H23.5 ballast tank questions

[albertlimsl]

I have some questions pertaining to H23.5 ballast tank and hope to get some advices:
Recently while unscrewing the wing-nut of the ballast, the whole 1/2" rod came loosed - the wing-nut & rod thread is pretty rusty being a 1994 H23.5. The rod however cannot be totally taken out but can be pushed in (which means it is not total broken from the SS plate - I hope?). I checked the water level via the hole with the vent plug off and can see water level about 6" below the vent hole level.

1. If the rod is broken off from the SS plate (since it came loose), why can it be totally taken out? Is the joint between the rod and the SS plate fixed (welded)?
2. with what happened, does it mean that water from outside the hull can now come into the ballast - what shld I do?
3. I also notice that there some water at the bilge (below seats on both sides and at the V near the head) even after I drained it the week before (my H23.5 is berthed at the marina and not trailered up). Could it be because my ballast tank is leaking inside?

appreciate any advice

albert

 

[George H260]

Sounds like the SS plate has broken off or come unscrewed from the rod. To be sure you either have to pull the boat or go diving. If the plate has come loose from the rod, maybe it's at the bottom of the bay? Should be easy to have a replacement manufactured. There probably is something like a washer or weld spot that is preventing the rod from being pulled completly out.

Here's some pics to help sort out the construction of the valve. These pics are from the H260, but I think the H23.5 and succeding water ballast models are similar. Does your ballast valve look like the following?

http://www.ayesail.net/sailing/Hunter/ManualH260/Page50.htm
http://h260.com/checklist2/web_checklist2_images/checklist2_images-4-1.jpg
http://h260.com/trailer/trailer1/web_trailer_images/1652160-r1-021-9.jpg


Second, you may have leaks unrelated to the water ballast issue. This link might help sort that problem out.

http://h260.com/leaks/H260_leaks.html

Hope that helps. Let us know what you find.

 

[albertlimsl]

On SS plate & Rod (Ballast tank):
Yes it looks like your attached pictures with wing-nut & vent plug and the inspection panel is located at the step. Will chk if the SS plate is still there this weekends (diving as no trailer). How big is the hole if the SS plate is indeed gone? I have been sailing for couple of weekends already - without the SS plate!!! Any danger here??

On leakage issue:
Given my H23.5 is old and not well maintain by the previous owner, I would assume there are many sources of leak. I have used my bilge pump to manually drain water out and occasionally done it manually (pain but got to do). My question is should I be overly concern about this as far as safety (say flooding is concern)? Or more of a housekeeping issue and have no imminent danger at hand?

Thks George

 

[George H260]

I don't think there is any easy way to fix this without pulling the boat. You should be able to have a new plate and rod manufactured, although I'd call Hunter just in case they might have parts: customerservice@huntermarine.com 1-800-771-5556 ext 3015; or mthomas@huntermarine.com 800-771-5556 ext. 3615

Think about it. Water seeks its own level. If you allow water to drain out of the tank what's keepin the boat from tipping over? Sailiing with the valve open is not the way the ballast is designed and you are compromising your safety and that of your crew by not fixing this issue. Leaving the valve open is equivalent to reducing the amount of ballast. If lyou want a refresher on how water ballast works, go to these two links:

http://h260.com/water_ballast/water_ballast_index.html
http://h260.com/water_ballast/water-ballast-safety.html

Yes, all boats leak to some degree, but when the water gets up to your knees in the cabin I'd start to worry. But if you sail only in shallow water at least you can walk ashore when it finally comes to rest on the bottom of the bay. If it was my boat, I'd use the leaks checklist I provided above and find the source(s) of the water.:cry:

 

[kloudie1]

Albert, Looking at the great pictures from George, is it possible that you’ve dropped the ¼” locating pin out of its hole and the plate is being held from seating?? Is the cotter pin still in the top of the ½” rod to keep the pin from dislocating?

 

[Mike B in Cape Cod]

I had the W/B threaded rod break off from the gasket/disc and lost the disc to the sea somewhere.

It seems that when the threaded rod was welded to the plate they used steel welding rod instead of stainless so the weld corroded and failed in the salt water enviornment.

I called Hunter requesting a replacement and I waited three weeks while they made up a new disc and rod with a new gasket installed. I had to cut and drill the new threaded rod to match the length of the old one as the one Hunter sent was too long. If you have to do this make sure the nuts are screwed onto the threaded rod before you cut the rod end so as not to bugger up the threads at the end of the rod.

Now the trick was installing the new rod and disc.

I had the boat on the trailer so I parked it over a soft piece of soil and dug a hole about a foot deep and a foot wide so as to allow me to lower the threaded rod disc end into the hole and then slide the other end up through the hull and into position in the ballast controll box where you will need to have someone pull it up and attach the "T" handle and cotter pins. I also had to notch a hole in the trailer's lower bunk board to have the disc/gasket end clear. Not a big job to complete, just annoying that it failed the way it did.

I have photos of the installation if you need them - jburns@aol.com

 

[albertlimsl]

Thanks George, Claude & Mike.
George - fortunately, water level is not at knees level; only in the bilge area (can easily pump out).

And Mike, you may be right and the plate could be somewhere on the seabed - sign..

Now, I am planning of getting a trailer as it did'nt come with it when I bought it few months back. How much do you estimate it would set me back to get a new trailer plus international shipping cost? - estimate is fine
thanks in advance

 

[George H260]

Unless you can find a used trailer and modify it, a new one plus shipping will probably cost more than the boat is worth.

If you don't need a trailer, I'd just hire a lift to do the repair - a lot cheaper. Six stands will get the boat where you can work on it. Also, based on the age of your boat, your leaks are probably coming from the centerboard. You might take a look at Pat Adam's article on centerboard replacement in the knowledgebase here: http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=6224&Itemid=257

Take a look at some of the other articles that may apply to your model.

http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=6224&Itemid=257

 

[jbmayer]

Leakage problems..

I keep my 23.5 in the water all year long in Florida, and was draining about a quart a water a week from the bilge on both sides and rear. I could not locate a leak, and my cushions were getting mildewed. I bought a de-humidifier and placed it on the seat running the drain hose through the sink drain. The bilges have been bone dry now for a year. I even spilled a half quart of water, and it took all of two days for the de-humidifer to suck it dry. Now my cushions, towels, pillows are all dry all the time.