I have been aggressively sailing our 1980 O’day 28'. Last time we sailed home in 30kt winds and she has been solid. Ever since our survey when I found out that the keel bolts were not visible I have wondered about there condition. When the wind was howling that thought nagged me. Does any one know how to inspect them or is it even necessary? Thanks Tom
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Nice photo!
Hi Tom - I heard about your "exciting" sail back from Brownsville. I was able to inspect the keel bolts on my Islander 28 simply by looking in the bilge; apparently not the case with your boat. Given that you've just been sailing the heck out of the boat and haven't grounded hard, I wouldn't be too concerned about the keel being loose. Sailing is good for your boat! Are you sure the boat doesn't have ballast built into the mold (i.e. no keel bolts)? - perhaps another OD28 owner will pipe in. Hope to see you out on the water again... Trevor
Hi Tom - I heard about your "exciting" sail back from Brownsville. I was able to inspect the keel bolts on my Islander 28 simply by looking in the bilge; apparently not the case with your boat. Given that you've just been sailing the heck out of the boat and haven't grounded hard, I wouldn't be too concerned about the keel being loose. Sailing is good for your boat! Are you sure the boat doesn't have ballast built into the mold (i.e. no keel bolts)? - perhaps another OD28 owner will pipe in. Hope to see you out on the water again... Trevor
Whats up
Howdy Trevor! We have had fun being boat owners. All the other boats at the club that I have looked at had their bolts exposed in the bilge but not Mai Tai. I know that when Mai Tai was on the hard the keel was or felt like it was solid lead. So Im pretty sure that it is not encased in fiber glass. The survey says they are encapsulated. I know it would be a worst case situation but since we push her I try to make sure everything is sound. By the way I think this is pretty cool. T
Howdy Trevor! We have had fun being boat owners. All the other boats at the club that I have looked at had their bolts exposed in the bilge but not Mai Tai. I know that when Mai Tai was on the hard the keel was or felt like it was solid lead. So Im pretty sure that it is not encased in fiber glass. The survey says they are encapsulated. I know it would be a worst case situation but since we push her I try to make sure everything is sound. By the way I think this is pretty cool. T
Is it the centerboard model?
Tom,If you have the centerboard model the lead is probably encapsulated like mine was on the O'25. I have the shoal draft version of the 28 now and I have keel boals that can be seen in the bilge when I lift the floorboards up. There is a centerboard O'28 at my marina and we're going down this weekend. If the owner is there I will asak him what his looks like and post the answer next week. PM
Tom,If you have the centerboard model the lead is probably encapsulated like mine was on the O'25. I have the shoal draft version of the 28 now and I have keel boals that can be seen in the bilge when I lift the floorboards up. There is a centerboard O'28 at my marina and we're going down this weekend. If the owner is there I will asak him what his looks like and post the answer next week. PM
Terminology
I think we are confusing the issue with our terminology. The "Keel" is the fin shaped part on the bottom of the boat. The "ballast" is the weight that helps keep the boat shiny-side up. On many boats (Catalina, Beneteau, O'day 272& 302), the ballast and the keel are one and the same - the fin shape is made from lead or iron and bolted to the bottom of the hull. It is also possible build a fiberglass boat (and it is common with many O'days) by molding the the shape of the keel as part of the hull and then placing the ballast weight inside it. When the ballast is sealed inside and covered with fiberglass and resin it becomes "encapsulated ballast", but not an "encapsulated keel". If there are no bolts (and they are usually big and easy to spot), the boat is probably constructed using the second technique.
I think we are confusing the issue with our terminology. The "Keel" is the fin shaped part on the bottom of the boat. The "ballast" is the weight that helps keep the boat shiny-side up. On many boats (Catalina, Beneteau, O'day 272& 302), the ballast and the keel are one and the same - the fin shape is made from lead or iron and bolted to the bottom of the hull. It is also possible build a fiberglass boat (and it is common with many O'days) by molding the the shape of the keel as part of the hull and then placing the ballast weight inside it. When the ballast is sealed inside and covered with fiberglass and resin it becomes "encapsulated ballast", but not an "encapsulated keel". If there are no bolts (and they are usually big and easy to spot), the boat is probably constructed using the second technique.
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