DaySailer.org Forum

With all the conversation about heavy air sailing and capsize prevention I was wondering if any singlehanded sailors were adding any ballast to their DS ?

I use my DSI primarily for cruising. As a solo sailor, in the interest of safety I added flotation but have also added ballast. I believe the added ballast has saved me a from a few near capsize situations. I use two 50 pound sand bags in my DSI. I place a sandbag on each side of the keelson just forward of the center board trunk. The bags form to the curve of the hull (my floor boards end just a few inches into the cuddy) . Under general sailing conditions the ballast has definitely added stability and I believe under heavy air conditions as well as the ballast is very low in the hull. Brad

Have you noticed increased weather helm, as adding the ballast where it is seems like it would move the CLR quite a bit forward?

navahoIII wrote:Have you noticed increased weather helm, as adding the ballast where it is seems like it would move the CLR quite a bit forward?

Other than improved stability I haven’t found the additional 100 lbs of ballast to really affect sailing performance to windward or to lee ward. Unlike moveable ballast (crew) which does affect CLR as they move about the sand ballast stays put. Brad