Water tank weight and balance

[kkertscher38@gmail.com]

Hello everyone,

I was curious to hear what other owners do as far as cruising with or without water in the tank. Does it ride better? Does it plane easier? 160 lbs of water seems like it would have a great effect on the Dynamics of the boat. Thanks for your expertise.

 

[ssobol]

Hello everyone,

I was curious to hear what other owners do as far as cruising with or without water in the tank. Does it ride better? Does it plane easier? 160 lbs of water seems like it would have a great effect on the Dynamics of the boat. Thanks for your expertise.

Depends on where the tank is located. If under the rear passenger seat it would help lateral trim but only if you keep it full. When stopped or slow speed, my boat tends to sit with the right side lower in the water because all the heavy stuff is on that side of the boat. You see it when you look at the boat from a distance. Onboard it is not noticeable.

That said, we took the water tank and associated plumbing out and haven't missed it. The increased storage space is more useful to us than the water system. Someday I'll get around to putting a water tank under the v-berth.

 

[pcg]

The increased storage space is more useful to us than the water system. Someday I'll get around to putting a water tank under the v-berth.

I agree and am planning on putting a custom water tank under the v-berth, immediately forward of the cabin bulkhead on the port side. I do have some concern about stability in following seas (bow steer) so I plan to have the option to rapidly pump out the tank if I need to.

 

[thataway]

I agree and am planning on putting a custom water tank under the v-berth, immediately forward of the cabin bulkhead on the port side. I do have some concern about stability in following seas (bow steer) so I plan to have the option to rapidly pump out the tank if I need to.

That is a serious concern, which I would agree with. Not only putting 160# forward--but also not having the 160# aft of center on the Port side. This could lead to serious handling issues, if one forgot--or was caught in weather change--to empty the tank. The 25's 2002-2004 25's had the water tank forward. I think the 25's with the tank aft handle better. But the 25 is a larger, beamier and different boat.

In the 22 I didn't worry about it. There are other items--ice chests, storage boxes. Under cabinet storage, kickers, batteries, etc which can be moved to bring trim level. I strive to have the boat level (I have inclinometers for fore and aft and lateral trim). Under way, trim tabs do the job--at rest moving items.

 

[ssobol]

I agree and am planning on putting a custom water tank under the v-berth, immediately forward of the cabin bulkhead on the port side. I do have some concern about stability in following seas (bow steer) so I plan to have the option to rapidly pump out the tank if I need to.

That is a serious concern, which I would agree with. Not only putting 160# forward--but also not having the 160# aft of center on the Port side. This could lead to serious handling issues, if one forgot--or was caught in weather change--to empty the tank. The 25's 2002-2004 25's had the water tank forward. I think the 25's with the tank aft handle better. But the 25 is a larger, beamier and different boat.

In the 22 I didn't worry about it. There are other items--ice chests, storage boxes. Under cabinet storage, kickers, batteries, etc which can be moved to bring trim level. I strive to have the boat level (I have inclinometers for fore and aft and lateral trim). Under way, trim tabs do the job--at rest moving items.

The 160# in the cabin mounted tank cannot be a serious handling issue. Otherwise you'd be told to keep it filled or it would not be a water tank but some sort of ballast.

My eventual plan is to put a tank in the forward compartment under the v-berth. This will be PITA to install and plumb. Also finding a suitable tank has not been easy. However, we have found that for our use, bottled or jug water works fine and I don't have to winterize and sanitize a water system. So there hasn't been a lot of pressure to proceed with this installation.

 

[colbysmith]

I travel with my water tank however full I need it. Around home on the lakes, that's usually 1/4 full. Starting out on a long cruise or weekend somewhere, its completely full. No more of a balancing problem than fuel in the aft tanks, or passengers moving around. (That's what trim tabs are for, at speed... ) At displacement speeds, I move stuff around if I have too. The extra storage space would be nice, but it's there and I use water, so I'll just leave it. It just really hasn't been a balance problem. Colby

 

[kkertscher38@gmail.com]

Thank you everyone, great points from all, I really like the idea of removing it for the added storage. Thanks again

 

[thataway]

If you remove the tank, keep it. Without the tank, it may decrease the value upon resale.

 

[kkertscher38@gmail.com]

Good point thank you

 

[South of Heaven]

I wouldn't remove the water tank. It wont magically make the boat ride any better. Telling people where to sit or stand is more important when you're underway, in regards to trim.

 

[Anonymous]

moving or removing the water tank and balancing the load by moving stuff and people is not the solution with c-dory.

Trim tabs are a must have with a c-dory.
then perma trim next on list.

my 2 cents worth.

and the 22 boat rides better with more load, so fill er up.

 

[South of Heaven]

moving or removing the water tank and balancing the load by moving stuff and people is not the solution with c-dory.

Trim tabs are a must have with a c-dory.
then perma trim next on list.

my 2 cents worth.

and the 22 boat rides better with more load, so fill er up.

Oh, of course. I thought trim tabs were standard on most CDs bigger than 19?