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[phalpenny]

Hello,

I am nearing completion of my first model boat (The Boothbay Lobster Boat by Midwest Products). I followed the instructions to ballast my boat so that it floats at the water line. To do this, I needed to add about 2lbs (0.91kgs) of ballast to the back and 0.5 lbs (0.23kgs) to the front. Unfortunately, I may not have painted the waterline at exactly the right location so I'm not sure if my ballasting is right. Does this sound like a reasonable amount of ballast to use on a 30" (76cm) boat? How do I know when I'm using the right amount?

The instructions say to glue the deck to the sub deck but I am considering screwing the deck down instead so I can adjust the ballast after running the boat. The disadvantage is that the screw heads will be exposed on the deck. 

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Peter H
 

[DickyD]

You really need to get your water line right, and work to that.

[Bunkerbarge]

The ballast quoted in the instructions will only be a guideline as your own interpretation of the model such as running gear and added details will vary the requirements.  As Dicky says take a great deal of care over marking out the water line and paint the hull accordingly.  Then you can ballast the model to that.  It is always worth having a little bit in your back pocket for if you ever decide to make any changes to the model in the future such as changing the motor or battery etc.  I would ballast the model with permanent ballast until the model is just a little high in the water then finish it off with removeable ballast such as lead shot encased in Blu-Tac or small plastic bags of lead shot or sand.  These can then be removed and adjusted as the model varies slightly in the future.