Removing keel bolts. I will be using wedges to separate them.

Removing keel bolts Rust on keel bolts and nuts is concerning. How do I go about fixing this issue? The keel bolts on my 43 foot Irwin MkIII stick through the hull about 10 inches into the bilge. Here’s how it worked in my case: After removing my keel from my boat as part of my hull The truth is that the keel bolt is not gonna brake, so use a wrench and a pipe or a hammer and be gentle, not too gentle but take care with patience and even the more One of the jobs that our Boat Care team specialise in at Deacons Marina, is keel removal and refit, with the aim of replacing the keel studs or fitting a new keel to the hull. The Forum is a free service, and much like the "free" content on Public Radio, we hope you will support WoodenBoat by subscribing to this fabulous magazine. The removal of Enfys’ keel bolts is described in here. Again some Reairing Keel Leaks I have completely removed and sealed keels on a Mac 21, Mac 23 and a Gulf Coast 21. First, what type of tool does one need to tighten the keel bolts? Second, can I use 5200 to seal the keel line at the hull without bedding first? I presume bedding the keel means removing the keel, which I'd like not to have to do. The seal between the keel and the hull does not rely on the sealant under the plate. My understanding was the original bolts were high tensile steel and for my boat 20mm diameter. Keel bolts can sometimes be withdrawn for inspection to check their condition and for any signs of corrosion. Hi everyone, just bought Catalina22 '85. What do you all think? What would be the best way to go about this, checking them one by one? Monel is the best material lead keels but not for iron. Got both keels unbolted day one, then shotblasted. If the keel bolts are shot, then you probably need to send it to a foundry to be &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp And, you can click Archived Reference Threads My 1987 Oday 28 has an external lead keel that is weeping at the seal with the bottom of the boat. I'd hesitate before cutting without knowing why they are so long. I would like to know if anyone has experience removing their keel bolt hardware. Depends on what kind of keel and keel bolts you have. The usual quick and dirty method in a small boat like this is to install new lag bolts in between the original keel bolts. DÉESSE has a keel-stepped mast and it is nearly impossible to stop water from making its way down the inside of the mast. after removing the mast, you will want to remove the fasteners from the inside of the hull and have the travel lift come pick the boat off of the keel and set it down beside it on boat stands. Keel bolts removed, Quartet is hoisted slightly so the keel is At the end of the 2020 season Plastskador took Aurora carefully into the yard to await the repair. As for removing the keel an expert user with a gas axe and a little custom made thin steel protection could cut through those bolts in a couple of minute. Sailways Technical Support | Maintenance and Repairs of Monohulls and Catamarans by our Expert TeamLearn More: https://sailways. Two new bolt holes were drilled in the right Yes, it is possible to remove inspect and replace if needed your keel bolts while your boat is still in the water, but you have to do it one at the time!We f https://www. Here’s the background: The keel is fixed to the boat with 11 bolts. they had nice domed heads that were easy to paint over on the outside, with a square section to locate into a square in the bilge keel, drilled round hole sqared off with a tapered square punch and a heavy hammer! Possibly the bolts are that long to facilitate drawing the keel up with the bolts. When the bolts were out we hoisted the boat so the keel was a couple inches off the ground and gave the keel a good solid thump with a block of wood and a ten-pound sledgehammer. \u000B\u000BI have some very slight leaks around three of my keel bolts. Alarm bells have already gone off, my friend—this is definitely a project boat! I’m restoring it and trying to find anyone with experience removing keel bolts on a Sun Fizz. Recent rudder bushing replacement (known issue with this model). This bolt was hidden under a floor board near the mast and was under a couple of inches of water. If it were my boat, then at the next haul-out, I'd remove the nuts for inspection (just one group at a time - not dropping the whole keel). The caulking was cracked as well at the joint. Our C30 (we purchased it used- about 6 years old) had several bolts that Removing keel bolts or studs one at a time for inspection can go smoothly: or it can turn into a real nightmare ening up with paying a yard to fully remove the keel. Feb 10, 2007; Moderator Figure out what size hole saw you need to just fit over the keel bolt studs, then cut the hole saw and weld the saw end and the mandrel end it to the appropriate size (diameter and If it is a full keel, the bolts are embedded in the keel which project into the boat. Catalina bonded the keel onto the fiberglass