Lead in my bow

[BribieFootloose]

I have two questions please.
I own a displacement hull boat (26 foot Honeymoon)
On inspection under carpets this week I found secret compartments in the hull.
One compartment in the bow was full of lead .
I’m assuming it is some sort of ballast, But why would it be in the front , not the underfloor storage in the stern?

I don’t really understand what the ballast would be for, whether it’s desirable or just a hindrance?

I’d love some advice on this. The second question I have is related to crossing coastal bars in a slow 6 -7 knot boat.
Can anyone offer me any tips? For context I live at Bribie island near the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The bars that I would typically cross would be Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Harvey Bay, and the south passage bar. I’d love any tips that other users could give me with regards to navigating a displacement boat over a costal bar.

[cal40john]

Longitudinal trim. Presumably the boat was riding bow high previously which could have resulted in a variety of performance or comfort issues.

[Fore and Aft]

Bribie Footloose I wouldn't say it was an issue. I surveyed a Morgan 382 last week that had some lead ballast under the V-berth. I am not sure how level she would have sat without it.

Cheers

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by BribieFootloose

The second question I have is related to crossing coastal bars in a slow 6 -7 knot boat.
Can anyone offer me any tips? For context I live at Bribie island near the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The bars that I would typically cross would be Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Harvey Bay, and the south passage bar. I’d love any tips that other users could give me with regards to navigating a displacement boat over a costal bar.

I'm not familiar with a Honeymoon 26'. Sail or power? What's your draught?

The Caloundra Bar is not easy (by which I mean it can be dangerous) and not for novices. It's quite shoal and the location for best exit/entry likely shifts after being pounded by heavy weather. Spending time watching it from the Happy Valley beach park, Caloundra, near Bulcock Beach and Bulcock Street, is a lesson. Not workable for an underpowered craft with any swell and the envelope for passage is quite short, around high tide. Other than small MVs, I've only seen a few sailing catamarans cross it (and only at well chosen times and in the right swell and tide conditions).

Wide Bay Bar has waypoints, which change with time.

I'll not write more until I learn more about your vessel.

MSQ has a general guide to bar crossing, targeted at operators of small MVs, at: https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/Safety/Crossing-a-bar

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

I'm not familiar with a Honeymoon 26'. Sail or power? What's your draught?

Neither was I, but I found this:
https://www.australianboatmags.com.a...EAR30_prev.pdf

It's a "diesel cruiser" powerboat.


"To sum up, the Honeymoon 26 is short, fat and stable. It measures 7.92 metres (26') down the centreline, with a beam of no less than 3.35 metres (11'0”) and a draft of only 0.83 metres (2'9”)"

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

The Caloundra Bar is not easy (by which I mean it can be dangerous) and not for novices. It's quite shoal and the location for best exit/entry likely shifts after being pounded by heavy weather. Spending time watching it from the Happy Valley beach park, Caloundra, near Bulcock Beach and Bulcock Street, is a lesson. Not workable for an underpowered craft with any swell and the envelope for passage is quite short, around high tide. Other than small MVs, I've only seen a few sailing catamarans cross it (and only at well chosen times and in the right swell and tide conditions).

On the basis that BribieFootloose has a Honeymoon 26 with (based on StuM's wizardry at the search engine) a draught of 0.83 metres, a small rudder, and only a two or three dozen horses on command, let's return to talking about the Caloundra Bar.

It's definitely a bar for which local knowledge is v important. Good thing about the Caloundra Bar is that local knowledge is available.

I mentioned going for a drive by land to the Happy Valley Beach Park. That's a key part of getting local knowledge about the Caloundra Bar. If you happen to have a drone, that would be even better.

Like most bars, the keys to the door are (1) finding the channel; (2) getting the boat in the channel; and (3) sticking to the channel and not being pushed away (or letting the boat wander) from the channel.

