Adding Ballast to Daggerboard

Hey Fellow Sailing Folks,

I bought an Acer 14' several months ago which was built completely by an elderly gentleman about 20 years ago. I'm the 2nd owner. I've not had it in the water yet because I wanted to make a few modifications with the rigging, adding oars, but mostly because I have a concern about the weight of the boat. The entire weight of the sailboat is 215 lbs. I weigh 235. I'm sure all would be fine if two good size people were in the boat at the same time. However, it is more likely to only be me in the boat for just about every voyage. So, I had a thought to add ballast to the dagger board. I've come up with a very simple wing design that would allow me to beach the boat at times and not have to worry about the ballast catching on rocks and whatnot.

Okay, here's my question. How much weight would be a correct amount that would add more stability to the sailboat in high winds. My first thought was 100 lbs. which I can make by casting lead into the two wing shaped ballasts, then bolt them to the dagger board by means of angle iron mild steel. Each wing ballast would be encapsulated in epoxy and fiberglass. I know how to make all this happen. It's
the weight ratio I'm a bit up in the air about.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Robert

 

Considering your weight, there is no need of ballast for stability. If you don't want to hike out, hiking boards are less physically demanding. Further, the weight of the boat is not an indication of stability on a dinghy. The hull shape is more important.

 

The hull, rigging, dagger board and trunk are not designed to resist the stress you envision adding.
The whole thing is more complicated than you know.
YOU are the ballast.

 

What is an Acer 14? Can you post a picture? Sailing dinghies don't typically have ballast. They are meant to be light as they are often carried aboard larger boats to use as tenders. However, there're often exceptions to these rules of thumb.

You may find, besides the above advice about not needing a ballasted cb, that you may have a lot more trouble manipulating a weighted centerboard. If, for example, you added a 50 lb. wing-keel to the dagger board you will also want to add a pulley or some sort of worm screw crank.
-Will

 

Never heard of an ACER 14, Perhaps you mean the Ace 14. Wooden Boat Plans Ace 14 - Arch Davis Designs https://mobile.archdavisdesigns.com/davis_ace14.html The weight is 215 lbs and it fits your description of the boat. Having sailed quite a few dinghies over the years, I agree, you don't need any additional ballast. Your weight will be enough. I only weigh about 160, and have never had a problem . If it gets a little gusty just lower the jib.

 

I agree with the points made in response to the first post and would add one further thing;wait until you have had the boat in the water before thinking too deeply about any changes.If it worked for an elderly gentleman for several years it won't suddenly have lost the good attributes.If capsizing is a concern then all you really need is a mainsheet cleat that can be released instantly,otherwise adding ballast may risk sinking the boat from it's designed waterline and making it sluggish-in addition to imposing loads it was never intended to withstand.

 

My apologies, it is an “Ace 14”.

Yes, capsizing was my biggest concern. This was the reason behind the suggested modification by adding weight to the dagger board. I introduced this thought to all of you in hopes I’d get some good advice. You all didn’t disappoint me.

I did have concerns about the weight of 100 lbs being too much, but the suggestion of added stress to the design of the sailboat I really didn’t consider. So, that does have me re-thinking this whole adding ballast thing.

I think the best advice is as “Wet Feet” has said. Get it in the water first, then assess the stability of the sailboat then. I’m guessing you all are correct in saying no ballast is needed. I did add a “Single Block Cam Cleat” for the main sheet line which I’m sure will give my hands time to rest. The boat was designed for hiking straps, which I’ve made from some 1" flat rope and will be connected to the installed eye bolts with carabineers.

I’m glad I posted here before going through all the trouble to build the ballast in question. It was going to be quite the project.

Thanks to all, and I’ll let you know how my first voyage goes. Might be a couple of months though. I really want the ability to row this boat. I will be building my own oars. I already have some white High Density plastic that I’ve used on another sailboat which worked perfectly. I shouldn’t have any trouble with installing blocks made of this material to accommodate oar locks

Thanks again!

 

Does the boat have enough flotation to keep the top of the dagger board trunk above water after capsize?

 

Hey Milehog,

Perhaps? There is quite a bit of very large chunks of high density styrofoam that were cut to fit under the deck at the bow and stern.

If I remember right, it's 24" from the inside of the hull at the keel line to the top of the deck close to where the mast is placed through a hole in the deck. The top of the trunk is about 14" from the keel line of the hull, which is only 1/4" plywood.

To tell the truth, I doubt the boat is sinkable.

Here's a few pics of the sailboat.

 

You may notice how well the dagger board trunk is attached to the bulkhead and the hull. To me this was an indication that adding ballast to the dagger board would be doable and not add too much stress to the dagger board trunk. But, after hearing all the comments I now have my doubts.