keel stub in addition to the keel bolts. Check when boat is on the hard with around 70% of weight on keel. I am aware of an unscrupulous yard who fitted new yachts with mild steel keel bolts - they needed replacing after a year. Did it all within about 1. During preperation for painting decided to remove keel for painting and also to check the quality of bolts. Put a jack under the forward end of the keel and apply gentle pressure. (Going metric for the Due to the possibility of bolt damage between the hull and keel we decided to drop the keel just to make sure. There is no sign that the keel ever pivoted/levered on the hull or keelson to induce damage to the wood in the keelson or its CSM cover through the keel bolts. The tops of the bolts and nuts are glassed over. If it's just surface corrosion on the To speed up the drying process, oxalic acid can be used. S. I figure that after drilling 18mm pilot hole I can smash down remaining 1mm of iron-oxide while driving new keel bolt into the hole. costablancayachtservices. My bolt pattern from aft to forward is 1-1-2-2-2-2-1-1, the forward 2 bolts are under the mast step and there's not enough clearance on top of them to get a socket on. After this keel-hull joint to be glued together again and the keel bolts retightened. One Catalina 30 owner reported removing his keel in preparation for a trip to the South Pacific. The mechanic working on our boat now--tightened the bolts to the keel but he said "Torked the keel bolts to help with the keel leak. I It would have been a heck of a job to do anything with those keel bolts as removing all that resin would have been quite an undertaking. Next, shipwrights removed the keel bolt nuts and then Rybin lifted Peacemaker off the cradle, which was plenty sturdy to handle the two-and-a-half ton lead keel left in the cradle. To confirm this he needs to remove the keel. The cast Iron centerboard housing had keel bolts also. one at a time without removing or moving the keel so bolt heads will be an improvement in the bilge so will be an improvement. of drilling through the weldments inside into the cabin and then have the keel bolts go up through the hangers and then into the cabin secured with nuts with large washers as the fashion on a fixed keel boat. The studs are M24 and should have 36mm AF nuts - however, mine were a mixture from 33 to 36 - at some point, the (The keel joint is being comressed, and will tend to open when the keel is 'hanging' in the water. The second web site shows some photographs of removing and reinstalling a weldment. com/ One of our many services. Day two - prepared the hull, which was blocked up. Some rust is to be expected as it's a 1975, (new bolts, removing the wooden core, glassing that area). Stingy Sailor on this forum gives detailed instructions on removing and refinishing the keel. The bolts on my 1980s vintage beneteau first 305 that go into the steel fin keel are rusty and chipping off when I poke them with a screwdriver. cygnettrade New member. If that's what you have, often the washer isn't stainless and the washer and nut can easily be replaced. The bilge keels on the older boats were normally bolted on with 3/8th inch galvanised coach bolts. Other wise forget the dremel, a three or 4 inch angle grinder with a cut off disc and just grind of the heads. Using what you have to hand to gain height to get to the keel bolt holes easier and gaining height to make sure the keel bolts will come out below the boat without digging a hole in the ground. It was a big and expensive job which was not necessary! Without removing the keel, you can’t. Especially the aft most keel bolt; however, the is no delamination in the sole and it is solid. Post some pictures here and I'm sure others will chime in. No apparent keel separation when inspected by diver. You can pull them one at a time to check their condition, even in the water. The whole area must be clean and surface prepared before applying. W e carefully tipped the keel onto a little dolly and rolled it outside. I'm close to solving the While lifting our J-22 "Crash Course" this spring, the two aft keel bolts broke. Dufour arpege keel bolts. Th rus was from the cast iron keel. Keel Bolt Torque Schedule. I will be replacinfg the existing studs with bolts. This is the process I would like to use. The bilge width is quite narrow so a socket wrench would appear to be the only tool suitable for loosening or tightening the nuts. Log in Register. Step 1: The first step is These keel bolts look pretty good, but removing the keel was the only way to know that for sure. Removing a 38 year old keel bolt! See the full video for the setup with the impact wrench and technical description of the studs and washers. No heavy lifting is required even without special equipment. New posts Search forums. Being that ours is an 87' the keel bolts are stainless and did not require Unlike American-built boats, most Swedish boats with iron keel have bolts NOT going all the way through iron but instead they are ended a couple of cm from the top. 12 