hunter 240 ballast valve gasket

[Sneed]

Hi,

Newbe question regarding a 2001 hunter 240 water ballast valve gasket. I just purchased the boat and noticed the valve leaks when the boat is up on my lift. It seems when the valve is closed there is a gap on the starboard side between the bottom of the boat and the valve plate. The gasket is very thin spongy rubber. Is this gasket compressed? How thick should it be? The manual just states it is a rubber gasket and shows the valve flush with the boat in the diagram.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[nola2172]

I have not looked at this particular situation in my boat (I always let the water out when the boat comes out), but if you have water in the ballast with the valve closed while the boat is out of the water, there is going to be a ton of pressure on the valve from inside the boat. I think this is somewhat similar to when you fill a bathtub (or kitchen sink/etc.) and plug the drain - in my experience you always slowly lose water. I am guessing that you would be better off letting the water out when you lift the boat and then letting it come back in once the boat is in the water again. When in the water it may be a lot better seal (though it really does not need to be perfectly water-tight) because the pressure should be a lot more equal.

 

[Sneed]

Thanks for the reply. I always planned to open the valve prior to lifting but forgot this time and noticed the water running out. I thought it would be more watertight.

I do have another question but about the centerboard. It seems hard to pull up and does not come parallel with the boat when the uphall stops, although there is more line available on deck it seems to be at end. Can you tell me how much effort it should take to pull the centerboard up and the position it should be in when the uphaul is in all the way?

 

[cephius (Dave)]

Hi Sneed,
When in the water, the ballast port does not require a water tight seal. As long as most of the water stays in during healing you should have no problems.

As for the swing keel, when up it should be parallel to the bottom with an even amount exposed the length of the keel. When you pull it up you should feel a solid thump as it reaches the top. It takes all of my 300 lbs to pull it up without a winch.

The way my line and blocks are rigged, there is only inches between the aft block and the clutch when the swing keel is up.

I would check for obstructions in the well

 

[Sneed]

Thanks, no obstructions but the pulley on the deck was broken so I replaced the sheave. . All better now. I very much appreciate the replies.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Sneed;

contrary to what is said, I would suggest that there is a gasket on the water inlet flange. If healed over for a long time, water can and will come out of the ballast tank; thus, the boat will become somewhat unstable. Saw this happen a lot on boats that I repaired.

 

[familyrapp]

Sneed;

contrary to what is said, I would suggest that there is a gasket on the water inlet flange. If healed over for a long time, water can and will come out of the ballast tank; thus, the boat will become somewhat unstable. Saw this happen a lot on boats that I repaired.

I've been wresting with my gasket for a couple of weeks on the trailer. When closed, it drips a single drop about every 3 seconds. I've tried many different ways to try to get it to seal completely, and I've come to the conclusion that it's as good as it's going to get on dry land. I'm no fluid dynamics scientist, but I have to believe that the equalized pressure once in the water will help. Also, the only time I heel over far enough to expose the drain valve is when I make a big mistake. We are leisure sailors.