plug. A day later, I wanted to make sure it had filled all the way so I removed the vent plug, opened the valve, and pushed the rod down. I could not hear or feel any air, so I assume it is full. Thanks again....
When it's full
The first year that I had my 23.5 I somehow didn't fill the tank up all the way. A trick I learned here is to lay the corner of a sheet of toilet paper over the vent hole. While filling, the escaping air will hold the paper up; when the tank is full, the sheet will lay flat and still (unless there is wave action rocking the boat). You can always just open the thing up for an hour or two while you're at a dock or anchored, to be sure. I think some people take a hose and top up the tank from the top after closing the valve (or even fill the whole tank with city (drinking) water). ...RickM...
The first year that I had my 23.5 I somehow didn't fill the tank up all the way. A trick I learned here is to lay the corner of a sheet of toilet paper over the vent hole. While filling, the escaping air will hold the paper up; when the tank is full, the sheet will lay flat and still (unless there is wave action rocking the boat). You can always just open the thing up for an hour or two while you're at a dock or anchored, to be sure. I think some people take a hose and top up the tank from the top after closing the valve (or even fill the whole tank with city (drinking) water). ...RickM...
It did not fill up completely.
Just this weekend, the admiral was complaining how tipsy the boat was and she asked me if I was sure that the ballast was completely full. "What a stupid question" I thought, but I know that every time she opens her mouth, she happens to be right. I inserted a stick on the hole and it came out dry!!! I knew that I left it filling for about 15 minutes and normally it takes about 5 minutes to totally fill up. When I opened the screw again, no water came in. I pushed the shaft down and water started rushing in. It seems that the in coming water created a vacumm and shut the flapper closed. I assumed that because the butterfly was totally opened, the tank would fill up completely but apparently, the weight of the screw was enough to shut flapper and it only filled partially. The admiral was right, one more time!!!
Just this weekend, the admiral was complaining how tipsy the boat was and she asked me if I was sure that the ballast was completely full. "What a stupid question" I thought, but I know that every time she opens her mouth, she happens to be right. I inserted a stick on the hole and it came out dry!!! I knew that I left it filling for about 15 minutes and normally it takes about 5 minutes to totally fill up. When I opened the screw again, no water came in. I pushed the shaft down and water started rushing in. It seems that the in coming water created a vacumm and shut the flapper closed. I assumed that because the butterfly was totally opened, the tank would fill up completely but apparently, the weight of the screw was enough to shut flapper and it only filled partially. The admiral was right, one more time!!!
Gasket
I had the same problem on my 23.5 (several years ago). There is a rubber-like gasket attached to the ballast plate which seals against the bottom of the boat. Over time, the gasket "glue" deteriorated so when the plate was opened in the water, the gasket came loose and with the rush of water, re-sealed against the bottom of the boat. To test this suggestion, take a round dowel, about 24" long, stick it down the vent hole towards one of the 4 holes you see in Mike's picture and see if the gasket is loose and can be pushed away from the bottom of the boat. If this is the case, hold the gasket away and fill-up the ballast. Repair the gasket next time the boat is out of the water. Luck.
I had the same problem on my 23.5 (several years ago). There is a rubber-like gasket attached to the ballast plate which seals against the bottom of the boat. Over time, the gasket "glue" deteriorated so when the plate was opened in the water, the gasket came loose and with the rush of water, re-sealed against the bottom of the boat. To test this suggestion, take a round dowel, about 24" long, stick it down the vent hole towards one of the 4 holes you see in Mike's picture and see if the gasket is loose and can be pushed away from the bottom of the boat. If this is the case, hold the gasket away and fill-up the ballast. Repair the gasket next time the boat is out of the water. Luck.
Gasket
I had the same problem on my 23.5 (several years ago). There is a rubber-like gasket attached to the ballast plate which seals against the bottom of the boat. Over time, the gasket "glue" deteriorated so when the plate was opened in the water, the gasket came loose and with the rush of water, re-sealed against the bottom of the boat. To test this suggestion, take a round dowel, about 24" long, stick it down the vent hole towards one of the 4 holes you see in Mike's picture and see if the gasket is loose and can be pushed away from the bottom of the boat. If this is the case, hold the gasket away and fill-up the ballast. Repair the gasket next time the boat is out of the water. Luck.
I had the same problem on my 23.5 (several years ago). There is a rubber-like gasket attached to the ballast plate which seals against the bottom of the boat. Over time, the gasket "glue" deteriorated so when the plate was opened in the water, the gasket came loose and with the rush of water, re-sealed against the bottom of the boat. To test this suggestion, take a round dowel, about 24" long, stick it down the vent hole towards one of the 4 holes you see in Mike's picture and see if the gasket is loose and can be pushed away from the bottom of the boat. If this is the case, hold the gasket away and fill-up the ballast. Repair the gasket next time the boat is out of the water. Luck.
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