Broken Keel Bolts - Hunter

[fconmass]

Hi All, I am doing a refit on a 1993 Hunter 30T. I asked the yard check the torque on the keel bolts. They are 3/4" and there are 7 of them. The last 2 they checked, one in the forward bilge area and one in the aft bilge area broke off. Should I have them drop the keel and redo all the bolts or maybe just drill and tap new ones where the two broke?

 

[jssailem]

Oh buggar. That is why they always say... "If it ain't broke don't try to fix it."

Well if that was my experience, I would always wonder about the bolts I did not fix.

I would carefully inspect all of the bolts from 1993...Likely I would have the lot replaced.

A keel is a terrible thing to loose.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

replacing them all is a small price to pay for the peace of mind of keeping your family and friends safe.

 

[Tally Ho]

Probably better to proactively replace them (hopefully they come out) vs having to drill them out once they break.

I don’t know if dropping the keel is necessary, but I would go for replace now.

Greg

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

Do you know what is the proper torque specification for these bolts? What did the yard torque them to? Perhaps the yard over tightened the bolts? I have personally never seen a torque wrench in a boat yard, did you see one?

 

[heritage]

This was my diy fix a few years ago. Hunter 27_75-84 Owner Modifications and Upgrades

 

[Sandy Stone]

What did the broken off bolts look like? Corroded? Necked down?

 

[RoyS]

Look like studs not bolts to me.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

May I suggest that you call Mars Metals in Canada and ask for their advice as they are the professionals!!!! They extruded your keel or made it. My suggestion is to drop the keel to fix

 

[heritage]

May I suggest that you call Mars Metals in Canada and ask for their advice as they are the professionals!!!! They extruded your keel or made it. My suggestion is to drop the keel to fix

your H31 has a cast iron keel, so dropping the keel and screwing out and replacing the broken bolts makes sense, A cast lead keel would present a much more difficult job, because the keel bolts can not be removed without melting the keel. You pretty much have to sister in a new bolt.

 

[CarlN]

I'd drop the keel. Really not hard and then you can check all the bolts and recaulk properly. Then you won't have to worry about the keel for another 25 years.

 

[fconmass]

Thankyou for all your responses. The company is Hinckley Yacht Services. I have been working with the guys in this yard for the past 8 months and I trust their judgement and their work. A torque wrench was used. Without knowing the exact type of stainless and thread, the torque is about 150. I bought the special deep end sockets needed to do it. The 2 studs broke with hardly any effort. I tend to agree with dropping the keel and redoing the bolts. The comment above about how the studs are layed into the keel is good to know. Thanks for that. I hope to meet with the yard manager to see what they recommend next week. Stay Tuned.....

next

 

[jssailem]

Pretty boat.
Nice flag on the stern quarter.

 

[Ken Cross]

You are scaring me. I better not look.

 

[fconmass]

Thankyou for all your responses. The company is Hinckley Yacht Services. I have been working with the guys in this yard for the past 8 months and I trust their judgement and their work. A torque wrench was used. Without knowing the exact type of stainless and thread, the torque is about 150. I bought the special deep end sockets needed to do it. The 2 studs broke with hardly any effort. I tend to agree with dropping the keel and redoing the bolts. The comment above about how the studs are layed into the keel is good to know. Thanks for that. I hope to meet with the yard manager to see what they recommend next week. Stay Tuned..... View attachment 196063next

Keel issue update - I decided to have the keel dropped and the studs replaced. It came off without too much effort. All the studs were rusted and almost ready to fail. Here are some pics of what the keel looks like unattached. Studs have been replaced. Some sanding and fiberglass repair is scheduled for this week and then keel will be reinstalled. Thanks again for all your suggestions.

 

[jssailem]

You will be happier in the long run for taking this action now.

 

[Tally Ho]

Yes, you will sleep easier...

Can you tell how thick the lay up is in the bilge (supporting the keep bolts)?

A small Catalina (30-footer or so) fell off the jack stands in our marina in a recent storm... the keel bolts broke through the fiberglass stub and ripped the stub apart. I inspected it, and there sure wasn't much thickness to it and it seemed like it was mostly resin and little glass...which is pretty brittle I think.



I don't think that this was a deferred maintenance issue, just bad luck.

Greg

 

[dmax]

Yikes - that Catalina layup doesn't look good, I'm surprised, they are generally pretty solid.

 

[fconmass]

Hi All, I am doing a refit on a 1993 Hunter 30T. I asked the yard check the torque on the keel bolts. They are 3/4" and there are 7 of them. The last 2 they checked, one in the forward bilge area and one in the aft bilge area broke off. Should I have them drop the keel and redo all the bolts or maybe just drill and tap new ones where the two broke?

Keel has been replaced. Should be launching soon. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Tally Ho]

@fconmass,

that looks very well done. How much work was done to the fiberglass in the keel stub? It looked like the keel pulled some of the glass apart when it was dropped.

And did the yard want the mast down when the keel was off?

On my to do list one of these layups…

Greg