Sand bag, bow weight?

[DangerNewb]

I've got a Bullet Center Console bass rig and there's nothing in the bow. 3 batteries and fuel tank in rear. I'd like to try some weight up front to help deal with rough water. I ran about a 30 mile round trip on typical Saturday Lake traffic this past weekend. Was not fun even with the motor fully tucked in. I know I can move a battery or two but don't want to commit to moving wiring etc. Also, accessing the front is not easy. No hatch on front deck. Have to crawl through the center deck from just in front of the console. What exactly are folks using for sand bags or other weight? I'm thinking as frude as a pillow case filed with play sand and zip toed shut. If like to try maybe 40 or 50 pounds. I'll need to somehow secure it up there too. Thinking about screwing down a small piece of starboard or something to keep it from sliding back.

[MattGreen]

I've got a Bullet Center Console bass rig and there's nothing in the bow. 3 batteries and fuel tank in rear. I'd like to try some weight up front to help deal with rough water. I ran about a 30 mile round trip on typical Saturday Lake traffic this past weekend. Was not fun even with the motor fully tucked in. I know I can move a battery or two but don't want to commit to moving wiring etc. Also, accessing the front is not easy. No hatch on front deck. Have to crawl through the center deck from just in front of the console. What exactly are folks using for sand bags or other weight? I'm thinking as frude as a pillow case filed with play sand and zip toed shut. If like to try maybe 40 or 50 pounds. I'll need to somehow secure it up there too. Thinking about screwing down a small piece of starboard or something to keep it from sliding back.

Bags of lead shot wrapped in duct tape work great. See if you can insert a threaded eye bolt into a stringer or bulkhead to bolt it in place with tie-down straps - you do not want this weight moving around on you. I have also done the permanent battery move trick and it worked great but as you mentioned was quite an undertaking.

Matt

[Instigator]

A lot of the Allison guys throw a couple bags of lead shot in the passenger seat when running solo.

I have a larger (25’) rig I’m going to try similar in the bow.

I have a flexible plastic container for carrying drinking water for camping that I am going to try.
I think it’s 4 gals so, approx 40 lbs of ballast if I want it.

Another option for rough conditions are trim tabs.
Mine has them I use them.

Ive built several mechanical sets for my smaller rigs like yours.
Some don’t have room on the transom but the ones that did, worked excellent!

Hard turnbuckles for adjustment.
Big lake/rough conditions, skiing etc, tabs down.

Calm, light, fast, tabs up and you didn’t know they were back there.

[DangerNewb]

Thanks guys. Found these sand bags. Looks like bulk lead shot is hard to come by. Sold out everywhere I looked. Not sure how I'm going to secure anything up there. No bulkheads or stringers. Don't really think my 210lb self can fit in the hole to access the area. My rod tips are all close to the bow also so weight flopping around would be a problem for sure. Will need to investigate further. Thinking 40 lbs very close to the bow should make a difference.

[WaterZebra]

I've got a Bullet Center Console bass rig and there's nothing in the bow. 3 batteries and fuel tank in rear. I'd like to try some weight up front to help deal with rough water. I ran about a 30 mile round trip on typical Saturday Lake traffic this past weekend. Was not fun even with the motor fully tucked in. I know I can move a battery or two but don't want to commit to moving wiring etc. Also, accessing the front is not easy. No hatch on front deck. Have to crawl through the center deck from just in front of the console. What exactly are folks using for sand bags or other weight? I'm thinking as frude as a pillow case filed with play sand and zip toed shut. If like to try maybe 40 or 50 pounds. I'll need to somehow secure it up there too. Thinking about screwing down a small piece of starboard or something to keep it from sliding back.

If you have any hardware attached to the bow with screws (blind side......running lights, pole holders,etc) or a PI plate, something the size of your fist or 3 inch dia? Stuff the heaviest duty contractor bag thru the hole with bag top above deck. POUR your sand in. Zip tie the bag top and tether it so you can pull it out again. If the ballast doesn't work, open bag to either add more sand or remove sand using shop vac and nozzle. Lead shot is too much trouble to get?

[KIRCHNER]

You might try the big tire shops. they had a barrel of old lead wheel weights, happy for me take. a poly 6 gal gas tank, full of water works good. sand sounds like a mess, waiting to happen imo

[25two.stroke]

I took apart my hydrostream and found two big bags of lead shot in it. I was gonna melt it down and make some lead sinkers, but if shot is hard to come by maybe I should save it for weighting a future boat. I have some old double-hung window counterweights that would work good...cast iron and weight like 9 lbs a piece. Strap 5 together and you would have some weight.

[KIRCHNER]

I took apart my hydrostream and found two big bags of lead shot in it. I was gonna melt it down and make some lead sinkers, but if shot is hard to come by maybe I should save it for weighting a future boat. I have some old double-hung window counterweights that would work good...cast iron and weight like 9 lbs a piece. Strap 5 together and you would have some weight.

yeah, i remember those old sash weights. we used to shoot them out of a 1.5'' pipe, propelled by 2 m80;s good clean fun!

[4Speed]

Just curious as to how much of a difference 20-30 pounds of weight in the bow actually makes... is is a huge difference?

[TraceF3]

4 gallons of water is only about 33 pounds.

[Will hedrick]

I had a one of my 3 batteries up front in my 02, it was a bad idea as the rough water would beat the crap out of it and leak acid into the battery box, it really hurt performance as it was also harder to drive, but that was 55lb class 24,I moved it back, drives better