bottom repairs

[Eric linklater]

I have just pulled my boat out and found a number of ugly gooey blisters of rust colored nodules stuck to my keel. They all washed off with a pressure washer. But I assume that the paint/whatever it is on the keel beneath the antifouling paint has a few holes in it. What should I do to fix it? Do I go as far as sandblasting the whole thing and re-doing the barrier coat and farring compound and then the anti-fouling or do I just touch up the few spots and then slather on the anti-fouling paint or is there another plan?Eric Linklater"Worlds Away"

 

[Paul Akers]

Interlux 3000

Interlux sells a product called 3000E (or similar name). It's like a two-part epoxy. I had gelcoat cracking on my lead keel and I chipped away the scale and sanded to bare metal. Then I mixed up the batch to reseal the area. It worked fine. Just be sure to mix a small batch or use up all of it because it will harden in the can within a couple of days. About $25/qt.

 

[Ron Barrow]

Keel Rust Repair

Eric:There have been others with this problem, myself included, in the recent past. You might check for similar posts in the archive. Check for one on 3/11/97, another on 3/5/99. There may have been an even more recent flury of information on this topic. The bottom line is that you have to get ALL of the rust off the metal (Make it shine) before applying anything. 2nd, you can't wait long (1/2 hour) before coating. (I recently did the keel of my Hunter 33.5, and I think you could actually watch the keel rust on a humid day.) 3rd, what you put on may depend on what coating is around the spot that you are fixing, if you don't strip the whole keel to bare metal or barrier coat. Interlux has a good site: yachtpaint.com. Good Luck! I am about finished with my blister repair job - it has taken too much time and been too much work, but Counterpoint will go back into the water next week!

 

[Bruce]

I wanna lead keel!

I sure do wish Hunter used lead for their keel! I had the same problem and the idea of something rusting away underneath me was too much so I did the whole sandblast thing, with the Interlux system. So far, into my 4th year and no problems. I don't know if I would do the deluxe repair next time - a very tiny rust spot can cause a lot of stain. Ron was right - the rust (after exposing the steel) begins immediately - have the solution mixed and the blaster paid so you can start applying as soon as he is finished.