I wrote earlier that the sand at the Caloundra Bar likely shifts after a heavy pounding by windwave and swell. The changes tend to be of a pattern (i.e. there is a pattern to the chaos) although the chaos works over time. That can be said about Bribie Island itself too - the N part has a couple of locations that are prone to breakthroughs as sand gets starved from one location and built at another.

Running a drone over the bar is an eye-opener. Watching from Happy Valley beach park is almost as good. Satellite view (from Google Maps or Google Earth) is a substitute (but you need to know the date of the satellite view.

I've attached a quick screen grab from satellite view of Google Maps. You'll see what look like two channels (or gutters) of calm water - the current satellite image was made on a benign day (i.e. low swell). One of them is just a gutter that doesn't lead far.

My memory of crossing Caloundra Bar is stale. I think there was about 1 metre of water in the channel, not much more. So quite large sailing catamarans cross the bar, but I cannot do it with any margin of safely in my Led Myne unless v close to the top of high tide.

For the local knowledge - on the day that you drive up to Caloundra to visit Happy Valley Beach Park, go visit QLD Flotilla 4 (QF4) of the Aus Volunteer Coast Guard. Telephone ahead to check that someone will be there (see contact details at: https://coastguard.com.au/flotilla/qf4-caloundra/).

QF4 uses an MV with considerable engine grunt (and steerage because of the directional nature of that grunt) to cross the bar. QF4 will likely be able to give you a waypoint for the channel when exiting to sea, and another one for the approach from sea. QF4 may even have a short course about how to best to work the Caloundra Bar - meaning what weather conditions are suitable, under what conditions you should not try, and be able to tailor their knowledge to suit your Honeymoon 26 (which may well be quite similar to most SVs, with a small rudder and not overpowered).

If you're not already a member of the AVCG, feel free to join. QF4 will be able to give you the drum on the entrance to Mooloolaba harbour too.

I'll close by suggesting you'd be a mug to take the Caloundra Bar lightly. In the wrong weather, a mistake could be deadly.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

Like most bars, the keys to the door are (1) finding the channel; (2) getting the boat in the channel; and (3) sticking to the channel and not being pushed away (or letting the boat wander) from the channel.

In terms of finding the channel, I reckon your priorities should be:

A. talk to QF4 Coast Guard Caloundra;

B. visual observation from a drone, satellite image, or from Happy Valley park, particularly if you can watch a boat with similar draft and hull to your own working its way across the bar; and

C. charts. The QLD govt Beacon to Beacon shows the enduring pattern. That enduring pattern has been transferred to electronic charts. See (but do not worship) the pattern in the attached images.

[Clivevon]

Originally Posted by cal40john

Longitudinal trim. Presumably the boat was riding bow high previously which could have resulted in a variety of performance or comfort issues.

This makes sense, especially with you being a displacement power boat. If you had a planing hull the elad might have been there to help you get "over the hump" so you could plane in level trim, but seems that is not the case here.

[Clivevon]

Sorry - the lead might have been there...

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by BribieFootloose

I have two questions please.
I own a displacement hull boat (26 foot Honeymoon)
On inspection under carpets this week I found secret compartments in the hull.
One compartment in the bow was full of lead .
I’m assuming it is some sort of ballast, But why would it be in the front , not the underfloor storage in the stern?

I don’t really understand what the ballast would be for, whether it’s desirable or just a hindrance?

I’d love some advice on this. The second question I have is related to crossing coastal bars in a slow 6 -7 knot boat.
Can anyone offer me any tips? For context I live at Bribie island near the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The bars that I would typically cross would be Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Harvey Bay, and the south passage bar. I’d love any tips that other users could give me with regards to navigating a displacement boat over a costal bar.

Trim makes sense. Had she been repowered or had something added aft?

[Searles]

Lots of displacement power boats have trimming ballast bow stern pt stbd if possible trim with fuel and or fw tanks maybe if lead was removeable replace with anchor chain ,never had two much anchor chain , just some points .⚓️⛵️

[kapnd]

Ballast at extreme ends of a vessel can be a bad thing, especially when crossing standing waves.