Water water everywhere....how do you check a ballast system

Tony E · Post by **Tony E** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 7:39 am

I have a 1998 26X and I just came back from 2 separate trips in it. One was a 3 day sailing trip and the other was a 7 day trip. On the first trip I noticed some water under the floors on the 2 starboard side floor channels basically underneath where the table sits. At this time I had the ballast system full for the full 3 days. I wanted to see if the ballast system was part of the problem or not so I emptied it out and dried up the water and waited to see if a leak started again and how long it would take to see the leak. After a day there was no more new water. I then filled up the water ballast system and again the leak appeared so my thoughts are either the water ballast system is leaking once it is filled up or the extra 1400 lbs of water in the ballast when they are filled makes the boat sit lower in the water and make a hair line crack open up due to the weight. Has this ever happened to anyone else and if so what did you do to fix it? If it is the ballast system leaking then how do you get in there to fix that? My thoughts are to have the boat on the trailer sitting in the driveway and add some water to where the water pools and then go under the trailer to see if I can see moisture? If that doesn't work then I'll add some water to the ballast system. Advice please....

RobertB · Post by **RobertB** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:10 am

Tony,

do you have a freshwater setup with the hand shower in the transom area? I had the seal disrupted and heavy rain could come in this area.

Tomfoolery · Post by **Tomfoolery** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:18 am

If it were me, I think I'd leave it in the driveway, in very dry weather, with the hull water line level (I use a water level to check this), and fill the ballast to the top. Let it sit and see if water shows up. But you have to be careful that you're not looking at water that was already in there and just moved from leveling the boat. The trailer will hold the weight just fine, but don't leave the ballast in longer than you have to as the hull is carrying a lot of weight on just the contact area of the bunks instead of spread out over essentially the whole bottom.

Catigale · Post by **Catigale** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 5:31 pm

Tony. Check the base of your compression pole for corrosion and leaks. You may have to pry up the smoked glass plate over it to have a good look.

Matt19020 · Post by **Matt19020** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 6:27 pm

You can try some blue color to the ballast water like the type you drop in the back of a toilet to see if it is coming from the ballast

Ormonddude · Post by **Ormonddude** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 7:16 pm

Catigale wrote:Tony. Check the base of your compression pole for corrosion and leaks. You may have to pry up the smoked glass plate over it to have a good look.

Its Actually in the manual it may need to be sealed every few years.

hschumac · Post by **hschumac** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 9:21 pm

I found two sources of water: head sink drain hose was not fully sealed at the through hull so water slowly leaked in on that side. Also, the ballast tank vent plug did not seal well due to age, so water from the ballast tank would almost unnoticeably surge up around it and then down into the bilge. I only noticed it when running under power and seeing it out of the corner of my eye with the step off. Used to have water all the time, dry as a bone since.

Tony E · Post by **Tony E** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:02 am

Thanx for all of the info. Ormonddude you say its in the manual to reseal the ballast tanks every few years? I don't have the manual for my 1998 X and how do you reseal the entire ballast system? Is the ballast tank just another tank made out of fiberglass that sits in between your upper floor and the bottom of the boat? If it is just a big tank then it just has the small hole where the stair is and then the hole where the water comes in ? Is that true? let me know and thanx again for the help:)

Tony E · Post by **Tony E** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:03 am

HI Catigale....what si the compression pole and where would it be located? I am guessing the pole that goies right beside the table? Please let me know and thanx.

Post by **Hamin' X** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:34 am

Sounds like you need to explore this website a bit more, Tony. Manuals are available under Resources > Manuals. Or, Click Here.

~Rich

Ormonddude · Post by **Ormonddude** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 10:15 am

Tony E wrote:Thanx for all of the info. Ormonddude you say its in the manual to reseal the ballast tanks every few years? I don't have the manual for my 1998 X and how do you reseal the entire ballast system? Is the ballast tank just another tank made out of fiberglass that sits in between your upper floor and the bottom of the boat? If it is just a big tank then it just has the small hole where the stair is and then the hole where the water comes in ? Is that true? let me know and thanx again for the help:)

Manual Links - http://www.macgregorsailors.com/manuals/

Here is the actual excerpt -

Here is the diagram -

Well OK so it says Keep a Eye on it I am pretty sure that counts also it says to Make Sure your Engine bolts are sealed well. It does not say SEAL the Ballast Tanks it says keep a eye on the Mast Post - The Centerboard Hanger and the Engine Bolts..

Tony E · Post by **Tony E** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 2:41 pm

Hello again. Thanx for the information and I have a copy of this 1996 manual but the water ballast system is different than what I have on my 1998. On my stair part, after I take that off I just have the one regular boat plug to take out to equalize pressure and on the very back I have the black plastic handle to pull up to open a door to allow water to fill the ballast. I don't have that other plug that goes all the way through the floor. So if my ballast tank system is leaking from within the boat and allowing water into the boat, how do you determine where it could be leaking from is the question. Could it still have something to do with the engine mounts but are they directly mounted into the ballast system? Does anyone have the manual for the 1998 X or the schematic for it? Thanx again

Divecoz · Post by **Divecoz** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 3:15 pm

Tony:
That the ballast tank is leaking is VERY Unlikely.. ( Its never happened in over 10,000 boats) There have been countless new owners who suspected just that and so far TTBOMK its NEVER been the issue.. On The Mainboard some lady thought the D.B. Trunk was broken and she got a price from a... IMHO Less than honest repair shop for $8000.00 It WAS that some DUMMY drilled all the way through the HULL!! .. To flipping mount a sonar Transponder?? Insult to Injury...he didn't even know how to seal the screw holes .. OMG!!! IMHO begin looking elsewhere and even reading here on this board for other solutions.. I have a 2005 M and never had a leak that the culprit wasn't me , in some form or fashion...

Ormonddude · Post by **Ormonddude** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 5:25 pm

Tony if your hull bent on testing your ballast tanks just empty a bottle of food color into Vent hole and see if the water in your boat is that color OTHER than that the few exception and differences between a 98X and a 96X can basically be ignored just pretend there is no inlet handle under your step down and READ IT. Then concentrate on the paragraphs I have posted and see if your leak lies there.

Tony E · Post by **Tony E** » Sat Jun 15, 2013 8:08 am

Sounds good guys. I'll read the 96X from cover to cover and see how it goes. The person that owned it before me did put the 2 - 3 inch holes in the bottom for depth and speed sensors and one of them was leaking terribly but I fixed that leak. Now I have this leak that is a lot slower but still needs to be fixed. Thanx again for your help:)

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com

Water water everywhere....how do you check a ballast system

Water water everywhere....how do you check a ballast system

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