Oceanis 44 CC tilted 3.5deg to port! Why??

[apirate]

This is not abnormal. At least for a fully loaded cruising boat.

When we provision big, like we currently are, for a crossing I’ll start to notice a 2-3degree list to starboard. This is because the vast majority of storage areas on our boat are on the starboard side.

I do what I can to limit it, but it is what it is.

41ft boat, 25k pounds.

[MicHughV]

well, obviously, you need to have the boat hauled for a survey....a good time to check the keel. The Bennie has a bolt on keel....easy to inspect the bolts, just lift some floor boards...

I've not known Bennie's to suffer from water logged hulls...or hull blisters...

I have only one big beef about the Bennie design. Because it has such a flat hull, there is no bilge per se. The cabin sole on the Bennie 423 is only about 12" above the hull.
The " bilge", such as that it is, is a shoebox sized indentation in the keel.
There is no room for a bilge pump in there, so what you'll see is some suction hoses leading to pumps located elsewhere, under the dinette seating area, in my case, and in the cockpit for the hand pump..

Problem is, if you get water inside the boat for any reason, the water will run to the low side of the boat, if heeled over, not the keel. The bilge pump "float switch" is located on the hull next to the cavity. You can get several 100 gallons of water inside the boat, before the float switch will activate. Ask me, I know. I don't know a solution to this, so at sea, I constantly check for water.

My one bit of advice...fit an alarm to the float switch. I fitted one to mine. It will wake the dead. I think all float switches should have this. I have an in-line switch to mine, so it can get shut off.

One last titbit of advice. My boat has two a/c's. The a/c's are mounted on trays with this "minature" bilge pump located there with a 1/4" hose to lead the condensate water overboard. It doesn't take much to clog this tiny line,mold and mildew grows in there and the condensate ends up in the bilge. I rigged a shower sump to this tray to address this problem. Something to look into.

[Spindrift NH]

Maybe I’m misunderstanding this but I believe you stated that the mast is vertical but the boat has a list?

[Vasco]

Some observations re Beneteau "3" series. The 393 lists to port, the 423 lists to starboard and the 473 sits down by the stern. This is straight out of the factory. No additional weight added. Just a slight design problem.

If you complained the US factory would trim the boat properly by adding lead ingots. In my 393 used solely for cruising I chose to trim the boat with stores instead of adding more weight with lead.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Vasco

If you complained the US factory would trim the boat properly by adding lead ingots. In my 393 used solely for cruising I chose to trim the boat with stores instead of adding more weight with lead.

Adding trim ballast is a valid solution, but as you discovered, it's not always necessary. If you can move stores or equipment around to balance it out, do that. Only add trim ballast when you run out of good options for moving stuff and still can't get it level.

[gerson]

a little grounding perhaps living the keel a bit to port?
Possible differences between water and fuel tank, causing this little tilt

[XtaSea]

MicHughV, good tips thanks. My understanding is that the 44 CC has a deeper hull than a 423 or 473 style body, i.e. the 44's body stays more under water. I sailed both a 44 CC and a 473 recently, and the 44 felt a lot more stable. 473 was quite reactive to the waves.

[Scubaseas]

Where are the tanks located and are they full or not? Both water, fuel and waste. My old boat would list with the port tanks filled and was pretty level when they were empty.

Like hpeer said, put some know weight a known distance from center and re-measure tilt. This may help determine how much weight is causing the 3.5* list keeping in mind there is a moment arm so how far out the weight is will make a difference in heel.

Dive gear and canned goods can add weight up fast. As can fuel and water.

[XtaSea]

Spindrift NH, the mast is perpendicular to the deck. When viewed from outside, both the hull and mast are equally listed to port.

[XtaSea]

Scubaseas, I didn't ask for the tank levels but do recall that the port side had a tank. Don't know if it was original or add-on.

[Montanan]

Install a keg cooler / tap and fill it with you favorite beer on the starboard side. If you don't desire a keg, then just place the 99 bottles of assorted beer on the starboard side and take one down and pass it around until the boat is level, or you and your shipmates become drunk and off kilter such that you no longer notice or care about being a half a bubble off.

Issue resolved,



Better to balance with useful ballast then chunks of lead.

[Scubaseas]

Originally Posted by XtaSea

Scubaseas, I didn't ask for the tank levels but do recall that the port side had a tank. Don't know if it was original or add-on.

I know my current boat which has three fuel tanks, one port, one stdb, one center, will list one side or the other if the outboard tanks are full or empty. Just pointing out if you do have outboard tanks their state of fill maybe a factor in any listing. I like Montanan's idea. My new to me boat also has two water tanks, both just off each side of center. Now if I fill one with Gin and the other Tonic I may be one to something.

[C Paton-Gay]

Originally Posted by XtaSea

Have been looking for a bluewater cruiser for a circumnavigation, for a very long time. The choices within my budget are slim so now revisiting some prior prospects.

There is this beautiful 1998 Oceanis 44 CC. Owners have done a lot of upgrades to prepare it for a circumnavigation. They swear it is built better than the Hallberg Rassy of those years. I really like the boat and the many add-on features.

BUT.

The poor thing is tilted to port side by about 3.5 degrees.

The mast looked perpendicular to the deck. Didn't notice any anomalies with the standing rigging.

The halftub on the port side has been converted to a laundromat. Also quite a bit of provisioning and substantial dive & camera gear stowed on the port side.

The keel looked ok when I dove under, but it is not a conclusive observation. May be a grounded & bent keel?

May be port side deck or hull has soaked some water?

What else could it be? What else can tilt a 12 ton boat 3.5 degrees?

I'd start by assessing fluid volumes (sweet water, grey water and fuel), then followed by any additional moveable ballast (triangular lead bars if any), then stowage items, sails, and location of chain relative to the centre line, followed by an assessment of any weighted objects up the mast. A 3.5 degree list is easy to level off with properly placed ballast midship. I think that it is highly unlikely that the core has taken on water along one side or that the keel is canted due to an accident. Possible, but unlikely. I presume that there is a survey or that you would have the boat taken out of the water and surveyed before buying which should put your mind at ease. Good luck and fair winds!

[FabioC]

I think a tilt of 2 or 3 degrees on a boat is not that uncommon, I see several boats at my dock that clearly lean one way or another, I do not think there is anything wrong with them.
I have a lighter boat, so it may not fully apply, but I can clearly see the difference when the fuel tank (which is on starboard) is full or not. I try to distribute the weight so it is more or less balanced with the tank half full, but I do not move things around (except the crew). Also the boat sails very differently, especially on the port tack, when the tank is full vs. when it is not.

[SV__Grace]

My money is on weight distribution.

For reference, I have a 20 ton boat and during refit on the SB side we had to replace a 110 gallon fuel tank with a 95 gallon fuel tank, replaced a big, heavy over-sized generator with a smaller one, and on the Port side installed a bigger battery bank than was there before.

The end result, even when shifting stuff around to put heavier stuff on the SB side is a noticeable 2 degree list.

This list disappears when having used @60 gallons of fuel from the port tank (installed outboard against the hull).

Since the Google Machine tells me that diesel weighs 7 lbs per gallon, times 60 that is 420 lbs needed to balance the boat, about half of that will happen when we upgrade to lithium (happening very soon) which is much lighter than flooded batteries, then we'll have a 1% list which doesn't seem so bad.