Leaving sacs full in storage

So I haven't hooked up my ballast system yet and I store my boat where I launch, last time out we decided to leave the (2)440# vdrive sacs full....any negatives to this as far as the trailer or hull? I have a friend who tows the ten miles from his house to the launch and back with 1000# of lead in his boat that he only removes for long trips but usually it stays in, thanks to the diesel tow rig he has had no issues

Yes I am lazy and draining three 400# sacs with 1 uber pump takes a long time, so this may become a standard for me. Also I filled up with garden hose water so not quite as manky as the dirty D water living in there for a week. How long can I leave it in before it will cause detriment to my sacs?? Any opinions would be great

Thanks

Realistically, you can leave that weight in the boat without doing any damage, but if it was my personal boat, I would only do it if I was going out the next day, otherwise I would go through the hassl of draining the bags.

Do you have a couple hundred bucks to spend right now? If so, shoot me an email or give me a call and we'll work with you to get all of the parts you need to plumb the system in so you can fill and drain with the flip of a switch.

That's probably the best way to solve your problem.

I left a 600lb bow sac full for about 9 months in my old PS 190. I had no issues, I used to dump some of that waterbed water conditioner in it every couple months though. I used to trailer it on about 20 mi each way to the ramp.

I used to leave a 600# sac full under the floor (Belly) in our old boat (Centurion) which had no factory belly ballast, from spring to fall and towed to all the area lakes with no problem. I did run the tires about 5psi above the max to account for the wieght (per the tire shop).

As far as the boat goes, there's probably nothing to worry about. I'd only worry about wear and tear on the trailer, and the tires. The springs and spring mounts on the trailer are only rated for so much, and they do wear over time. (A friend of mine just had a leaf spring break going down the road- no extra ballast, 10 year old boat and trailer). Tires also are only rated for so much, and they say right on the tire. Figure out how much capacity you have in the tires, and how much the boat and trailer weigh. If you've got lots of room to spare, you're probably ok leaving some ballast in. Adding extra air isn't a great idea, I used to over inflate by 5 pounds so the tires didn't look so squated down, and ended up with bulges in both tires.

Everything in moderation. Personally I wouldnt dream of leaving ballast in my boat but that's just me. I know of a local boat that will remain nameless that had a cracked hull due to leaving the entire ballast system full at all times even while trailering. Not a good idea but that was 2 g's worth of weight in a 21 foot boat. Be safe- Buy another pump my friend.

That's a lot of weight, and boats bounce around a lot more than you'd think on a trailer. Trailer suspensions don't exactly ride like a Cadillac. Of course this is probably more of an issue for your friend than you.

Hope you got a sturdy trailer and lots of support though. I'd be more comfortable leaving that weight in a boat supported by bunks than by rollers, if you have a roller trailer the pressure points could cause cracks in the gel with all that extra weight.

When your boat is in the water, the entire wetted surface is supporting the weight. When it is out of the water, all the weight is being displaced only on the hull area resting on the bunks which is only about 5% of the wetted surface area. I have no idea what the tollerances are of hulls and suspect they could take a decent amount of extra weight out of the water, but when you put that boat / trailer in motion, the more weight you keep in the boat the closer you get to some failure or fracture point that you will never know with certainty.

If you keep it on a lift where the boat is pretty much motionless at rest, you are probably OK in moderation. My boat is on a lift and keep my bow sacs full pretty much spring through fall (300-400lbs total), but drain everything else after each time out. For the occasional times I trailer the boat, I drain everything.

Thanks for the thoughts, its a bunk style Sportboat Trailer, seeing as I trailer about 1/8 mile to the dock at less than 5 mph I think I am safe to leave it in, but when i trailer to town to get fuel I will probably drain them from now on, lots of our trips are just go out ride a few sessions each and put it away usually less than 1/2 a tank burned.

I appreciate the advice though, really just need to get off my a s s and install the ballast system!

^^^^ yes you do