I've read about some dinghies having water ballast tanks, which can be filled, e.g. in heavy weather to provide some extra stability. That got me thinking... Could we flood the hull of a C14 (a little!) to achieve a similar effect? I mean, why put a drain plug at the stern? Obviously to drain the hull, but how is it expected to get wet in the first place?
The front cuddy area is sealed off from the rest of the hull, and there's floatation "stuff" under the benches, so it won't sink. Plus, we're talking just a few gallons. If the bench areas are sealed off from the area under the deck, then the water would stay there and act as a ballast... But I don't know if the seats are, in fact, firewalled from the area under the deck.
It's definitely a dumb idea, but water ballasts are a thing, so...
The front cuddy area is sealed off from the rest of the hull, and there's floatation "stuff" under the benches, so it won't sink. Plus, we're talking just a few gallons. If the bench areas are sealed off from the area under the deck, then the water would stay there and act as a ballast... But I don't know if the seats are, in fact, firewalled from the area under the deck.
It's definitely a dumb idea, but water ballasts are a thing, so...