Hans
Riverside, CA
Boat Name: Baby Blew
Model/Year: 1980 Catalina fin keel
Hull No.
Hailing Port: |
 12/31/2004 5:40 PM Pacific Time
Hello everybody. I need some help. I just purchased a 1980 Catalina 22 fin keel. I tested it out on the water. The previous owner gave me the receipt a local boatyard charged to have the keel rust removed, epoxied, primed, and painted; along with the bottom being repainted. Here is where the problem exist. Upon cleaning the inside, I discovered the keel bolts severely rusted and disfigured, along with some moisture. I scraped away some of the rust and later returned to find some moisture around the bolts. What are my options? Can I remove this type of keel myself? What about a new keel? This is my first boat after falling in love with sailing. I don't want to throw her away.
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Joe McElroy
Snoqualmie, Washington
Boat Name: Teasel
Model/Year: 1979 Swing Keel
Hull No. 9014
Hailing Port: |
12/31/2004 6:34 PM Pacific Time
Do some looking through the posts on this. There was a good series of posts a couple of months ago. Now, I can't remember what the titles were. I don't believe you have a very serious problem. It doesn't sound like your receipt says anything about rebedding the keel. If your keel is cleaned up outside, the rebedding job is at least less of a pain. Good Luck. |
Hans
Riverside, CA
Boat Name: Baby Blew
Model/Year: 1980 Catalina fin keel
Hull No.
Hailing Port: |
01/01/2005 7:31 AM Pacific Time
Wow, I thank you so much for the fast reply. It's great to be a Catalina owner with so many informative experts. I will look into having the keel rebedded as you suggested. Thank you Mr. McElroy. |
Philip Kirk
Chicago, IL
Boat Name: Quick Response
Model/Year: C22 1984
Hull No. 12521 - Fixed Keel
Hailing Port: Chicago, IL |
01/01/2005 7:41 AM Pacific Time
Hans, I have a 1984 C22 Fin Keel and when I purchased it in autumn 2003 the keel had been rebedded on the hull. Now there is an additional bolt that holds the keel in place. The old keel bolts appear moderately rusted but in conjunction with the new bolt that does not seem to corrode they work fine. During the sailing season, once a week I use a sponge to remove water that accumulates in the little keel bolt bilge - alhough it is a certainly a concerning place to find water I am personally not as worried about it. No one could argue that water accumulation in the keel bolts is a good thing, but you just need to be comfortable with the condition of the boat and your requirements of it - I day sail my boat out of a chicago harbor on Lake Michigan and have not had a serious problem. |
Ted McGee
Cumming
Boat Name: GA
Model/Year: MKII/1996
Hull No. 15370
Hailing Port: Lake Lanier Georgia |
01/01/2005 8:16 AM Pacific Time
We have a 96 MKII wing keel and we have also discovered some water around the keel bolts with a little rusting going on. However, with a little patience we found the water only appeared when it rained. So we knew the bolts weren't leaking. After awhile we managed to trace it down to a seal on the mast step that would leak when it rained. It is possible your water is coming from somewhere else and it is at least investigating.
Ted McGe |
Bill Morack
Oxford, NY
Boat Name: Pandemonium II
Model/Year: 1977
Hull No. 6699
Hailing Port: Cayuga Lake, NY |
01/01/2005 8:41 PM Pacific Time
Hello, I also own a fin keel. A 1977 fresh water only boat. My keel bolts are in like new condition. I have dropped the keel to re-bed, and it is not too bad of a job. You have to chip or grind the area were the keel is fared to the keel. Lift or jack up the boat while prying the joint until you have about an inch gap. Once dry and clean I used one cartridge of 3M 5200 to bed the joint. Re-tighten the bolts, re-fair the keel hull area with fiberglass and then putty and you are ready to paint. I put 5 coats of Interlux barrier coat on the area to seal the putty, and also on the keel to keep it from rusting.
If your bolts are in poor condition you should be able to unscrew them using vise grips. I took some of mine all the way out just to see what kind of condition they were in. They looked like new, and were made of stainless steel.
My opinion on this matter is that you are always going to have some water in the bottom of your boat. Mine comes from rain water leaking from some fitting or another. Keel bolts are stainless steel and will not be harmed by this water.
Good luck!!!
Bill |
