My Hunter is an 80's vintage Hunter and it has a cast iron keel. I have had the boat for 3 years now. Almost immediately after I bought the boat the keel dropped in the front and I had a smile of rust, lots of rust. And apparently this boat also has a flange through which the keel bolts pass through outside of the edges of the keel. And this is recessed into the hull and bondo'd over. And all around the edges of this bondo fill is large amounts of rust coming out also. I recently hauled the boat and they said they addressed the issue. They noted I had alot of metal damage due to extensive rust but it was still structurally sound but if it continued in the future it would be a big problem. Well it is still rusting just like before. I suspect that when I am sailing the boat bend and the keel falls in the front. I was thinking maybe to hang the boat in the sling with the backstay pressure on hard to keep the boat in a "bent" position to open up the smile and fix it in that state and then put the boat back in the water? My question to you is do you know of how these keels are attached with their flanges and any ideas you might have.