 

The boat seems to have plenty of flotation if the fore and aft hatches are somewhat water resistant.
Nice looking vessel, enjoy.

 

The image files are very helpful.The boat looks well cared for and soundly built but I have some doubts about how much use it has ever seen.I do hope it wasn't a project that the previous owner,and perhaps builder, never got to enjoy as so much work has to have gone into it.One clue is that the chainplates appear to project at the same angle as the topsides.It would be more usual for them to be given a set that aligns them with the shrouds and for a deck plate to be secured to the deck to prevent the slot enlarging.I hope the file I attempt to attach will be clear in it's intent.

A couple of other details might need attention;somebody spent a good deal of time and effort to make that snazzy boom and it would be nice to keep it in good shape.My convention with wooden booms that have grooves for bolt ropes has always been to pass a lashing around the boom itself to resist any tendency for the sail loads to tear the clew through the remaining wood.It doesn't have to be too tight to allow for sail adjustment,but it ought to prevent escape of the sail.The other detail you might find an aid to comfort is to use wider hiking straps.The material used for car seat belts is excellent for the job as it is enormously strong and spreads the load on a delicate part of our feet quite well.somebody who is handy with a needle and thread could sew in a D-ring to make them adjustable-should you wish to experiment.

 

It will probably be if you add ballast. Have you ever capsized a dinghy? Even wooden ones get buoyancy bags or styrofoam to make them easier to recover. If you are looking for a self-righting boat, a centerboard dinghy is the wrong choice. There are small keel boats that can be trailered, but will have a deeper draft and weight.

 

Robert,

Congratulations, that's a nice acquisition!

I concur wholeheartedly with every post above.
Don't underestimate the value of a proven, final design.
Any modification can bring about completely unforeseen results,
often completely counterintuitive to what was desired.

As mentioned, straps ( webbing ), vs rope, are much more desirable for hiking out.

Most importantly, you need to resolve your concern over capsizing.
Get out on the boat, when you can, and sail it!
Then, when comfortable, capsize it, repeatedly.
There is no better training on a boat than drills.
The fear I felt as a kid when we'd dump our club Flying Junior was palpable.
However, over time it became part of the adventure, fun even.

Don't add ballast.

 

Hey Folks,

As for the use of the sailboat, the original owner said they used it every summer on a particular lake in Tennessee. Can’t remember the name. From what I understand after talking to him quite a bit, it’s only been out of the water for about 4 years. So, got about 15 years in the water. Also, he always kept it in his garage. Before going to look at the sailboat, I knew it was the right sailboat for my purposes. But, it wasn’t till I got a real good look at it close up that I knew this man was a real fine carpenter. It was built with such care, and I know because I’m a master carpenter myself. Don’t mean to toot my own horn, but after 50 years of working with wood, I can honestly say it’s something I’m really good at.

Anyway, too bad you all can’t see it up close, because if you did you’d understand what I’m talking about. The level of attention to detail by this man is very impressive. He even performed a hand hewn process on the Douglas Fir mast. Sure, he could have done a reverse sanding belt with a drill, but I really like the hand hewn look. Gives it some of that old time charm.

So, about the boom, I asked the same question as to why all the holes. He said, “To make it lighter”. Like the boat isn’t light enough! Right?

Well, as for hiking straps I already bought the 1" braided rope, which isn’t a whole lot smaller than the hiking straps I used to use with my bare feet on a Prindle 16 Cat. Nowadays, I always wear water shoes, so probably won’t be to uncomfortable. Guess I’ll find out. Here’s a pic of what one end looks like. Don’t let the lashing fool you. It is well sewn underneath and very strong. I lashed it just because I thought it looked better.

Hey Gonzo, I’m not looking for a self righting sailboat. But, I still think that just a little extra ballast would help keep the boat from heeling too much in high winds. I understand that “I” am the ballast, but like I said, it’s probably going to only be me on this boat almost all the time. And, I really want to get it out in 15-20 MPH winds. I think she fly in high winds. But, at the same time, I think she’s going heel quite a bit as well. In 5-8 MPH winds I don't think ballast is an issue at all. Just my weight alone would be sufficient.

Anyway, I had a thought to call up the original designer, Arch Davis, who I think is still in business. At least there’s a website and a phone number to call. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get his input on my idea. He may say “NO, DON’T DO IT!”. On the other hand, he may say that there is an ideal weight if one had the desire to add extra ballast. Worth a try anyway.

Well folks, thanks again for all the feedback and your suggestions. I’ll keep you posted as to my progress. After I finish sewing up my hiking straps, gonna build some oars.