After using my 21EC for two months since adding ballast, I can say this is best modification I have made to date.
By adding 150lbs of lead ballast into the keel cavity, between the engine pan and the bulkhead beneath the door, the stability is greatly improved. The boat rolls less, and recovers from rolling much quicker. It is particularly noticable when there are four or five large adults on board. Whereas before adding ballast, the stability felt mushy, It now, feels quite stable. The reduction in speed is perhaps an eighth of a knot at cruising 2200 rpm.
I used scrap lead ingots purchased from a local scrap dealer for 75 cents a pound. A dense rubber pad was placed around the bundle of ingots to protect the hull from chaffing, and held together tightly by two straps, and wedged into the keel cavity, so that it cannot move, no matter how much the boat pitches or rolls.
I was able to insert the rubber protector and the lead ingots through the small round deck hatch aft of the door, and then strap it all together to avoid any movement of the lead. This method allowed for easy removal, if it had not worked out. Had better shaped ingots had been available, to utilize the existing space more efficiently, I would have increased the ballast to 200lbs.
By adding 150lbs of lead ballast into the keel cavity, between the engine pan and the bulkhead beneath the door, the stability is greatly improved. The boat rolls less, and recovers from rolling much quicker. It is particularly noticable when there are four or five large adults on board. Whereas before adding ballast, the stability felt mushy, It now, feels quite stable. The reduction in speed is perhaps an eighth of a knot at cruising 2200 rpm.
I used scrap lead ingots purchased from a local scrap dealer for 75 cents a pound. A dense rubber pad was placed around the bundle of ingots to protect the hull from chaffing, and held together tightly by two straps, and wedged into the keel cavity, so that it cannot move, no matter how much the boat pitches or rolls.
I was able to insert the rubber protector and the lead ingots through the small round deck hatch aft of the door, and then strap it all together to avoid any movement of the lead. This method allowed for easy removal, if it had not worked out. Had better shaped ingots had been available, to utilize the existing space more efficiently, I would have increased the ballast to 200lbs.