Repairing fin keel and replacement

[Hilary G]

I just purchased a sailboat which has the keel detached from the hull. The keel needs the bolts replaced or cut off and extended with bolt couplings. The boat is a 1981 27' Lockley Newport (LN 27)The top portion of the keel appears to be a hard fine aggregate concrete. Some of this has been drilled out around the bolts to enable the coupling to be placed on the bolts. There has also been some damage to the concrete where it appears moister got in and cracked out large portions. Approximately a section about 18'" long and 6" to 8" deep near the rear of the keel. The bolts still seem to be well set and I am wondering what type of material would be use in the concrete mixture to complete the repairs after the bolts are replaced or extended. Also when setting the keel on the boat what type of expoxy or sealant should be used if any.

Hilary

[MikeJohns]

Hilary

Can you post some photographs please before I even try and give any advice. Top of the keel and keel-hull interface outside and the inside. With a scale in the photos of some description.

Unless someone else here knows the design.....?

cheers

[Hilary G]

Here are some photos

[Hilary G]

hilary.guimond@gnb.ca

I have attached an e-mail link as i can't send copies of all the photos on this site. I may be able to e-mail them to you if that is ok. Will need your e-mail.

Hilary

[Hilary G]

I have more photos but have used up my image space.

[Gilbert]

Do you know if there is lead or cast iron in the cement?

[MikeJohns]

The photos raise as many questions as they answer. Do you have the full history ?

What happened to the keel bolts that are shortened ? Were they cut or did they break ? They look a little small.

That is a high strength grout and you can commonly buy sacks of it from industrial flooring outfits .

[Hilary G]

I just bought the boat and this is all I know. The boat started leaking around the keel and the owner was told he would have to remove the keel in order to repair it. It appears to me that the bolt threads in the nut area were worn probably causing movement in the keel. The bolts are 1/2" stainless steel and there are 8 of these, 4 on each side. After the keel was removed the cement was drilled and chipped away from the bolts and 3 were cut off. The keel was then left out to the weather in an upright position and moisture got in between the fiberglass and the cement causing the cement to crack and a section about 8" deep and 2' long near the rear of the keel became loose. Befor shipping I removed this section. Also the weather caused some seperation of the fiberglass from the inner surface of the keel near the top. There is one bolt that got bent during shipping. The inside of the boat appears to be undamaged but I was wondering if instead of just using a single washer between the hull and the nut that it may be better to use a piece of plate steel spaning 2 adjacent bolts, thus covering a larger hull area. What I plan to do is cut the remainder of the bolt and extend them back to their original length by using a coupler and threaded rod. I then plan to refill the areas chipped out with grout and repour the section damaged by the weather. The one question i have the is what material is used between the keel and the hull to enable the keel to seat propertly for no possible movement. After the keel is in place I will re glass the entire keel starting from the hull. Does this sound reasonable and do you know what material is used to seat the keel?

[Hilary G]

I just realized the e-mail link i gave was at my work and i am now on vacation so here is my home address; bhguimon@nb.sympatico.ca in case you want to e-mail me direct and i could sent the other photos i have.

[MikeJohns]

It's a mess.
I'd be rebuilding the keel and re-using whatever casting is in there lead or cast iron. I'd also replace the bolts completely. The last thing you want is for the keel to come loose because of inadequate or compromised attachments.

You need a local professional to help you. Sorry but there's no simple solution here.

[Hilary G]

Thanks Mike