years ago however, the exposed keel bolt and nuts are very corroded so I've decided to replace. After tightening Make sure new bolts are the same metal as the keel and original bolts so it doesn't all corrode on you -- you probably know all of that but it bears mentioning. Thread starter cygnettrade; Start date 14 Jun 2006; 14 Jun 2006 #1 C. Pretty decent condition with lots of extras at a great price etc. In practice, it is probably best to drill and tap to a depth of five or six diameters, since it may be difficult to get really good threads in the very bottom portion of the holes, and debris may keep the bolt from reaching the bottom of the hole. Unfortunately (in my opinion) Hunter used plain steel washers under the stainless steel nuts and bolts for their keel fasteners. In case that does not work I can re-drill the hole into 20mm diameter but that will also 3. I will be using wedges to separate them. (ie got rid of old sealant etc) and primed hull and keels, lay a bead of Sikaflex around both keels and let go off overnight. Then lift the backing plate and see what's going on underneath. No real sign of rust colored seepage, fortunately. There are many articles and links re: the process of removing the vermiculite in J/24s, but I'm wondering if people remove it because it brings unnecessary added weight for racing, or if it poses some long-term structural integrity problems or other issues. You are trying to achieve two things. As it stands the G10 distributes the load sufficiently and provides a rock solid base when retorquing the keel bolts. The vermiculite is under the main cabin sole and aft and also in the keel sump to support the keel bolts. The yard have loaned me a large 1" 1/2 (38mm) socket and some large bars to shift them. Rust is a little like blood - a little goes a long way and what looks awfully bad may be either a minor wound or keel bolts that are quite Marine Nuts, Bolts, & Screws; Boat Handles, Pulls Removing Keel Guard adhesive Thanks, appreciate the advice. I do know Catalina has a keel boat replacement kit but it is a lot of work and involves redrilling the keel bolts and tapping the holes. Build a wood frame to support the keel in the upright position. Do a search here, I've made a number of posts on the subject. The keel was replaced when the boat was a couple of years old from a lifting keel to a fin keel to improve performance. Does anybody have experience of checking bolts or removing keels on a Macwester or similar type of boat The only rub is the health of the keel bolts (they are quite rusty) - its priced super well. The filling would need to be found, removed and the nut undone and the bolt withdrawn from inside. I replaced the keel bolts when I removed and refinished the swing keel on my 1983 Catalina 22. I'm looking for some guidance for stopping an intermittent leak from the aft keel bolt / Stud. No damage to the keel. we have recently purchased her and she was out of the water for well over 2 years, she has When applying washers to the keel retaining bolt to prevent the keel from slapping, I would suggest when using SS washers, get the biggest you can. Keel Crack Repair. The keel bolts were inspected and found to be like new. How much damage am I looking at removing the keel for a 35ft boat? Mid Blues Rule. Removing keel bolts in the water does have risks like weeping and possible bolt breakage below the surface. I still have the waisted bolts we removed - one was in 2 pieces but this was through bolts On a wooden boat I owned for 40 years, I removed the keel twice to replace keel bolts and reseal and replaced the bolts without removing the keel on another occasion. The survey suggested that we check the keel bolts but I am unsure how to do this. The Working on my boat the other day I discovered a keel bolt I didn't know I had and wish I didn't. To the best of my knowledge, rusting keel bolts was only a significant concern on boats kept in salt water. Stainless could work ok but if you are willing to replace the bolts every 15 years or so, galvanized would actually be your best choice. Speaking of rusty keel bolts. G’day All Would welcome advice on whether regalvanizing just the nuts, washer and backing plates on my 12 year old Jeanneau is a useless exercise if not removing the bolts as well. While the botat was on the trailer I first removed the four bolts (used a spanner with the correct sized socket - you should be able to get it off by applying a little force with your hand and arm. Keel bolts aren't simply threaded into the keel because lead is too Paul - judging from her age - 70 years, it seems a fair bet the keel bolts are well past their 'sell by date'. A friend checked his bolts on a 45 ft Robert clark yacht & they were set in white lead paste & came out quite easily, TIPS ON REMOVING KEEL STUDS I have done some research and the following are some tips for removing keel bolts if you cannot get a second locknut on to them or if they are broken down in the hole Faired and painted. This post was copied from the old web site and describes the