Water Ballast

[PHitchcox]

For those who have a 290 (and any larger Hunter), there is no water ballast. Or is there?I was out with friends on Sunday and enjoyed a nice day of sailing, albeit thrown around a bit by 3 foot waves and not enough wind. Towards evening, I ended up back at the slip and picked up other friends for a sunset cruise. I noticed I was out of water and filled the 40 gallon tank.Headed back out and....what a difference...suddenly she was much smoother, cutting through waves instead of bouncing over them; far, far steadier. (Same number of friends aboard, so no change in weight from them.)The obvious is that I had added another 320lbs of ballast, all in the front, and probably sacrificed a little performance for a far smoother ride. Although you may not want to always carry the additional weight, there are times when it might make a difference and I, for one, was surprised that it made such a significant difference.Thoughts and comments appreciated.

 

[George H260]

It makes sense to me that if you increase your displacement by taking on water, you'll get a less tender ride. However, can't say if 320 lbs really makes that much of a difference.

 

[Darren9582]

It would...

If it were just enough weight to balance the boat due to more weight in the aft. This is probbaly the reason for smoother ride rather than just simply additional ballast.Probaby could have gotten same result by moving some gear up into the v-berth.

 

[Alan]

Are you kidding??? *yks

I have a 13,000lbs displacement boat and I can feel the difference when just one crew moves from the cockpit to the toerail. Ballast placement and amount is a HUGE factor in how the boat feels.

 

[PHitchcox]

Thanks for the comments

I knew I'd get a range of comments; serious racers dump every pound they can, so the converse makes sense. I just never thought that I would use the water tank to actively manage the boat's performance. Again, thanks for the comments.