making ballast tanks..help!

(habcaw_creek) · (habcaw_creek) **Join Date: Mar 2005** 03-30-2005, 2:08 PM

i am going to try to make wood boxes for ballast. my only problem is water proofing the inside of the boxes.what do u think i should use? i was thinking some of that rhino lining for trucks or brush some resin on the inside. what do u think.

(mikeski) · (mikeski) **Join Date: Aug 2003** 03-30-2005, 2:12 PM

I don't think it's a great idea, seems like any small hole will lead to eventual failure. In the past people have posted pictures of stainless steel tanks and custom built plastic tanks but I have not seen wood. Wood with a bladder might be OK but I don't know what benefit that would offer over a sac?

However stranger things have been done...

alanp 03-30-2005, 2:13 PM

why stop at resin. id do fiberglass. gonna look alot better and you can be sure its not gonna leak. since its the inside of the box it doesnt need to look that good either.

alanp 03-30-2005, 2:14 PM

im assuming youd put sacs in the boxes

(drewsy) · (drewsy) **Join Date: Mar 2003** 03-30-2005, 2:26 PM

Alan check your email

(denverd1)

i'm with mike - I don't like it. even if you lined them w/ sacs (again why not use sacs by themselves) sweating, overflow or anything could cause leaks. which you have to completely dry out between trips to the lake. All fiberglass sounds better. I built a frame out of wood. and threw and single waterbed mattress in it. you can pick those up (with no baffles) for like $10 on ebay.

(habcaw_creek) · (habcaw_creek) **Join Date: Mar 2005** 03-30-2005, 6:43 PM

how can i make them all fiberglass?Would there be ANY wood involved in the process?if there is ,would i coat the inside or the outside of the box?

(batman) · (batman) **Join Date: Nov 2001** 03-30-2005, 7:08 PM

What's the logic, Mr. Spock???? Why wood over sacks???

(habcaw_creek) · (habcaw_creek) **Join Date: Mar 2005** 03-30-2005, 7:42 PM

its very simple.
i dont have a pump to empty so i want tanks so i can put a screw off thingy like on the bottom of cooler on the side of the tank.

i am broke.

i take my fatboy in and out and i am tired of having to take precious care of it

the boxes can be used as seats

the biggest thing is that i can build them to fit under these two seats in the back.

why not?please tell me?what are the cons of this?

(skibum69) · (skibum69) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 03-31-2005, 5:04 AM

Why not use a plastic water or gas tank, if you have to buy resin and fiberglass it would probably cost the same. I looked at doing that a few years ago for under my back seat, but decided to stick with bags because you still have storage when they are empty

(rich_g) · (rich_g) **Join Date: May 2003** 03-31-2005, 6:33 AM

A couple of years ago I made some weights using 7 gallon plastic water "cubes". I found them at Wal-mart in the camping section. I filled them with sand, and got them to 100 lbs each. I could have added water to saturate the sand, but they were already getting hard to handle. This was for a Malibu Skier where space was at a premium. It was cheap and effective.