Keel repair

[Nereussailor]

My diver told me that there is a patch on my keel of my 1983 H30 that is peeling off. It's about 10 inches around, and about 1/4"-1/2" thick. I haven't seen it yet, but am planning a haul out in a month. and will need to do the repairs and a bottom job. I've been told that the keel is cast iron. I've never had to do repairs on a cast iron keel, Can someone give me an idea of how something like this can be fixed.

Dave

 

[Ed Schenck]

If your H30 is a 1983 Cherubini then the keel is lead. Peeling on a lead keel usually is caused by years of bottom-paint building up. Eventually it will peel. My own lead keel looks like it has a terrible case of acne. There are four to six inch patches where old paint came off and then I painted over it. I keep the bottom smooth but I have never tackled the keel. You will now a lot more when you haul obviously.

 

[Nereussailor]

Hey Ed, Thanks for the info on the keel. I thought I read somewhere that it was lead, but my neighbor that had a boat next to mine in the yard a couple of summers ago said it was cast iron. If it is lead, how do I go about fairing it so that it is smooth again. I don't think it's from build up of bottom paint. It has had Interlux Micron CSC since the bottom was done 7 years ago. I knew the guy that did the hull and I can't believe that he wouldn't have left bottom paint on. He ground everything down, repaired all of the blisters, did a barrier coat, and repainted with the CSC.
You are right though about finding out when I haul out.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Did all that also, down to bare gelcoat with five coats of Interlux 2000E before the bottom-paint. But that was the hull, not the keel. It is possible that there was a repair done, a filler that did not hold. That would have to be from a grounding or some other damage. Did the diver say where exactly? Maybe an attempt to fill the notorious smile at the leading edge hull to keel joint? Just have to wait I guess.

 

[Nereussailor]

There was a repair made. It's in kind of a weird place though for a repair. I could see it being on the leading edge, or the bottom, but the diver says it's on the side of the keel about eight inches below the hull to keel joint. It's on a flat surface.

 

[kloudie1]

Could be a hole drilled to drain a sump..?? Some folks put a plug there to remove when she is on the hard.

 

[Nereussailor]

Could be a hole drilled to drain a sump..?? Some folks put a plug there to remove when she is on the hard.

I hope that no one would drill a hole 10" around to empty a sump I'm thinking that it was damaged while on the hard way back when, and someone just patched it with something like Bondo, then epoxied over it