new member/reglasssing a splinter

Hi all,I am new to this game,John and I just bought a 21" splinter racing yacht that has a bronken keel,it was beached in high winds we had here.Do you think that it would be worth it to fix? He has done a lot of work on boats be fore but not had a keel to fix,rejoin or whatever you call it.I think our main problem is getting the water out and sealing it enough so it will refloat and be able to be dry docked while we work on it.Any advice would be great,thanks Lorri

 

Most certainly, the biggest reason for not repairing a storm-damaged boat is the cost of cosmetic repairs, not dtructural. Particularly if only the keel itself is damaged and little else, most of the work is simple labor.
A careful examination of the particular damage on your boat by a good boat repair facility or a surveyor is well worth paying for. Any hull damage that is easy to get to will be fixable--- it's not the actual hull work but the fact that the boat is already assembled and fitted out.
A internal liner making up a molded sole, mast step, and various other things will be in the way unless the damage is confined to the area below the keel root.
If the keel-to-hull joint is seriously broken and there is a liner, it will probably have to be removed in the way of the keel, but again, an educated assessment needs to be done by a qualified person.
No concrete answers here, just more questions, but as said, structural damage can be far less work than cosmetic in terms of hours and materials.

Alan

 

splinter

Hi thanks for answering me,well we went and bailed her out again this morning,got her floating this afternoon and saw where the water was coming in,John says its an old leak,all marks there for being there along time,and the beaching must have made it worse.We have a guy coming the day after tomorrow with a cradle on a trailerto get her out so we can work on her at home.So a few more days bailing ahead for me,will have arms like popeye when we have finished.The sea is as flat as a pancake today,the winds we had were really abnormal for this time of year.
Cheers Lorri,
Once again in sunny Queensland.

 

she's out the water

Hi ,well we got her out the water and in a cradle in the back yard.So far the damage seems to be the keel where it joins onto the hull is leaking in one spot,the stringers have lifted ,and the keel seems to be in two pieces,not apart,the top half wood,the bottom metal.it's got all the paint cracked were the join is,just wondered how they get the two to join up,I thought the keel was one piece.Also needs fiberglassing on outside.So any advice would be great! Will try and add a photo of the keel,John scraped all the wood away where it was leaking to see how bad it was and is getting all the gear he thinks we will need together to start work on her when she dries out.
Cheers Lorri

 

My best advice would be that you get good advice from someone who can carefully examine the damage up close, who is an expert.
I once owned a boat with exactly the same damage--- which had been fixed before I owned the boat. The damage had occurred from rotting floor (transverse frame) coring, and not a storm. this had weakened the keel-to-hull joint, allowing it to flex. Flexing then created more cracking, etc..
The remedy was to replace the floors and the tabbing that bonded them to the hull, and to completely rebuild, layer by layer, the leel/hull joint all around.
The process involved not just fiberglass and epoxy, but screws also, embedded in the glass, to provide a mechanical means of connection as well.
the repair was successful, and the boat was taken offhore for a year, where it got bounced around enough to see that the repair had been a complete success.
In this area, the keel/hull joint, over-building is not an issue. When in doubt, over-do it! If you can get cut-offs and waste cloth, mat, and roving for cheap, go for it. Your widest piece might only be a foot wide. A repair in this area (underneath at least) involves a coved shape being produced between two adjacent surfaces, and the radius of that coving doesn't have to be as small as it used to be. Of all the areas on a boat hull that can easily be thickened, this is it.
Good luck, and stay in touch.

A.

 

Some pics would be great, but let me provide on piece of advice. When it comes time to glass the keel back on to the boat, if at all possible do so withe the weight of the keel hanging form the hull. In other words keep the hull blocked up with cradle, stands, whatever. Do not support the bottom of the keel. Let it hang there a bit then go ahead and glass it. If you don't the likelihood of the glass cracking when the weight of the keel is applied is very strong. This is not pleasant and could lead to more leaking. Alan is right, when in doubt, overbuild this area. Best of luck.