steps taken by Geoff Marks removing and replacing the aft keel bolts on "Zethar" in 2002/3. They offered a full dismantling of the lead keel from the hull, where the keel bolts are unscrewed, the remaining glueed area between keel and hull has to be broken up, all surfaced to be faired and prepared for assembly. No accidents or damage fortunately. Well that didn't work. With steel, no worries of crevice corrosion with can be a problem with stainless so if the bolts still look ok, For various reasons my keel bolts, (14 of them), have been sat in water in the bilge for the best part of 3 or 4 years and have rusted quite badly. Once, about 10 years ago, I torqued the nuts to 105 ft-lb. You don't mention maker's name (if you know it) but it's a fair guess that the keel will be oak - meaning sea-water and oak 'acids' acting on the bolts (probably gunmetal or iron) will have given them a 'waist'. I have been through the removing keel and replacing keel bolts on a wooden boat, helped by a colleague whose PhD thesis was on the subject of corrosion in such situations. It was sandblasted and epoxy coated before reinstallation. I'm looking to buy my first boat. After an inspection of the remaining keel bolts, as well as of the remaining studs of the broken bolts, I decided to make a repair without removing the keel. Crucial - once you have started the bolt up top, check underneath to see that it has started there! If it hasn't stop and pause because it means that the bolt has wasted in the middle and you are driving the top bolt which has now become a spike over the spike of the remains of the bolt at the bottom. A new keel bolt is fabricated. Maybe anyone knows how to change them? I mean is it necessary to make holes from inside the body of catalina or Down here (Australia) I replaced the keel bolts on a 25 year old Beneteau 320 six months ago. two years ago I tried to remove my iron keel from my coronado 41 First boat. The yard or you can dress off the hull outside and inside, new resin if necessary. Day three Got hoist to position boat over keels, which we had in 4x2 frames balanced on pallet trucks. Like yours, they had been glassed in but minor cracks had let in water resulting in rust which expanded the GRP making bigger cracks etc etc. The keel attached directly to the flat bottom of the hull. The best way to remove a sailboat keel is to do so in a boatyard with specialized equipment to manage the heavy weight of the keel and the boat safely. There is a hole in the side of the keel where the not is inserted and held for tightning. That said, I've never seen a 10 inch long deep socket so I'm struggling to know what tool to use. If Ihad enough I would have made one solid piece to fill the entire bilge and glass that in. Procedure for Removal and Replacement of Keel Bolts and Short Bolts. If the joint has clearly deteriorated, removing the keel might be I agree that it is unlikely to be seawater coming up the keel studs and more likely to be water flowing from the grid as the boat moves when sailing. I've never installed one, but I've heard they can be installed without removing the keel. A few years ago we grounded the boat hard in sand at about 6 kts and had to be dragged off by Vessel Assist. In this article, Bill Dowell continues the story by describing the installation of the bolts and the re-building of the keel Preparing for the Keel Removal. This was 30 years ago with no problems reported since. Hi all, We have a 1984 Beneteau First 38 and have just spent the last 4 days removing 20 Keel Bolts. , as long as part of it is exposed to oxygen, indeed, even https://www. New posts Latest activity. Seems that I could remove each bolt, inspect and replace if damaged, then screw them in 3 or 4 threads, raise the boat just enough to lift a little weight off the keel and open the joint, clean old sealant from the top of the keel and the hull, then reseal and set the boat back down on the keel. I've been thinking of removing them to inspect them, replace if necessary, and then rebed and reseal them. You may have to coax the separation with a pry bar, flat blades and some keel wiggling. So after pondering what to do and thinking it would cost mega money i decided to slacken of the nut to my supprise no water came in . I've read everything I can find on the topic, with remedies from removing the keel and re-bedding, to simply tightening the nuts; in or out of the water is debatable. Oh boy removing deteriorated keel bolts from a 1958 Flying Fifteen. Previous owner did not clean out bilge, so no idea how long water sat there. Keel goes off to a professional repair facility where unacceptable bolts come out and new are installed. Yes, there is “internal dam” within the mast that is located at deck Inspecting the bolts isn't terrible, just take the mast off, unbolt the keel, cut away the keel foot, and lift the hull off the keel. Catalina Direct supplies parts for used Catalina 25s, and they have a keel bolt replacement kit. Keel Bolt Leak Repair. Re: Keel bolt replacement? Post by TomD » Thu Aug 25, 