Fiberglass Boat Ballast?

[oregonmike]

New to boating and recently acquired an aprox 15? Fiberglass 1960 ?Highway? (brand) boat. When we tipped it up on the trailer we noticed it was full of water between the floor and bottom of the boat. The floor is sound as well as the bottom, being new to fiberglass boats we are not sure if this is ballast or if we have some hole in the floor where water has been entering into the hull. Might be a stupid question, just wonder on your thoughts.

 

[redfury]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Ballast?

Good chance it filled up with water when it rained and the hull wasn't properly tipped for it to drain out the bilge plug hole.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Ballast?

Ayuh,..........

Fiberglass Boats Don't utilize a Ballast System.........

Your's is Leaking somewhere,.... Either from Above, or Below.....

And,.....
It should be Drained after Every outing............
Better yet,...... Stored Bow Up, with the drain plug removed.......

 

[oregonmike]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Ballast?

There's a standar drain plug on the back just at floor level, is the bilge plug hole seperate from that plug? It seams if there is a hole it would be at floor level as the area is quite full of water.

 

[JDP]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Ballast?

The plug you are referring to is the bilge plug. Was it is when you got the boat? Was the bow of the boat tipped up or down? Was the boat covered prior to you getting it?

If the boat was uncovered and the bow was tipped down then rain water will collect in the boat. Even if the bow was tipped up but the bilge plug was in the water still has nowhere to go and just collects in the boat.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Ballast?

Mike, I had a 1960 Crestliner with an "air chamber" in the rear 1/3 of the boat. I guess it was there for floatation, but it had a drain which drained into the front part of the boat, and since I needed to drain it often, it must have had a leak.

BTW - That air chamber helped me to sink the boat as I attempted to launch it.

 

[drewpster]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Ballast?

My 15 foot tri-hull has two drains at the bottom of the transom one above the other. The top plug is made to drain the deck and is designed to use an expanding rubber type plug. The lower plug is made to drain the area under the deck and has a more permanent screw in type pipe plug.
It is next to impossible to keep water out of that area. It can come from both rainwater, leaks while in the lake or condensation over time.
It is no great concern to have water in these spaces as long as it has not accumulated quickly (like a major leak). It is important to open both of these drains while the boat is on the trailer and to tip the trailer up so water drains out and can not build up or be left standing in the hull.
My advice would be to drain the boat completely, tip it up with the drains out and cover the boat when not in use. Next time you go boating replace the drain plugs securely and check for water on a regular basis in case of a leak. The bottom may look fine but closer inspection may reveal a leak.

 

[oregonmike]

Re: Fiberglass Boat Ballast?

Thanks for all the replies, we decided to add a second drain and the base of the transom to drain the water. I think we will take your advise and put a screw in type plug at that location as well. We drained a very small pilot hole last night and at its current small size it took a few hours tiped up to drain it. We looked into the plugs and there about an inch in diamiter, so when we get it fully drained and dry some we are planning on drilling it bigger and installing such a drain. Thanks for all your advice, we didnt want to drill or drain anything before we were sure it was a leak of some sort.