MacGregor Swing Keel - Complete rebuild

[Todd Atchison]

Venture Ed... perhaps we should move this to a seperate discussion. I have however thought about this subject way to much and I believe there is a market. In an age of CAD and 3D printers it couldn't be that hard. Maybe a mold kit? Something the DIYers simply buy and then pour the resin in. The challenge I had was doing one side at a time and not being able to touch the other to one was dry. Anyway Ed, maybe we should start a new thread and do some market research. I've seen many, many sailors here with the same problem. Maybe it's not a million dollar business, but it could be some great side money. I would have paid at least $500 to avoid the job... maybe more. No maybe about it... in retrospect, I might have paid a grand!

 

[Freedom77]

Just sayin'. Maybe Ranger 12 has the best idea. Even with the per pound cost of shipping from OK to PA it would save a lot of hassle and sweat equity, assuming the keel bolt pattern is same. ??? get a pattern on paper and compare.

 

[EnginesForward]

My v22 keel was a mess. It was constructed of a 1in thick steel center plate and 2 3/4 inch steel plates welded to each side. Instead of trying to replace the fractured fiberglass keel covering I welded 3/16 in steel and 1 inch and 2 inch pipe cut in half to mimic th shape of the fiberglass keel covering. I then painted the keel with a silver water proof paint purchased at west marine 3 coats I then covered it with fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.

 

[EnginesForward]

I cannot figure how to send photos of my keel rebuild. I can receive emails at hdrider2go@yahoo.com or cell 702 358-5617.

 

[justsomeguy]

I cannot figure how to send photos of my keel rebuild.

At the bottom of your dialogue box (where you write your posts) are three buttons.
1- Post Reply
2- Upload a File, and
3- More Options.
Click "Upload a File" and click "Choose File". Now you just need to know where the photos you want are residing, hopefully on the device you're using.

 

[Joe2-24]

Nicole, since you already have the boat up in the air on some homemade cradles, I'm sure you have plenty of gumption and some good carpentry skills. So, you probably could repair that keel if you had to. I've recently wrapped up my 1972 Venture 2-24 for the season, my first sailboat, too. This was the second summer I've spent restoring it. I've taken it out on small inland Indiana lakes twice, once in October 2017 and again in late September 2018. I still have lots of work to do to get it ready for Lake Michigan next summer. I dropped my keel this summer as part of a comprehensive bottom paint job in which I sanded it down to the gel coat, then sealed it with 5 coats of InterLux Interprotect 2000E2001E, an epoxy sealant, and topped it with two coats of InterLux VC 17m. I did some minor repairs on a couple of narrow cracks and gouges in my keel, using Evercoat Formula 27, a water-resistant filler, (It's like Bondo for boats.) and covered it with 2000E and VC 17 paints. But that was nothing anywhere close to what you're facing. I'd really recommend buying a decent used keel if you can find one. Even if you have to drive from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma, you'll be time and money ahead. U might check with Blue Water Yachts in Seattle as well. Have fun. It will be worth it.

 

[Joe2-24]

Here are some photos of my keel coming down, on the cradle, with the InterLux2000E seal coats, and the InterLux VC17m topcoats. As you can see, it was in pretty good shape to start.