2011 3:45 pm There are numerous methods for inspecting keel bolts without removing them. (confirmed, definitely not leaking from anywhere else). Step 1: The first step is Sometimes keel bolts are threaded around stock, captured at the lower end with a nut fitted through a side-opening recess in the keel. This is a nuisance, but harmless—unless water in The short answer is to find a competent boatyard and have them replace the bolts. I would guess that the hidden part of the bolt that you can't see would need to be After removing epoxy over 1975 I28 keel bolt are shown. High-grade corrosion resistant stainless steel such as Aquamet 22, which maximizes shear strength, is usually the preferred metallurgy for keel bolts. . The bilge wants to be wet so I want to re-seal. If you're going to replace the keel anyway, you could cut away some of the wood to make sawing the bolts easier. 29,378 6,742 long way from the poles. The keel was rebedded (and chronicled) approx. Upon removing the old filler to expose the bolts, we discovered some of the supposedly stainless bolts, This is finished with a gel coat topcoat. Unfortunately, eventually the keel bolts can weaken until it is primarily the bond securing the I understand that the designer of a boat will specify the number, diameter and spacing of the keel bolts and the details of the keel pan/hull-keel joint so that the whole hull-keel system can adequately handle the loads, including B1 and B2 knockdowns (B1 = 90 - 120degree, B2 full 360 roll: check the '79 fastnet disaster report). be/9e3eYwN-q-Y The keel bolts on my Pearson 26 are pretty rusted. My concern of stripping the thread from the keel seems not be an issue. I then plan to use the boat for the upcoming season and I’ve seen the keel bolt job done many times in Trinidad. Forums. If the seal between keel and boat is Other than running aground, will you ever need to replace a keel bolt? On another occasion, a 15-year-old trailer boat was in for to have the fractured vermiculite and resin filler in the keel sump replaced. Same thread and diameter rod as the original I have concidered taking the boat out next year to a yard that allows sand blasting and removing all rust then re-applying a plastic coating as it had orriginally but I On my last boat, the keel to hull joint was essentially a 90 degree corner, as opposed to having a molded keel stub. 6 of them are located in the central sump, and those exhibit significant signs of surface corrosion, even though – at this Having said that, a keel bolt in good condition, of a known material, with the correct lubrication and a calibrated torque wrench would be more accessible to the majority of people. That's a big improvement over many boats! That does look more like a rusty plate than rusty bolts. Losing a keel would be a real PITA in addition to a huge safety hazard (sailing in pretty light waters + wind). The boat is a '93 Beneteau 45F5 and is on the hard for the winter, the other bolts look fine and appear to be stainless in an iron keel. This week, I describe using hand tools and power tools to remove most of the old coatings and rust, one way to lift and keel bolts A watertight joint between the keel and the hull is necessary to prevent crevice corrosion of the keel bolts. Bolt Materials Bronze: If you are fortunate enough to have bronze keel bolts, a As a rule, if the bolt is threaded four times the nominal bolt diameter into the top of the keel, it will hold the full strength of the bolt. The keel bolts plus the The idea of PULLING the keel bolt's are generally not praticle[i don't know of anyone, including my self that does] it, Most keel bolt's CANNOT be PULLED, because they are not threaded into the ballast keel, but have a hook on the bottom, or are threaded into a nut, located in a pocket, and there is nothing wrong with S. Members. Without removing the keel, you can’t. ) Removing Keel Bolts. What's new. This entails first removing the nuts one by one and inspecting the threads for signs of crevice corrosion. Before the final treatment, the keel must be exposed again to Hi I have been advised to check my keel bolts by undoing each nut, removing the plate from under, cleaning up, caulking and re torquing the nuts. If I were selling this yacht I'd have used a wire brush and some hammerite and made it look a bit more attractive (but then It would have masked reality). Fire extinquisher to hand of course. Presumably I simply rub them down with a wire brush until all the brown stuff vanishes and then apply a rust inhibitor. I am in a part of the world where I will need to direct people to do it for me or do it myself. Cool old video of a Flying Fifteen being built: https://youtu. Since the boat is hauled for the winter i'm thinking about taking out the bolts and inspecting them. Gasket and bedding compound should do this The yard sent the keel out to I Broomfield & Son in Providence, RI. Evenly, tighten the jack stands to raise the boat off the keel. Catalina Direct is the largest supplier of Catalina Yacht parts in The bilge keels on the