Waterline too high.

[Carlitos]

Hey guys. My H26 has allways been on a slip, in the last few months (2 or 3), Ive noticed the waterline has risen to point that the lower part of my transom is getting fouled. Ive checked for leaks, water in the bilge(never gotten any), took out almost everything that wasnt "required" for a dail sail and still its too high. Before, the waterline never passed my anti-fouling paint, now its 1/2 inch over it. The only thing I can think of is that I installed a new gel battery, its heavy, but that heavy???The problem seems to be in the stern part of the boat only, Im going to take the boat out for a good cleaning and scrubbing, will check for anything unusual in the bottom. I took out some water from my ballast tank, but I dont think I can take out any more.Any ideas?? Has this happened to anybody out there?? I hope my hull is intact .Will keep you posted.CarlitosMartina H26

 

[Alan Long]

Mine always has

Hi CarlitosFor what it is worth, the stern of my 1994 23.5 has always gotten fouled at the lower edge. I just extend my bottom paint up and inch or two on the stern. Sure do envy you getting to sail around Fajarto. Ever sail out to Vieques?Alan LongS/V Random Access

 

[Rick Webb]

I Moved Mine, Big Improvement

Not sure where the battery is on the 26 but on my 23.5 it was in the locker under the electrical panel. I moved mine to the locker under the V berth and added some weight forward, that got the upper lip of the stern out of the water as well as the aluminum peices of the rudder. She tacks much better as well.

 

[Tom]

Weight distribution changes...

Have any weight distribution changes been made, such as taking items out of the bow of the boat, or is your fresh water tank (located in the bow for 260s) getting empty (was it full before)?Heavier items in the stern would cause it to sit lower, too, perhaps the battery makes a difference.Fair winds,Tom

 

[Carlitos]

Re: Alan

Just imagine every weekend a year with winds 10-15 knts and 3 to 4 footers . I still havent gone out more than 4 miles out. Wanted to go to Culebra(next to vieques) on spring break, but couldnt for bad seas (15-20knts 7 to 8feet on a 20 mile sail against the wind.)The only bad thing is when the wind picks up a little you find yuorself lowering sails a lot faster than your other sailing buddies. But, our sailboats are a lot roomier and when a hurricane comes, theirs stays in the water .Fair Winds.CarlitosMartina H26

 

[Ray Bowles]

DANGER, DANGER, DANGER!!!

Carlitos, I can not be of much help on your water line problem other than the gel battery can be as much as 2 times heavier than your other battery and 50# at the back of the boat can drop the stern. A full tank of gas for the outboard can also increase this problem. On my boat we also have a head holding tank that can add 140# to the back of the boat when it gets fairly full.NOW THE BIG DANGER. By removing water from the ballast tank you have created a condition that allows the water to slosh from side to side and that can upset your boat balance and very easly cause it to broach or capsize. The water tank MUST be full and sealed. Please refill it before you sail again and let us know how this works out Ray

 

[Tom Hultberg]

Batteries are heavy...

I have a starting battery and two house batteries on my 97 H26. I would like to move at least two of them to the v-berth, but runnig the wires would be a bear. I had the same problem and I compensated by putting 6 bags of softner salt in the v-berth area instead. Made all the diff. in the world. Boat tacks better now and waterline is right.Good luck!

 

[Jim Loats]

Re-whine ...

That is when I whine about the same thing again. Check the archives for a previous discussion.Carlitos, I had the same problem. I have now moved my gel batteries forward under the V-berth and will move the water storage bag up there when I get a chance. I like the results. Just that move raised my stern about 2 inches.I glued specially hand shaped 2x4's to the hull in the forward section under the v-berth to get a flat surface. Then fixed the battery mounting hardware to a piece of plywood which is screwed to the 2x4's. Running the cables is not bad. They only show for about 2 inches as they run up from the galley cabinet behind the stove to the headliner on the way to the fuse panel. A little cosmetic covering even hides that part.Check out the advertising brochures for the H-26. They show four people on the boat. Only one is in the cockpit. The others are all sitting forward on the boat in various positions. And that is why the boat's stern is so nice and even with the water level. (Hunter knows.)You'll have to move weighty items forward. I personally don't like the idea of loading the boat down with extra weight. I am just trying to move forward the heavy things that are already on board.Enjoy.Jim LoatsS/V Grizzly Bear