Please tell me i wont have any huge regrets

[Doc_holiday]

When I put OHANA in this spring, I backed her in off the trailer and opened the valve to fill the ballast tank. Checked the level, closed the valve and a week or so later, I plugged the inspection hole with a rubber stopper. I haven't thought twice about it since. The admiral says its time to pull the boat. Should I have treated the water in thee? It's brackish water.

 

[justsomeguy]

You'll be fine. Just don't drink it.

 

[Piotr]

You'll be fine. Just don't drink it.

Or smell it...

 

[finding41]

I put 3 pool chlorine tablets in over the season. But that is because of our lake having Blue/Green Agile and Zebra Mussels. I just bust them up in the bag and pour them in. Wear gloves, eye protection and a mask. It is nasty stuff! I don't want to be spreading that around either.
A day or two before I pulled out for the winter I put a jug of liquid bleach in just because it had been a month since the last tablet. When I was power washing the Yuck off the hull there was a faint smell of bleach. Better than the green stuff!
Pictures are of the delicious wheat grass juice I sail in.

 

[justsomeguy]

Or smell it...

It's a part of life!

 

[oreana123]

OK this sounds crazy but what if you put a rubber bladder in the ballast tank and filled it with fresh water allowing a very long cruise , replacing the water used with salt water. Then if you were really crazy you might be able to cross a large body of water...dare I say it....

 

[vizwhiz]

Yeah, just pour a few cups of bleach into the ballast tank and then take it out for a little sail/motor to slosh it around, then let it stand a day or so before you retrieve it. It will kill anything in there and hopefully keep it from smelling too bad.

 

[justsomeguy]

OK this sounds crazy but what if you put a rubber bladder in the ballast tank and filled it with fresh water allowing a very long cruise , replacing the water used with salt water. Then if you were really crazy you might be able to cross a large body of water...dare I say it....

Say it, say it!

 

[MrBill_FLL]

JohnS, there was a X owner named MadMike who build zeno's arrow. (posted here and macgregor sailors.

when to alaska and south america.

anyway, he had a watermaker and used the ballast as his holding tank.

also had a freezer/fridge, a/c (12v no less), pontoon out riggers, etc...

so its actually been done.

 

[Doc_holiday]

Thanks, I was dreading a reply of "you did what?" The water is from the yeocomico river that feeds the Potomac about 12 nm back from the bay. It's brackish for sure although I never tasted it, I've been in it. Crabs and jellyfish tell that story. The barnicals are horrible even with expensive Petit paint.

I'll bet it does stink. Thanks

 

[dawg2]

Or smell it...

No kidding!

I opened mine up last week for a "peek" and almost puked. I thought about breaking up a chlorine tab or pouring some bleach in there.

 

[monkeybars]

OK this sounds crazy but what if you put a rubber bladder in the ballast tank and filled it with fresh water allowing a very long cruise , replacing the water used with salt water. Then if you were really crazy you might be able to cross a large body of water...dare I say it....

Your right it's crazy and it would be the oddest shape and most expensive bladder ever made.would probably cost more than a new boat and then double it to try and install it. you can buy a new water maker for less than 5 thousand.

 

[Doc_holiday]

You can make a still for a lot less, (just don't use any corn mash )

 

[Justin_NSA]

The manual specifically says to add chlorine in the ballast tank. I tried some from a pool supply but you have to break up the tabs to get them through the hole. I now use a powdered form from Home Depot that I can measure out properly.

 

[voltzwgn]

You might look at pool shock it comes in small bag and in a powdered form and i know when i had a pool it would turn a green pool around pretty quickly.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I don't get it - the concept of using chlorine tablets and having to break them up into small chunks. Are you guys trying to figure out the most difficult way of doing this?

Hint - liquid

 

[voltzwgn]

That's a good point and when i used to brew one of the best sanitizers you could get easily was just good old chlorine bleach. For plastic or glass there were no issues on stainless just had to watch concentration/contact time as it could be corrosive.

 

[BrokeNotBroken]

i left my ballast tank full for about 3-4 months with no chlorine. i dumped it once i pulled the boat and yes it smelled really bad. Later, i replaced the centerboard bolt inside the ballast tank and thought for sure i would see lots of growth or muck inside the tank. Surprisingly, there was nothing in there. I think the lack of light and the length of time the water sat created an extremely hostile environment for anything to grow. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about other than a bad smell when you dump.

 

[dlandersson]

I use 1" tablets. They go thru the 1" hole just fine.

I don't get it - the concept of using chlorine tablets and having to break them up into small chunks. Are you guys trying to figure out the most difficult way of doing this?

Hint - liquid

 

[Doc_holiday]

Well we went up to spend Saturday and today overnight. I poured maybe 2-3 cups of bleach in the tank when we arrived and let it slosh around for the next 30 hours or so. When I opened it, I didn't smell much but then again, I am not one to cram my nose into things that are likely to be nasty. Basically it didn't make me gag.. However....

Remember when I mentioned running slow? A few weeks later I took the dive and it was covered with barnacles. (So much for Petit). You'll love these pics. This is since April with brand new bottom paint applied 24 hours before launching.

Also this is hauling it with the Buick Terraza.


The trip was good as far as vehicles go, just constant issues with the magnetic lights every bump. That's one of the winter projects. The real problem was not being able to get the bow seated because of all the barnicals. They wouldn't allow the boat to slide an inch on the bunks.