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Location: Green Bay, WI | Anyone use steel or lead for ballast in an aluminum boat?
I am looking at possibly getting a longer aluminum boat for trolling Green Bay, and am considering a Tyee 1950. I was in a Ranger 621DVS the other day, and it was incredibly solid. But for my needs the bow area is wasted space, as I no longer cast. So I was thinking about an effective way to add ballast to an aluminum boat like a Tyee, without having it banging around in the boat. I would greatly appreciate ideas.
Thanks in advance.
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Posts: 431
| Wake board boats use ballast tanks that fill with water. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Juhas - 5/20/2012 12:49 PM
Wake board boats use ballast tanks that fill with water.
I actually thought of that. There is a triangular area in the bow of the Tyee, and it might be able to hold a water tank of 25-30 gallons. This would give me about 210-250 pounds of ballast. So that is a definite possibility, in terms of a good amount of weight in the bow. The problem would be to get a custom tank fabricated and mounted (not so hard), but then a guy would probably need a pump to fill and/or drain it. That might not be as easy--but I'll certainly be looking into it.
So this is definitely a possibility...
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Find Fat Friend
sorry couldn't help myself
Edited by horsehunter 5/20/2012 2:13 PM
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Location: Green Bay, WI | horsehunter - 5/20/2012 2:11 PM
Find Fat Friend
sorry couldn't help myself
Nah...they typically whine too much.
Maybe I should just buy a fiberglass boat? Ballast would not be an issue any longer. I need to get out into the main part of Green Bay in the wind in something like a Ranger. Since it sits lower in the water, I have to wonder how much water would be coming over the bow in any kind of waves? My gut tells me that a Tyee would have much less water breaking over the bow, and it's certainly easier to customize an aluminum boat interior than it is one made of fiberglass...not to mention the fact that Rangers are about as pricey as boats get these days.
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| The elderly gentleman who lives next door to my cottage, bought a 16 ft pontoon a couple years ago to panfish from. He is a widower, and is normally by himself. He didn't like how the boat was nose up when he went slow, given that most of the wieght was to the rear. He just put a couple of those 60# sand bags you buy at big box stores in the bow. When he had relatives, he simply put them on the dock.
I would think those would add the necessary wieght, won't fly around and are easy to add or remove. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | How about a glass center consel I fished the 40 acre in 5 plus footers in a 20 footer uncomfortable but felt quite safe ,self bailing good dodger can't remember the make but it had a head in the front of the center consel. Great boat my friend bought a crusier and wishes he had it back.
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Posts: 5874
| Go glass? Yes. And remember, Ranger ain't alone building glass boats.
I know a guy who used bags of lead shot for ballast in his boat. Sat rather nicely tucked away and didn't move or make noise.
Edited by Shep 5/20/2012 6:13 PM
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Shep - 5/20/2012 6:11 PM
Go glass? Yes. And Ranger ain't alone building glass boats.
You're right. Actually, I've looked at the Lund glass boats, and the Warrior units as well. In fact, I've browsed the web sites of every glass boat company I've seen around here as well: Triton, Stratos, Skeeter, Recon (probably forgetting some). I haven't been all that impressed, to be honest. I am still most impressed by the Lund Tyee boats, to be totally honest--although the Rangers are REALLY nice, lol. The Ranger Reata rigs are more to my liking though, at least from the standpoint that there is less bow area and more room in the aft cockpit for fishing.
But what about the comments I have heard in the past that these glass boats that sit lower in the water tend to get more water over the bow? Is there any truth to that? I mean in theory it makes sense that a boat lower in the water might get more water over the bow, but Ranger touts the fact that they've extended their keel way forward as an explanation as to why (they say) their ride is dryer. I hope to find that out first hand this Summer.
One thing I am going to do is take a Lund factory tour in a few weeks. I'll look at some things I've been wondering about. But as I will be going right past the city where Warrior boats are now being made, I may as well stop and look at their boats as well...if they let me. I talked to a dealer a couple days ago, and he said they would have problem with it--so I'll certainly ask. But Shep is certainly correct in that Ranger is not the only company to make glass boats these days.
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Posts: 82
Location: Cottage Grove, Mn | Hello,
Perhaps a fuel bladder would work or......a 24' Silverhawk cuddy!
Edited by greybeard 5/21/2012 4:38 PM
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Posts: 1753
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Does the boat you are looking into have a front livewell? Fill the livewell and drain it when making longer runs. |
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Ballast