If I'm seeing it correctly the lead grew 2 inches or better? WOW. It reminds me of the lava steps around some volcanos where the lava fractures and the pressure from below pushes each polygon up at differetn heights. The root cause of that would be interesting to know, corroding steel expands but I've never seen it push anything to that extreme. Thank you for the documentation of the dissection.
I would think something is up on the opposite side of that lead bulge. Could be telling. It seems like the bulge is a symptom, not the cause. Just a thought.
Another thought: your boat has been out of the water a very long time, and was not very weather tight by the looks of things. I wonder if the repeated freeze/thaw cycle could have worked its way into a crevice in the lead casting and had its way with the lead over a number of years? (Looks like Bill posted while I was writing the edit...)
Last edited by mbd; 04-02-2007 at 06:10 AM.
Reason: Another thought...
you have some interesting forensic work ahead of you. I might guess something like rebar might have started the problem, opened a crack, let in some water, and a couple freeze/thaw cycles later we have the lead bulge your ballast demonstrates. would be interesting to see what you find if you drill into the cavity behind the lead bulge....
bill
p.s. mike, oops sorry about that
Last edited by bill@ariel231; 04-02-2007 at 06:37 AM.
My thought which is echoed by others here and elsewhere is that the lead casting allowed water inside and over the years during freeze-thaw cycles water that entered the ballast exploited a weak spot in the casting pushing it out.
From what I have been told by others, the casting Pearson did or had done for lead ballast was not perfect. If there was a void either from not bringing the entire mass up to melting point, or inconsistant cooling, it would make sense there could be cracks where water could pentrate the ballast. What is known is that the area was wet from my recent reclaimation of the bilge. I witnessed water trickling from the void between the keel and ballast to the aft keel void so there was certainly the right conditions to have water surround the ballast.
I too thought something must be going on with the other side initially, but when I tap and closely observe it, it seems to be fine. I really think it is water that was in the ballast that pushed out a section not something on the other side or there would be evidence of that. I have completed the chiseling so it is now level with the surrounding ballast. My plan is to drill into the ballast to see if any water drains or to see different color shavings which would indicate something other than lead being in the casting.
As I have said from the begining of my bilge project. I am going to try to seal the two voids from one another. If I do a good glass job, which I will, water won't enter from the outside. I am also going to grind of the old glass surrounding the aft part of the lead ballest visible when looking into the forward part of the aft keel void. I will glass it over with epoxy after prepping it, then build it up with thickened epoxy to make it as fair as I can. This should eliminate the water migration which will hopefully eliminate any water getting to the lead ballast.
There was mention in a previous post about water getting into the void between the lead and hull through the space beneath the sole of the v-berth. Does anyone remember that post or does anyone know how water could enter through from that area?
I do plan on removing the rudder shoe after recent revelations to rebed it so that it does not leak at all. Therefore eliminating the major highways water has been known to enter these wonderful vessels.
Last point: I love my boat and I am thoroughly enjoying this process believe it or not.
I don't know about what other ariel owners have found but on A-231, there is a triangular section of glass at the forward edge of the ballast that was a source of water into the keel (directly below the vee-berth deck). In A-231's case, I was able to feel this section out with a dental mirror looking forward from the forward most bilge access plate. When I cut into the floor boards to repair the hull in that area (and drop in a teak grate), I found this forward most barrier to the ballast was composed of a couple layers of 6 Oz cloth and 1 inch of fractured resin. Lots of cracks in that surface allowed any water from the chain locker to find its way into the keel.
Bill, I would very much like to see that photo you mention without the teak grate. I am making it my mission to have a boat that doesn't leak or have highways water can relocate to and from voids through.
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