The BC20, in common I think with the BC23, has forward and aft water ballast chambers, connected by a piece of tubing which runs along the bilge next to the centre plate. Day to day access is to the rear chamber via an easily-opened hatch in the cockpit floor. The forward chamber is actually in two halves, port and starboard, each serviced by a much less easily-opened inspection hatch below a small storage area just below the V-berth.
Mostly, one would leave these as they are, the chief concern during the season being to ensure they are sufficiently watertight to prevent ingress of water to the cabin from the water ballast. However, during the winter, it's rather concerning to think of this chamber remaining damp and enclosed so I rather prefer to open up the hatches, dry out any remaining water and leave the covers off to allow air to circulate. However, despite applying ample Vaseline around the covers when closing, they become incredibly difficult to remove - particularly painful on the fingers which have little purchase on the two indented areas. So, following a quick search on YouTube, I happened upon a short video of an easily made tool. This has now been crafted using a couple of bolts, some electrical masking tape and an old piece of driftwood I picked up years ago and decided to keep thinking it might come in useful one day!
The great thing is that the tool works an absolute treat, and both hatches opened with relative ease.
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