I have my boat in a slip in a fresh water lake.
As I powerwash the deck, it occurred to me that I have not drained my ballast in several years.
I have heard of putting pool tablets in the vent, but... wondering what bad experiences others have had.
And.
What you guys think I should do.

To be clear, PVC pipe is not my idea.
This was discussed much a long time ago.
BWY suggested the PVC pipe in heat to straighten if it bothers you.
Someone on here has a whole setup with additional crutches/pvc pipes for when he is trailered.
Makes it look like it has a bow sprit when on its trailer.

What I see is inevitable on a boat that gets trailered.
Unless you take the time to make a storage tube out of PVC to keep it straight, there is no real way to store the furler in a way that keeps it straight.
Add that to the heat cycles during summer and what I see is about the best you can do.

Sail.
Motor gets me in and out of marina.
No kids.

I have new sails, custom built by Precision sails, so if I set them up right, very flat, enough that with no topping lift or boom-kicker, the main was flat and my foresail was only as tight as I could pull with no handle on the winch. Too lazy to find my handle, have to tack a lot in my lake. The bo...

Reviving an old thread because I finally talked myself into purchasing/installing a boomkicker and then removing all the lazy jacks and other items that might affect the wind over my mainsail. I never used a topping lift, but many talk about them chafing the sail. I set the boom up so the highest po...

There is a heavier forestay offered by BWY. During a check of my rigging, when I had the boat at home, I found my forestay had a LOT of broken strands at the top just inside the furler where you could not see it unless you took the furler off. I suspect it was stress from a life of trailering with t...

The Mac 26X and 26M were intended for beginners. The motor will be enough to get you home if you mis-read the weather. It is also enough to go enjoy without ever putting the mast/sails up. Once you let the ballast water in, you will find it a different boat, more stable, slower. Under power that equ...

Previous discussions = Look for a used one in your area, as close as possible.
Shipping a long piece of aluminum = more difficult than you might think.
Our mast is possibly not the best in the world, so a used one in the simular range would be easily adapted.

The issue with a rivet is the height of the plastic cleat. Do not think the rivet would expand past the metal.

A riv-nut.
That seems like the proper solution.
Now I just have to learn how to use them.
Thanks dmclemore!

I want to add some Nylon Cleats to my boom.
Far enough in that I doubt I could add a nut to the back side.
Do I use?
Stanless screws but...

Metal threads with a tap? (metal seems thin)
Wood threads with no tap?
Everything else I add I use rivets.

https://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30638&sid=a48ceabfd44a2dbf6f0556f2e9302f7b OverEasy talks about the sound differences between his Suzuki and a Tohatsu. Looks like it is a 2 vs 4 stroke comment though, simular size motors. I too remember someones comment about RPM/Prop vs s...

I found one of myself with Admiral actually under sail, so real world conditions.
Looks OK to me.
What do you guys think?

I really appreciate all the comments, including the boat prices comments. To those talking about moving weight around: Other than an oversized car battery (never thought to offset that weight), I have nothing in the boat with me. My normal fuel load = two six gallon. Can not remember how much fuel I...

Is that photo with the 30HP? If not, do nothing until the new motor is on the stern. If yes, then sandbags could work. Maybe a heavier anchor :D That is my current setup with the 120. I had thought of bringing it home and adding a "keel" to the boat. Something like a 3 inch rib down the c...