Acceleration with lots of Ballast

[Luchenbach]

I once put 1500 pounds of ballast in my boat, and I had to give it a lot more gas, and it took a lot longer to get on plane. I've heard of people putting 2000-3000 lbs of ballast in their boats. Is it tough to get the boat moving with that kind of weight? Will that ruin an engine, transmission, or v-drive?

[dmgx]

There is no doubt that adding ballast is harder on the boat and engine. It is the same as towing a boat is harder on your tow vehicle than not. Hope that answers your question. Jay Warren