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I wanted to get some feedback on what people's opinions are on ballast constructed of lead mixed with concrete/cement? I prefer straight lead, its really the only ballast I consider when boat shopping but recently started looking at CSY vessels and found they used a mixture of what I am guessing is lead scrap mixed with poured cement. Unlike an iron/cement mix I don't see any risk of rust/rot swelling the ballast but is there anything else to consider in terms of the cements interaction with the fiberglass hull. I know getting water in between any ballast and hull is a bad thing, but does cement pose any extraneous issues? Thanks
I looked at a lot of CSYs when on my last boat hunt, and read up on lots of owners blogs. I did not find any mention of ballast issues.
The only related item I know of is that most deep draft 44s were built with the facility to cut off the bottom part of the keel to facilitate it's use in shallow waters. There is a cut here line moulded into the keel. I believe the ballast in that part to be concrete only.
many sailboats were constructed with concrete and whatever in yard as ballast. formosa, ct, csy, yorktown, as well as others--- as lead became a toxic substance alternative ballast construction became important.
lead was more difficult to find--smelting plants were closing around 1990, about a year after i drew blood lead levels from workers in alco pacific's tecate lead smelting plant, which was shut down , probably due to excessive blood lead levels in employees systems---oops...
i have seen only one complaint of pooor construction with these keels--a yorktown 33 cc had a bubble of water which migrated past the sealant. i figger that one was construction originated fail. sealing the bilge so water doesnt migrate is important. should have been done with construction of boat.
The only problem I see is when the intended lead/concrete mix is high on concrete and low on lead, because you are likely not getting the designed total ballast weight, and that is a stability issue. However, CSY was a very solid builder, so I would not suspect them.
Concrete is supposed to be used not so much as a substitute for lead, but as a filler in-between lead chunks. Handling 14000 pounds of lead ballast (CSY44) in one piece can be a real challenge.
Good points all. Yeah, the more reading I've done into this the more it looks like lead and concrete would be fine for the long haul, concrete and iron on the other hand...As one person put it, its all about the encapsulation. Recently we saw an aluminum vessel with concrete and scrap iron ballast. The recent survey actually included a recommendation to have this removed (for obvious reasons) so I have been wary ever since when it comes to concrete mixed with anything. Lead truly is toxic but hard to beat in terms of its stability/reactivity in the marine environment, not to mention density. Thanks as always for the feedback!
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