302 Keel bolt specs and socket size

[Mackaroni]

I have been looking online to try and find the keel bolt specifications for how tight to torque the keel bolts on the 302.

Where can I find this info? Anyone know what it is? I haven't been able to find any procedures or specs for it.....only horror stories about the keel falling off.


Also....am an hour away from the boat. Any idea what the socket sizes are for the bolts?

I had it inspected last year but wanted to check them again since it is on the hard and wanted to do it myself.

Thanks

 

[njlarry]

Not near the boat right now but on the 34 it is 160 ft-lbs with a I think a 1 1/4 inch deep set socket that I could only locate online.
160 is not much pushing down but pulling horizotally I struggled to get 120 ft-lbs. The amazing part was how loose they were.
ps: don't forget to "sound" each bolt with a ball peen hammer- no dull thuds.

 

[jibes138]

This has been discussed at length several times. Do a search on this topic and you should find the info you seek. If you know the size of the thread on the stud there are tables you can get on the internet to give you the torque. Here's one for an example.
http://www.engineersedge.com/torque_table_sae.htm

 

[Mackaroni]

Thanks Jibes. I did search and didn't find anything specific. I am not trying to seem as if I haven't looked. I just thought that O'day would have specified how tight they wanted the bolts.

Thanks and sorry.

 

[jibes138]

I wasn't being snide in my remarks, I just thought you could find your bolt size in the archives and possibly the torque value. Just use a scale and measure your bolt diameter and number of threads per inch. Then use the table I attached for that size bolt assuming 316 stainless studs. You can also download a table to show for the torque applied how much clamping force is on the joint. Then add up the clamping force for the number of bolts and you get the total force available to hold your keel on the boat. It is a huge number, lots of safety factor. But a keel has a lot of dynamic loading so that is a good thing.

 

[Evan656]

There are 3x1" diameter bolts and 1x1/2" bolt for the 302 keel. According to my O'Day manual, the torque for the 1" bolts is 280 Ft Lbs. The torque for the 1/2" bolt is 70 Ft Lbs. Two of the 1" bolts are visible in the bilge. The third is under the table pedestal. The 1/2" bolt is behind the bilge lying under the pump out line. You will need a 1.5 inch deep socket and an 8" or more extension for the 1" bolts.

 

[Mackaroni]

Evan.....just out of curiosity, how do you get to the one under the table pedestal? I saw four screws that hold the pedestal to floor....is it hard to get the pedestal out of the way to get to the keel bolts?

 

[Evan656]

Evan.....just out of curiosity, how do you get to the one under the table pedestal? I saw four screws that hold the pedestal to floor....is it hard to get the pedestal out of the way to get to the keel bolts?

I attempted to torque the accessible bolts this past fall while the boat was in the water. I'll be going back at it this week as we get ready for launch. I am planning to undo the four screws and loosen the connection to the deck to move the pedestal out of the way to access the bolt. I'll let you know how that goes.

 

[jibes138]

Just a heads up, I tried to use a 1/2 drive universal joint to give me a little more height along with an extension on my torque wrench. I bought the universal joint at Harbor freight and it completely ripped apart at about 150 foot pounds or maybe a little less. So don't waste your money especially if our torque requirement is even higher. There is a real issue with that much torque and long extensions as you put a side load on the wrench assembly. You really need someone to hold the extensions vertical while the torque is applied. That much torque needs a long lever arm or a lot of strength in an awkward position.

 

[Mackaroni]

I really appreciate that advice. There is a mechanic in my yard that I will hire to help torque the bolts when I finally expose them. I think I have to take the table pedestal off to find the third bolt. I wasn't able to get to the boat today and tomorrow weather is looking rather bleak as well.

For some reason I remember putting massive torque on the rear axle nut of a volkswagen beetle. I think I did it with a breaker bar and a torque wrench by driving the car up the breaker bar. Don't think that is going to work in this instance.

 

[jibes138]

You can get a geared wrench that increases your leverage but probably not worth the investment versus the amount it will ever be used. Here's an example of one but it cost over 400 bucks. http://www.protorquetools.com/cat-58-1-160/williams-planetary-torque-multipliers.htm

 

[Evan656]

As Jibes wrote, the amount of torque and the space in which to work make torquing the bolts a real challenge. I am hoping that moving the table pedestal/support column for mast out of the way will give me access to the 3rd bolt and more room to work on the bolts. All of this makes me wonder how O'Day did it. There are pneumatic guns that have different max torque specs up to and beyond the torque for the 1" bolts but none of them are designed to set torque. So the only way to ensure torque is correct is with a torque wrench.
I don't think that checking the torque is an annual/routine activity. More like an occasional activity as all bolts can stretch slightly over time under load. As a new owner of an '88 O'Day 302, I want to check the torque, or have it checked, to satisfy myself that the keel to stub connection is as solid as it was designed to be. After that if I notice any cracks, gaps or movement of the joint, I'll call the surveyor back and look at dropping the keel, etc. Until then, I am going to enjoy my outings... Well, after I fix the bearings in the original roller reefing system...

 

[Mackaroni]

So one of the keel bolts is located under the table pedestal. How do you get to this to check the torque? Can I remove the pedestal without taking the mast off?

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b623/ice5c4tl/photo-6_zpsz84sg3re.jpg

 

[Evan656]

I have no doubt that the pedestal is designed to support the weight of the mast and that taking it out while the mast is up and under tension would put to much stress on the deck. The mast would have to be down to get the pedestal out of the way and to reach the third bolt.
I am lucky that our marina has a crane for dropping the mast. It is a relatively easy job to do and the crane is free for members to use.

 

[the_alpine]

You could also provide temporary support to the mast base with a 4x4 and a bottle jack.

 

[BaySkipper]

My 1989 O'Day 302 has 3 keel bolts [ 1 inch] and 1.5 inch nuts;
Does anyone have the same bolts?

 

[Evan656]

My 1989 O'Day 302 has 3 keel bolts [ 1 inch] and 1.5 inch nuts;
Does anyone have the same bolts?

In my March 1988 model, i can see the 3x1" SS and one x 1/2" ss bolt. I am curious. Is that what the manual says.

 

[Mackaroni]

The manual I have shows a cut away of a 322 which seems to have more bolts. I also have three 1 inch bolts and and one 1/2 inch bolt. The forward 1 inch bolt is under the table pedestal and inaccessible without moving the mast to clear the pedestal.

My boat is being moved tomorrow to another place in the yard where the mast can be taken off. Most likely, the mast will come off this weekend and perhaps we may even get to dropping the keel. I will take plenty of pictures and post them here letting you know what I find.