Ballast - Fresh Water Lake - Long Term Slip

[leefrankpierce]

I have my boat in a slip in a fresh water lake.
As I powerwash the deck, it occurred to me that I have not drained my ballast in several years.
I have heard of putting pool tablets in the vent, but... wondering what bad experiences others have had.
And.
What you guys think I should do.

[dlandersson]

I slip my X every summer on Lake Michigan.

I use a 1" pool chlorine tablet every summer.

I have my boat in a slip in a fresh water lake.
As I powerwash the deck, it occurred to me that I have not drained my ballast in several years.
I have heard of putting pool tablets in the vent, but... wondering what bad experiences others have had.
And.
What you guys think I should do.

[dustoff]

I personally empty and refill the ballast a couple times a season, mainly just to give me peace of mind by making sure my ballast valve and plug are working and holding water properly. Usually on good weather day where I feel like running flat out without ballast to get somewhere. You can also do this by checking to see if it leaks when you pull it out onto the trailer. I was concerned that if I motored up on plane with the ballast in for a significant amount of time, it could potentially drain out partially without me knowing about it. That could possibly cause bad situation for stability with partial ballast sloshing side to side. (I haven't heard of this ever happening, but it seems like a remote possibility to me). I maintain the system with marine grease around the ballast drain gate seals and the handle pushrod at the beginning of the season, and replace the plug when it starts to get corroded (twice in 15 years) However, I will drop a piece of a pool chlorine tablet on occasion just for peace of mind anyway because I'm in a brackish environment and don't want marine growth. In freshwater, you probably can go years without that issue, but I would recommend a system check at least once a season.

Dustoff

[dlandersson]

Nice, I'm gonna start that. Any particluar grease?


quote=dustoff post_id=377282 time=1776353434 user_id=12702]
I maintain the system with marine grease around the ballast drain gate seals and the handle pushrod at the beginning of the season, and replace the plug when it starts to get corroded (twice in 15 years)

Dustoff
[/quote]

[dustoff]

I either use the Evinrude triple guard grease I have for my ETEC or Standard Marine Grease. Either are water resistant enough that when I slather it around the sliding gate and the rubber seals it seems to resist getting washed away for a couple of months. Also seems to keep the marine growth away from the synthetic housing for a while. It makes opening and closing the ballast gate valve much easier too (kinda a tricky act when your motoring solo on plane).
The other thing I was concerned about (probably a low probability issue) is keeping the water completely out of the ballast tank when I want to motor on plane. To me, the biggest risk is a partially filled ballast tank.
I personally find that motoring above 12 knots in normal weather conditions (up to 2ft swells) the Mac M handles far better without ballast than with it. As long as one can trust the motor to keep running, an unballasted MacM will cut through the chop better than most of my buddies' 24ft center consoles.

Dustoff

[NiceAft]

Dust off said:

I was concerned that if I motored up on plane with the ballast in for a significant amount of time, it could potentially drain out partially without me knowing about it

You can always just open the vent under the forward bunk and stick your finger in. If it gets wet, you’re good

[dlandersson]

Thx.

I either use the Evinrude triple guard grease I have for my ETEC or Standard Marine Grease. Either are water resistant enough that when I slather it around the sliding gate and the rubber seals it seems to resist getting washed away for a couple of months. Also seems to keep the marine growth away from the synthetic housing for a while. It makes opening and closing the ballast gate valve much easier too (kinda a tricky act when your motoring solo on plane).
The other thing I was concerned about (probably a low probability issue) is keeping the water completely out of the ballast tank when I want to motor on plane. To me, the biggest risk is a partially filled ballast tank.
I personally find that motoring above 12 knots in normal weather conditions (up to 2ft swells) the Mac M handles far better without ballast than with it. As long as one can trust the motor to keep running, an unballasted MacM will cut through the chop better than most of my buddies' 24ft center consoles.

Dustoff

[Tsatzsue]

I used to use lithium grease but it would get hard and make it worse. I now use o-ring grease and it is magic. You can slide it with one finger. Amazon description below.

FOTU 711 Silicone Grease: General-Purpose Dielectric Paste & Waterproof High-Temperature Rubber Grease for O-Rings – Multi-Purpose Waterproof Dielectric Solution (4 Oz, 1-Pack)