Ballast Tank Leak Plugged- Pepper Works!

[Pat Hooyman]

This is an update on my leaking water ballast tank problem. The tank was leaking a gallon of water per day some where below the cabin sole.Several of you asked me to keep you updated on my progress.Hunter warranty was very helpful and I got some good advice on this forum as well. The general approach was to find the leak and repair it. I was in the process of doing this with Hunter warranty but I wanted to see if the hole could be plugged simply in the water first.Two weeks ago I put 2 pounds of fine ground black pepper in the water ballast tank. This has stopped the leak completely! The bilge is bone dry. We have taken it out sailing twice and the bilge has remained bone dry. I do not know how long this will last but if the hole is a small pin hole and not a stress fracture due to a structural problem this solution could be permanent. (If it is due to a structural problem the leak will return and more drastic measures will be necessary- things like drilling additional inspection holes etc)If any of you are experiencing small water ballast tank leaks pepper may be a simple fix! It seems to be working on my boat. Pepper is cheap and safe - but not very high tech. None the less I am delighted to have a dry boat again.

 

[Russ King]

Ah-choo!

In the mid-1940's, Sam Rabl wrote about an old-timer's temporary fix for a leaky wooden boat. The idea was to put some horse manure in a long-handled ash sifter, and shake it vigorously under the boat, in the vicinity of the leak (the boat must be in the water). The water leaking into the boat would pull some of the horse manure in with it; the undigested oats in the manure would swell and (hopefully) seal the leak.He lamented the fact that the source (horses) were becoming rare, and suggested using oatmeal in a pinch (squeeze it tightly to keep the water out until you're near the leak).So there's a little Chesapeake Bay folklore for you.