I agree with Llafurio, the drain plugs on early boats were too small and slowed ballast tank filling. This caused lost sailing time if readying the boat go start sailing in windy conditions and could be dangerous if the ballast tank needed filling quickly once on the water.
On my BR20 I reversed the direction of one of the almost useless self bailers in the ballast tank so that it to faced forward, and I removed the pivoted plate so operated as a scoop INTO the tank when deployed. This worked well, with a most satisfying fountain of water into the tank.
Matthew
BR17 Tarika
ex BR20 Gladys