Un-making a List
The day we drove the Carver 506 "off the lot" there was still one lingering item that the dealer had not attended to. The master shower/bathtub did not drain fully. This was because the single drain was on the port side of the tub, and the yacht had about a 2-degree list to starboard. After using that shower, one had to spend 5 minutes sponging the last two gallons of gray water into a bucket – hardly a selling point for a "luxury" motor yacht.
Also, standing in the saloon, it was obvious that the boat was listing, which drove me nuts.
The real problem, of course, was trim. On the theory that a new boat should be delivered in trim, we documented the 2-degree list with the dealer well before the yacht was ferried from Vancouver to Los Angeles, so as to not to miss out on a warranty claim.
However, once in Los Angeles, we addressed the problem. With the help of a half-dozen boatyard workers acting as deadweight, we ascertained the need for about 500 lbs. of additional ballast on the extreme port side, approximately 10 feet in front of the longitudinal center of buoyancy, which is about 2/3 of the way aft from the bow. Unfortunately, this spot was under the third stateroom, which had no apparent access to the hull and bilges below (we were reluctant to rip out the glued-in carpet to see). But the hot water heater, located in the engine room just aft of that stateroom, was 4 feet forward of the longitudinal center of buoyancy, and hard against the port side of the hull. If we raised the water heater up on a platform, keeping all the hoses intact, we could create a box against the hull where lead could be deposited.
And that's what we did. 60-lb lead pigs were cut into thirds for ease of handling, and we tiled 750 lbs. of them against the hull. Then, we secured the lead with expanding 2-part foam. The extra weight was necessary for fore and aft trim, which had been impacted by our mounting a dinghy on the stern (see: "An Un(sea)Wise Purchase"). Additionally, we wanted to program in about 1/4 degree of permanent list to port, as the port fuel tank, supplying the generator and cabin heater as well as the left engine, drained faster than the starboard. Our calculations were correct and everything trimmed out.
The dealer, Blackfish Marine, agreed that a new boat should be delivered in trim, and reimbursed us for the yard labor and the lead.
Also, standing in the saloon, it was obvious that the boat was listing, which drove me nuts.
The real problem, of course, was trim. On the theory that a new boat should be delivered in trim, we documented the 2-degree list with the dealer well before the yacht was ferried from Vancouver to Los Angeles, so as to not to miss out on a warranty claim.
However, once in Los Angeles, we addressed the problem. With the help of a half-dozen boatyard workers acting as deadweight, we ascertained the need for about 500 lbs. of additional ballast on the extreme port side, approximately 10 feet in front of the longitudinal center of buoyancy, which is about 2/3 of the way aft from the bow. Unfortunately, this spot was under the third stateroom, which had no apparent access to the hull and bilges below (we were reluctant to rip out the glued-in carpet to see). But the hot water heater, located in the engine room just aft of that stateroom, was 4 feet forward of the longitudinal center of buoyancy, and hard against the port side of the hull. If we raised the water heater up on a platform, keeping all the hoses intact, we could create a box against the hull where lead could be deposited.
And that's what we did. 60-lb lead pigs were cut into thirds for ease of handling, and we tiled 750 lbs. of them against the hull. Then, we secured the lead with expanding 2-part foam. The extra weight was necessary for fore and aft trim, which had been impacted by our mounting a dinghy on the stern (see: "An Un(sea)Wise Purchase"). Additionally, we wanted to program in about 1/4 degree of permanent list to port, as the port fuel tank, supplying the generator and cabin heater as well as the left engine, drained faster than the starboard. Our calculations were correct and everything trimmed out.
The dealer, Blackfish Marine, agreed that a new boat should be delivered in trim, and reimbursed us for the yard labor and the lead.
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