Water ballast freezing?

[Hawk4661]

I own a water ballasted boat. I was told recently by a local sailor that many of these WB boats are left in the lake all winter?
My owners manual says not to; as they well freeze the water held in the ballast tanks.. These boats are so well insulated that the lake water temperature well NOT keep them from freezing.
Is there any others that know of facts, or an anti freezing method. It would be nice to be able to sail locally ( Beaver Lake Arkansas) year round?

wow!! we just had a earthquake while I was typing this.....unreal felling house move?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Whether it'll freeze or not...

I'd drain it...and flush out the tank. Your boat will smell a lot better next spring if the ballast tanks aren't full of what amounts to stagnant swamp water.

 

[LloydB]

So a water ballast boat will smell bad if left in the slip the second year if no ballast change?

 

[r.oril]

Some where on this site/? there is a guy that blows the water out of the ballast tank with a small toy tube inflator before pulling the boat out of the water. That said, I'm thinking that you could blow the old water out and take on fresh water.

doehunter is the member - search for his post

 

[Hawk4661]

Re: Whether it'll freeze or not...

Thank you Peggy.......the boat is designed with a drain valve.Draining the boat is very easy and the water weight is left in the lake when I pull her out each winter.
When I drained the water from the boat recently that had been in the boats hall ballast tanks, all summer.
I noticed no oder of any kind.....must have been that fresh clear spring water when she was first filled.
Thank you..mark<><

 

[page.crow]

This last winter, at the Chicago "Strictly Sail" boat show, I spoke with a Hunter rep about water ballast boats (H26 & 260). His reply is Hunter is finished with water ballast boats for two reasons: 1. freezing ballast water in northern climates 2. Ballast water (bilge?) stinking from mold\algae that you cannot get to...

For those of you that own them, could you not add some inexpensive pink antifreeze and algaecide to the ballast water? Just don't dump that stuff out in the lake.

 

[alexco38]

Yes, I used to use an air mattress blower to blow out the water ballast on a Macgregor 26S when retrieve. It only takes about 20 minutes. The water never stink as there is no sun light or oxygen to grew algae. At least I wouldn't know.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Ok, move over. Alot depends where the boat is located and generally in the northern states where the water ways do freeze, then the boat comes out and of course drain the tank before pulling the boat away from the ramp. To avoid the smell of bad water in the tank, put some clorox say a cup or two in the tank as it will not hurt the tank. To those who think adding the non toxic anti freeze, forget it.

Regarding those areas where the lake does not freeze, remember for what it is worth that the lake water can be warmer than the ambient air temp is which helps to defeat the tank from freezing. In addition, the interior cabin warms up during the day and at night that heat helps to deter tanks from freezing. Again, it depends. A good example is Smith Moutain Lake near Roanoke, VA and the boats stay in all year. In Michigan, they are pulled. It all depends on the lake where you are at. In the south, then all year.

As for whoever told you about the discontinuance of the Hunter 240, it ran it's course and the sales dropped off. As for the Hunter 260, the Hunter sales staff wanted to continue making the boat but it was a corporate decision to stop building that boat. Now Hunter is not making any more water ballast boats. Well, there is the Hunter 27 Edge which is water ballast.

Crazy Dave