older boats were normally bolted on with 3/8th inch galvanised coach bolts. The bolts that needed to be replaced were the ones that the head of the bolt were rusted and looked like they wouldn't hold up the keel for much longer. . The local boat repair shop wanted to charge me a day of labor and seems a little steep. Keel Stub Wood Removal. When I was looking at 432 Beneteau's it was very evident which boats need new ones. to get a true torque value the keel should be fully supported on the hard. The first is to take the keel of and melt out the old keel bolt and weld the Replacing the keel bolts. If you keep driving on you'll jam the lot. If the bolts are in good shape you don't even have to move the hull, just drop it right back into place, and bolt it back together. You're correct there are threaded "weldments" embedded in the fiberglass of the hull and the keel bolts thread into them. Lower grade 304 stainless can get surface rust quickly, as would ordinary steel. Once visible he discovered that the bolts were eroded to only ~1/4” diameter where they passed through Any comments regarding removing the bolts and washers, and re bedding them with 5200? Seeing some small amount of water seeping out of keel - hull join area externally with boat on the hard over the winter. Current visitors. just been down to my boat that has been lifted out this week. A galleried bolt. the water was coming out the box section but were from? as it was salty i tasted it it was coming from the The main area of wastage of these was in way of the main timber keel. 1. The following article Removing Keelbolts In some areas, portable x-ray facilities may be available, making it possible to examine bolts in place without going through the trouble of removing Chocked up and sheeted-over the first job was to unbolt and lift out her engine and associated gear including fuel tank. The heads were in a terrible state but when removed all shafts were clean and dry. I viewed a 1990s Sadler 32 today, and there's lots to like, but the broker made me aware of some corrosion on the keel bolt backing plates. In the case of Rosemary the gap had to be 76 inches. Place 4 jack stands on each side of the boat. Loosen the keel nuts as much as possible without removing the nuts from the studs. I think Vyv is suggesting that removing one of the bolts completely would be a better indication of keel bolt quality. The boat is out of the water resting on its keel. Early 70's Pearson 26. Has anyone had experience with this? Can I just re-torque the bolts or is removing / installing the keel the The existing keel bolts are removed from the keel. These centreline bolts are 3/4″ BSW and range in length from 250mm to 290mm. Most of the info you find here on keel bolts will apply to the later wing keel version or larger boats which are a whole different beast. I asked them about their procedure, and this is what they said; "When replacing keel bolts, we melt the lead around the bolt, remove the old bolt (which is Keel Bolt tightening and 5200 Hello all, I, too, have standing bilge water and would like not to. There is no shortcuts , so your only option come from drop the keel, inspect and check the whole set of keelbolts, clean and remove the old caulking, clean both faces , top of the keel and hull, the best stuff used this days to seal the joint is 5200 from 3M ,, and ask Bavaria for the keel bolts torque when you are ready to tight the keelbolts A weep from the aft keel bolt. the boat is a moody 38 1992 with the shallow draft keel. Now it's finally time to take her in and start fixing her The Yard manager says to fix it, I am looking at $4 to $5 K. Bit like 1 except the bolt does not go right through the keel but stops part way through the keel. I haven't since, and the water increase is recent. They should be 316 stainless so they don’t rust. Finally, the crew If its an iron keel, the bolts are just tapped into the iron and are relatively easy to remove. Can anyone tell me what I should be doing? After removing the GRP do I : a) check the nuts are tight; b) remove the nuts to The keel nuts and exposed tops of the studs were rusty on my boat. I had the keel bolts tightened to see if that would help. This hole is then filled. Next time I have the boat on the hard I'll try removing some pairs of bolts and re-torquing with a snipe bar, I believe there's a backing plate per pair of bolts the middle. For illustrative purposes only, Keel Bolt Retrofit. A competent yard can drop your keel and place the hull in a cradle in a short time. The new rules prompted me to plumb the archives of our I had to replace the keel bolt, the four SS bolts holding the keel to the hull, the eyebolt that the cable is connected to and the cable itself. There are also versions where bolts are directly Boatyard foreman suggested removing each keel nut/washers (one at a time of course) That was in the later 90's, and there were no problems with the keel bolts. Two things happen. We cast a Basic question here. Gravity and keel weight should play no part in torquing down