1985 Hunter 23, removing iron keel, repairing, and reattaching to hull

[Digger]

I just acquired a 1985 Hunter 23, with a rusty, 31 year old iron keel. I am considering removing, fixing and re-attaching. If anyone has any hints or helpful experience please contact me. I belong to a small sailing association and we have a lift and sling that is available. I have no experience but have had success in replacing gel coat, fairing, and applying bottom paint on a previous boat. I don't know if I should sandblast and fairing, or grind off rust, and then apply fiberglass cloth before epoxy painting. At least the bolts are stainless steel. Some advice is welcome.

Ole man's definition of EXPERIENCE - That is what you get right after you needed it.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

There is a lot written on the subject in the archives but if there are no leaks noticed in the bilge or around the keel bolts, then I would not remove that keel but if you are bent bound and determined I will advise and I am glad to hear a lift is available. send me a private email.

 

[isaksp00]

I cleaned off my rusty 23 keel with an angle grinder, using both a grinding wheel and a very stiff (very coarse) wire brush. I found that a drill was not nearly powerful enough. I made no attempt to remove the keel, as there did not appear to be any issues at the keel-hull joint. It is tough work, as you have to climb in under the boat, around the trailer steel beams. I was not able to do the bottom of the wings or the keel itself, as we have no hoists on the lake I'm on, but if careful I suppose you could use the hoist at your club. Sand blasting would probably have been easier, but I did not want to try to find a shop that could do it at the boat yard, and don't know if the yard would even have allowed it (what do you do with all the sand and peeled paint?).
I covered it with POR15 "paint", using all their cleaning chemicals first. Kind of OK, but not great. It went on nicely and covered well, but over the last few seasons rust spots have appeared. I don't race and am not worried about optimal fairing, so have not bothered to deal with the rusty spots so far (I doubt the keel is going to rust through ).
If I were to redo it, maybe I'd try an epoxy based coating, though these would be harder to apply, what with mixing and pot time.

 

[Digger]

Thanks for your info. I have much cleaning and such on the hull, inside and outside; and I doubt I'll have it ready before this fall. Under the bolt and washer just aft of the bulge where the lines go to the floating centerboard, there seems to be water and dirt and I suspect water will leak up into the hull when hull is in the water. Hence, it may be necessary to removed keel. At least It could be taken off Corp. property and be more easily prepped and properly sealed. Your advice is welcomed,
Thanks, Dave Davis

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I am now privately sending him an email as there are many issues here folks. I will keep you posted.

 

[isaksp00]

You may want to (mostly) ignore my advice. I have a 23 with the winged keel, no centerboard, so yours is different.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Isopak.
Uout advice is always good. He contacted me. I have asked for more info to include photos. If you like I can send you an email when I get back. Two heads are better than one

Dave

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Have not heard back from this gentleman and resent him my phone. This is a boat bought at an auction with a lot of things wrong. Not sure if it is the swing keel with winglets or the solid keel. Issakspo00, I will be asking for your help once he gets started but he is a senior if you are willing my friend. Thanks.

 

[isaksp00]

Sure, except I have no experience with the centerboard version of the 23, so I don't want to send him in the wrong direction.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Don/t worry. I sent you a pm this morning explaining how to help so it will be up to our new friend to contact us so if you, Digger, are listening, you have my contact information and we are standing by to offer our assistance.

 

[Reefing]

Hi friends, it has been a while, I decided to keep the boat but still working on it very slowly. In any case, and I noticed that Digger has not replied, but just in case I have some of the pictures from when I grinned my keel. The water could be water and dirt identified at the keel bolts could be from rainwater coming though the porthole plexiglass joint. it is what I discovered was my issue although there was no water stain in the carpeted roof liner.
to Digger, I will also recommend not taking the keel off and instead gently grinding the union between the metal and the fiberglass and resealing it with a 5200 or equivalent. With regards to cleaning the keep, from my pictures you will see that I did it on a trailer with a grinder and instead of the heavy wire brush I used a metal riding stone. Also, I used a battery power grinder and once I found the right stone to grind with the job was completed in about 4 hrs. if you have a sling you will be able to do something that I have not been able to do and is to clean the bottom of the keel (since mine is sitting on the trailer footing).
Hope your project goes smoothly.

 

[isaksp00]

Reefing - how did you seal your keel after you ground out the rust? And whatever you did, is it working well for you?

 

[Reefing]

Because I was not lookng to have a perfectly smooth surface i used a products similar to Pettit 6890 Rustloc steel primer. This product is intended to be used as a base to the antifouling paint. The process is very simple, you grind the keel to bare metal. Then clean with acetone and then paint. Do multiple coats and then "encase" the keel with the antifouling. In all honesty once you give the primer you can spray paint with a thiker antirust paint to build barriers. One thing I am not sure is if you wanted to put the epoxy to smooth the surface, if you would paint first and the epoxy/sand down or if you do it the other way.

 

[Jalepeno]

I had a 1986 Hunter 23 wing keel before getting my CAL. Nice easy sailing and fast little sailboat. I had the iron keel ground to bare metal, fared with four coats of epoxy and then one thick coat of ablative bottom paint. She was in the salt chuck year round with no rust problems for the next eleven years while I owned her.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I worked on so many H 23 keels over the years and came up with a procedure. First, the first 10 or so keels on the early 23's had a fixed keel forward with a swing centerboard pinned to the inside of the rear portion of the fixed keel which digger has. Verified that with him and now with the photos and diagram is able to move forward with his project but suggested caution with age and the way the boat would be handled.

These keels are cast iron which rusts. Everyone is correct where there is rust, use a wire brush style wheel to grind off rust but use eye and face protection along with gloves and mask... Bare metal, clean with acetone. Apply a coating to the metal to prevent rusting now in different names but make sure on the can it says zinc chromate. You want a flat surface. Any pits, use two part epoxy and I used Watertite which is a slow cure but dang gone it, it was the best I ever found tenancious to holding and not allowing water to affect it and filling the small pours. Applied several coatings of two part epoxy paint and the applied anti fouling. If trailering all the time, I left off the anti fouling paint. If leaving and pulling out for the winter, I used the anti fouling paint which is softer designed so that the anti fouling properties were still good for several seasons before repainting. Two coats generally of antifouling paint with one extra around the water line.

Hope this helps folks