With the scrap steel and concrete ballast removed at a weight of 250-300lbs per cubic foot, the time came to purchase the new lead ballast at a weight of 708 lbs per cubic foot.

My original intention was to obtain scrap lead, weld my own brick molds, and then melt and mold my own lead bricks (with proper PPE).  But i’m ready now, and haven’t time to spend on such a process(work, family, boat). A local amateur boatbuilder steered me towards Mars Metals in Burlington Ontario where I ordered 100 of their 2x4x6 bricks of lead (2000lbs), and 380 lbs of lead shot. These will be secured in a West System slurry, the shot filling all voids between bricks and keel plating, no lead will touch steel. I have some scavenged lead of my own in odd sized bricks.

I rented a van with a 3600 lb capacity and drove the 2 1/2 hours to Burlington, through Toronto down the busiest highway in the country, 10 minute turn around at the other end, and then back to unload my loot into the cargo trike 400 lbs at a time.. down the lane and into a stack where our small crane will swing it aboard as needed. A couple months wages in a couple square feet of metal… thrilling.. really, not sarcastically.