All Santana 2023 sailboats have a water ballast tank that that is filled by opening a simple valve in the hull and is drained after the boat is removed from the water on a trailer.
Skylark, a 2023A model, has been modified by sealing the OEM valve opening and installing a standard 1.250" bronze seacock to fill the tank and a manual Whale Gusher Titan thru-deck bilge pump for emptying. This system allows the ballast tank to be emptied when Skylark is on a mooring.
Air is allowed to escape from the tank when it is being filled by means of hose & valve that vents through the existing sink drain thru-hull.
A related modification was the installation of six "boxes" through the sole that displace 400 gallons of ballast water. The boxes hold 400 pounds of steel lifting weights. This modification was done to provide ballast when the tank water has been removed and the boat is on a mooring.
Other ballast tank mo
