Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:41pm

I took off the weed hatch cover and the boat started to fill with water.obviously the rear end was to low in the water for this to happen, we have just put on new batteries and the water tank at the front is empty so the boat is leaning slightly back.I am thinking of moving the outlet from the water tank to a higher position so that there is always water in the tank to act as ballast to keep the boat level, do you think that this is a good idea?

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:15am

How old is this boat? If it has been built under the RCD I think there is a very good chance that you have a claim against the builder or vendor. Without knowing what type of tank you have I would think that raising the the outlet may well require the use of welding equipment (perhaps even plastic or stainless steel welding) or to be impossible because of lack of access to the inside of the tank. It would also reduce the tank capacity which never seems to be enough on many boats. I suspect an "ordinary boater" would find it easier to add ballast to the front (I used scrap lead on my boat) or to pay to have the weed hatch trunk extended so it complies with the requirements for freeboard. Unfortunately I know there are standards for the height above the waterline required but at present I can not find a reference. When the boat is under way the prop often throws water up the weed hatch so the higher above the water the hatch is the better because any leak has the potential to sink the boat. Tony Brooks