Lead Ballast??

[Coach]

Does anyone here use lead ballast or another dry ballast? I was looking at this for the bow area. www.pop-products.com

Looks like a better storage solution for the bow area vs a sack.

[dogbert]

The down side of lead is that you have to drag it with you when you pull your boat out or put it on the lift. I'd be worried about excessive tongue weight when towing.

I think most folks who use lead use it to balance the boat, not as a source of primary ballast.

[zad0030]

Dom has his in 50lb tubes? Surely he will post on here today.

[rushin]

I have 325 lbs. of lead in mine

The down side is, it always being there i.e. towing.

The upside, lead takes up less space for wieght than water.

[G-MONEY]

coach I say go for it.You don't have tow far to the river. When you know the big boy ballast is coming, towing the boat home or go to the sandbar you can take it out. The only problem I see is moving 6-8 lbs bags all the time and you know the wife will not hlep....

[TrakDay]

Id like to see how Dom made his. I am thinking some lead up front would be much easier to get weight in the boat than sacs up there.

[Coach]

coach I say go for it.You don't have tow far to the river. When you know the big boy ballast is coming, towing the boat home or go to the sandbar you can take it out. The only problem I see is moving 6-8 lbs bags all the time and you know the wife will not help....

It would be in the bow so all I need to do is move it into my truck that is hooked up. I would just leave it in the truck or my storage unit. It seems to be a good way to get weight up front without sacrificing storage. I need to buy a new board first then worry about ballast next year.

[G-MONEY]

Still haven't picked a new board........

[Coach]

Still haven't picked a new board........

No I am going round and round with a few. I am going to try out a LF Shane 140 and see if I like it. If not I am looking at the Natural and Faction which are both 144.

[Juiceman831]

Dom has his in 50lb tubes? Surely he will post on here today.

Uh.... ...I wanna see that picture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zad0030]

DOMM!!! TAKE SOME PICTURES

[talltigeguy]

You need someone who doesn't mind losing a few brain cells to inhaled lead.

My brother in law made me six 50 pound bricks out of spent bullets from the shooting range. He melted them down and poured them in a brownie pan. This thread reminds me that I think I will throw a few of those in the bow of the boat. I am just not sure that I want them there when I am tubing around.

Depending on the vehicle, the added tongue weight could be damaging.

I would go for the pop products, but they just seem more than I am willing to spend.

Try the Hyperlite Murray.

[Paublo]

My dealer sells 65# bars that are covered with the same carpet as in the Tiges. I bought 5 and put 3 up front and keep 2 in the main cockpit area. It is real quick and easy to move the 2 around as needed to trim the wake. And most people don't even notice the relatively small carpeted bars on the floor.

[talltigeguy]

I think that TIge used to make those lead carpeted bars, but as soon as someone sued because they didn't realize it would break your foot if you dropped it, they quit.

[Domsz06]

i have 200 lbs in my boat of lead, and I have 200 more sitting besides my boat. I just used a 4 inch pvc pipe, cut 10 inches long and used the caps on the end. It works great. I used a turkey fryer in the open back yard and didn't stay anywhere near it when the lead was melting. I can take some pics tonight of the finished, and unfinished products. It works freaking great. I'm bringing the extra 200 pounds up to the fall reunion and if anyone wants it they can have it. after I'm now adding over 500 pounds to the boat with the new system, I don't need 400 pounds of lead. It works so nice in the bow lockers, and when I need to move just a bit around to clean up the wake it's awesome!!