Listing to starboard

[Jack Long]

My boat lists several degrees to starboard when sitting in my slip. I don't notice this on my neighbors. I've reviewed the load and don't think I am carrying more weight on that side.

Any ideas?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Jack Long

... I've reviewed the load and don't think I am carrying more weight on that side.
Any ideas?

Re-review your loading.
Unless you're sitting on the bottom, there must be an imbalance.

[Jack Long]

So I'm not... sinking?

I read a post a long time ago where somebody was trying to figure (in fun I think) how heavy a guy would have to be to go up the mast and tip the boat over... If my standing rigging was messed up and my mast was being pulled a couple degrees to one side- could that cause it?

A while back I noticed all the stays seemed WAY under tensioned. I got out my gauge and the Coronado book and went through them all. The whole time I felt like the mast was leaning to one side. I asked several other people to look and none of them were convinced. It could have been that the boat was tilted and they were adjusting for that and I wasn't...

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Jack Long

... If my standing rigging was messed up and my mast was being pulled a couple degrees to one side- could that cause it?
......

No. What is your reference for believing it is listing? Just looking at the deck / cabin etc. If so put enough weight on the high side until it looks horizontal, that should give you an idea of the weight involved with the imbalance. Invite a few people to stand on the high side and also get some of them to confirm or otherwise the list.

Does your mast appear vertical when compared to known vertical lines (like nearby high rise buildings)

[Jack Long]

I "feel" like I am leaning and the direction changes if I face fore vs. aft. I also have a level-o-meter that reads a couple degrees off in the direction I feel the lean.

I weigh close to 250lbs and if I stand just outside of the seat in the cockpit I can get the level meter back to 0.

I will see if I can get the boat loaded back to zero and site on the buildings behind me. I did not try that before- I was trying to compare to other masts but knew that was spurious.

[Liberty28]

We had a boat that listed as shown by the bootstripe distance from the waterline. I wondered why, until it dawned on me that most of the boat's batteries were on the starboard side! Duh!!!!! Moved around a few heavy items and the boat leveled out. Depending on the boat, it sometimes doesn't take a lot of weight to cause a list.

Have you considered that you might have a stowaway aboard? A real big one?!

[svHyLyte]

Put a carpenter's level athwartships on your cockpit seats at the companionway. If the bubble isn't centered up the boat's out of trim. Before doing anything else, check to ensure your mast is straight with respect to the yacht. Odd's are it isn't. Use the search function on this site or google to find the instructions on how to do that. Once the mast is straight (with respect to the boat) check your trim with the level again. If it's still off, either reallocate your stores or add some lead diving weights to the light side of the yacht.

[Jack Long]

Liberty, why do you have to be so negative? It could be several smaller stowaways...

[Joli]

If we only fill the large starboard water tank we will list a couple of degrees that way. The large starboard water tank is 250 gallon and that will last us several weeks so I don't generally bother with any of the port side tanks. Plus we carry more fuel on the starboard side as well.

[Wotname]

First check your mast is straight (not vertical). Lie on the cabin and sight it up the sail track. You soon see if there are any lateral bends etc (could be after your re-tensioning exercise - no disrespect intended).

Assuming it is straight, use two levels, one horizontal as described above and one vertical on the mast. If everything is true, then rebalance as suggested above.

[Randall]

do you have a water line stripe? if so one side should be lower to the water than the other side. unless they painted it knowing you had a imbalance. is that even a word.

[Dave the Canuck]

On my boat, the holding tank is to port while my two water tanks are to starboard. As a (freshwater/no macerator) cruise progresses, I go from vertical to a slight port lean. My guess would relate to water/waste.

[Pelagic]

It can be difficult to find out what has changed (if you are convinced something has changed)

On that size boat it doesn’t take much to change. So get your rigging squared away nice and plumb, then if it is still there start looking in the bilges or cabinets for something that might have got saturated because of a deck leak and the added weight of the water on that side.

If not then as Gord says, review your storage plan.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Jack,
I'd use the carpenters level as was suggested and add a new battery or two to the high side deep in a locker as close to midships as you can or just move your battery box or boxes to the high side as was suggested. It is hard to get your mast tuned straight up and down if your hull is listing to one side or another.
Good luck.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[Zach]

You might also want to check with other owners of your model boat.

Some boats have trim ballast from the factory, for items that might not be there any more.