the bolts. FastOlson. It looks like the underside wasn’t maintained well; the fairing has eroded, allowing water to seep in and corrode the bolts. Top. I also replaced my keel bolts with 3/4" stainless threaded rod with stainless nuts and washers. However, we were able to get around that as well. Most likely the leaks can be repaired without removing the keel. However, even if all goes well it's impossible to get a true torque value on the bolt. Firstly the cradle had to be adjusted so that the lead ballast could pass between the front and back cradle cross beams. The inboard nuts of the two aftermost centreline ballast The best way to remove a sailboat keel is to do so in a boatyard with specialized equipment to manage the heavy weight of the keel and the boat safely. New boats have keel bolts covered in flow coat, which is gelcoat with added wax to ensure that the surface is not sticky. I don't think its a difficult task, 2 nuts and a big spanner. they had nice domed heads that were easy to paint over on the outside, with a square section to locate into a square in the bilge keel, drilled round hole sqared off with a tapered square punch and a heavy hammer! Yes, it is possible to remove inspect and replace if needed your keel bolts while your boat is still in the water, but you have to do it one at the time!We f I also layed in pieces of G10 around the keel bolts. on arival we noticed some rust stains maybey 3 inchs long near the back of the keel, there nothing drastic but there presence is known if that makes sense. Doing this on an older boat might be seen as going over the top but it does make everything look good. Barry suspects there is water ingress through the bolt holes. Replacing bolts in a cast lead keel brings the keel back to virtually as new condition. Five of the bolts were tightened about a 1/2 turn, but one of the bolts came up about an inch before suddenly stopping. The condition of your keel bolts will to some extent depend on their material. ) If there are signs of leaks, then I would certainly be looking at the bolts and seeing what state they are in. Excellent trades and decent rates. I never heard of it happening in a fresh water boat. I would think a visual inspection would be a good start. Remove the swivel bolt. How big a job is this - how difficult is it to remove old keel-bolts and will it require an extended out-of-commission period? Re: Ideas for removing keel bolts and 4 ton lead keel from Lundy Lady my 1961 Holman If they are aluminium bronze through lead they should move ok & will probably still be in good condition. Has anyone had any experience in removing keelbolts from dufour arpege? Home. of course if that much thread is covered in rust (needing to replace the long threaded sections anyway) when you try removing it there will be a strong incentive to chop them off flush with the I have a 1978 Macwester 27 and would like to satisfy myself that the keel bolts are in good condition. Whatever the circumstances it will be duplicated for the new keel bolt. There are several ways of repairing the keel bolts. If it was a centerboard model, most of the centerboard trunk were made of cast iron which rusted and expanded into the centerboard housing and restricted the centerboard from going up or down. Lyman-Morse (LM) Project Manager Lance Buchanan and his crew spent about two weeks removing the engine, generator, battery banks, and most of the cabin sole in the Swan 100’s main salon in order to access the 22 keel bolts, of 52 mm (just over two-inch) diameter AISI 329 stainless steel. the dificult part may be seperating the keel from the hull enough to drive wedges in between the keel and hull. Posted by J-Star Marine & Restoration Services October 2, 2019 October 3, 2019 Posted in Boat Building & Repairs. Can you believe that we are now up to four articles on keels and keel bolts? No? Me neither. Now, I do not remember seeing any putrid water streaks coming out of that area, or experiencing any leaks through the keel bolts while on the water. Most sailboats, or monohulls at least, rely on ballast to counter the forces of wind on Removing the keel on a 43 ft sailing yacht is a complex and potentially dangerous task that should only be undertaken by experienced professionals or with careful consideration of the Locate and access the keel bolts typically located 3. " To be fair, I haven't noticed any real difference in the appearance of the bolts since I got her - most of the rust visible in the photos was revealed by me pulling the chunks of If you tighten the bolts every year, and more thread shows above the nuts inside the hull, the bolts are almost certainly pulling out of the keel, and you have a big job ahead of you, which would include cutting holes through I have a 2007 Bavaria 39 Cruiser. Apr 8, 2010 2,054 Ericson Yachts Olson 34 28400 Portland OR Mar 14, 2018 #20 There is a Hi Harry, Just a suggestion I had the same water coming round the keel studs so i checked the tightness of the nut it was OK. Often keel bolts are J bolts and cannot be removed. It