Getting lead

Hi all there.

We are owners of a MC 190 prostar 1989. Recently our home made wedge broke and are changing to ballast for a bigger wake.
The point is that we don't have a tower and so no space for fat sacks. (cause all our boards are in the path ways.)

I know that a lot of you get lead from tire shops. Fact is that in the Netherlands lead is forbidden to use for tire lighning.
Buying lead is not an option.. $1.30 / kg and we need arround 300.
But we do have almost unlimited acces to dead car batterys. Those are full with lead.
Has anybody ever tried to get lead out of car batteries? Are there specific things we should worry about?

Thanks in advance.
Greetz Han Murray

The battery acid will basically melt carpet or seats if it leaks.

Batteries are a hazardous waste. The acid inside of them is dangerous in many ways. Like skin contact or contact with most any thing on this planet. Batteries are known to explode. The lead is also a health hazard. Please do not plan on tearing into a battery.

Instead you might look to use sand bags. Concrete in some form, rocks, or any other dense object. Many people purchase used weights from home gyms. Water is still one of the best ways out there, as it remains neutral once a boat sinks.

i think ive heard of people going to gun ranges and getting the used bullets or something like that...
but im not sure if bullets are even made from lead, they might be, but i really dont know
just think ive heard of someone doing that, so if you have a gun range near it might be something to check out

For some reaon Europe and gun range don't quite fit together . . . .

Sand bags are an easy/cheap way to go.

(Message edited by tdeneka on July 27, 2007)

no sands isn't going to do it. sand only weights 1.8 kg/ dm3
lead is 11.3kg /dm3

hahaha yeah i guess i didnt think about that

Call some elevator companies and see if they have some older plates that broke or they are no longer using. I have a few friends that had access to these plates and they are really heavy and pretty easy to use for ballast. Another option would be old weight lifting plates. Good luck on your search.

I no these guys on my lake that filled pvc pipes with lead shot and capped both sides with end pieces and plumbers glue and the put two of these say 15" tubes in a gym bag and have a little over twenty gymbags througout the storage compartments, but it ended up costing about a dollar a pound so 1200 pounds of lead turned out to be 1200 dollars

I use dumb bells. They cost about $.30 a pound if you buy a dozen of the 50 lbs ones. Your still looking at a couple of hundred bucks. Not sure how that all works out in Euros.