is likely this bond that is still holding the keel onto the boat. After removing the excess fibre-glass, I replaced all the studs and nuts and then gave them several thickish coats of car body underseal. Keel Bolt Repairs. It groaned and then dropped to the ground with a nice thump. Sometimes I have found larger ones at mom and pop hardware stores for example Ace Hardware affilitated rather than Lowes. If the exposed tops in the bilge are not rusty, there's no water weeping in or out, and no large crack visible between the keel and hull, there's no real need to do anything but check the tightness with a torque wrench. You can coat the heads with a sealant or epoxy to help seal them up. Keel Bolt Refreshening I had a thread on this awhile back that had pictures of my rusted washers under my keelbolt nuts, I never did anything with the bolts but I still have plans to pull the nuts, replace the washers, clean it all up and seal under the washers with Butyl rubber, then put the bolts back on with Never Seize. Mast Compression Post Block Repair . gr/en/yacht-repairs/Contact u The WoodenBoat Forum is sponsored by WoodenBoat Publications, publisher of WoodenBoat magazine. This post is the continuation of Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 1: Removing. Joined 14 Jun considering hanging the keel inside the boat and removing the bolt if I can get it out to replace pretty sure it's bent. Replacing keel Bolts and Repairing a 1930 classic Schooner Keel bolt corrosion. While unscrewing two of them broke. The plate really needs removing and all the sealant cleaned off so the studs can be inspected. If the bolt is unsound or corroded, that's a ***** to Removing a keel bolt from my 1986 Sigma 33. Thanks a million for the replies. 5 hours. Is it safe to pull them out one at a time while I'm on the hard?\u000B\u000B(This is a 1977 Hunter 27. I have tried to remove the keel by removing the nuts and using a tractor to seperate the keel from the hull to no avail. There is a little more support for regular keel bolt inspection (and indeed removing keels and replacing bolts) - but this derives as I said earlier from wooden boats where the wood backbone had iron ballast attached often with mild steel or wrought iron bolts. ( I have seen pics of bolts that were almost gone due to the salt water on the stainless bolt) We thought it would be a simple process of resting the keel on blocks, removing the nuts and lifting the hull off. STEP 3: Bare the metal again Processing time: 1 hour . We replace the bolts in the current positions (as close as possible, likely within 1/16” or more), re fair the keel making it ready to go back on the boat. I believe their thinking was to We have a Moody 33 Mk1 fin keel. The keel bolt may be simply “j” hooked, or have a nut and washer welded to its end, or the bolts maybe originally caged together. The attached documents Well, you can actually get to the keel bolts. I've tried a box end wrench and there simply isn't These keel bolts are very bad and the boat is in danger of capsizing when the keel falls off. Once visible he discovered that the bolts were eroded to only ~1/4” diameter where they passed through In almost 20 years I have only seen one keel that we couldn't remove the bolts without destroying the keel in the process. This was a long keel boat with a fairly shallow wood keel of relatively stable oak, I had the keel of my 2001 371 removed and re-bedded in 2014 due to the fairing around the keel root cracking and some rust bleeding. On Keel Bolts, the survey said: "The accessible mild steel studs, nuts and backing plates were found tight and in serviceable condition having been over-coated with a black protective coating. Anything I think I'm making water through the keel bolts on my 1984 Catalina 36. TomD Posts:78 Joined:Thu Jan 06, 2011 12:14 am. So this spring we noticed that at the bow, where the keel meets the hull, there was a tiny bit of water coming out and there was an opening in the caulking where the keel meets the hull. The keel bolt nuts are torqued to 105 ft pounds at the factory. Traditional keel bolts are long "J" rods cast into a lead keel, topped off by a washer and a nut after they penetrate the hull. 1) not let water into the boat 2) not have the keel bolts corrode 1) I think means a good seal is needed around the bolts where they enter the hull. As a result, absolutely any flexing of the joint would Well I've bolted iron keels to wooden boats and to grp boats, but a mixture of the two is a new one. Steve D’ Antonio. The keel is bolted right up against the canoe body of the hull, and the joint always moves a bit there, with rust resulting. The surveyor's recommendation is to draw out the keel-bolts and replace them if they are corroded. The GRP around the keel-stub tested a good deal damper than the rest of the hull (which otherwise was good). In lead keels the only option usually is full keel removal, as the studs are often J-shaped cast into the lead when the keel is made. kqhkmdd kpgq dgx yfj ufxtf agr tbesxkc mzoi teqg gjhscaj