bristol 27 keel

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May 6, 2012
9
bristol 27 weekender guilford
hi, i just got this bristol 27. all in all in a good shape except for the area on the heel of the keel it seems to be peeling apart.
i am not sure what it is behind the area and how to fix it. might be lead, fiberglass, the bilge ? any of your ideas and or advice is welcome.

bristol27keelLo.jpeg
 
Feb 26, 2009
716
Oday 30 Anchor Yacht Club, Bristol PA
uh....structural damage. Rudder will tear loose if it's not already. Possibly it's from water getting in the keel, freezing and pushing it apart from the inside. It also Looks like a hard grounding or damage from being dropped. Are the stringers (floor beams) cracked under the floor? Sorry to say....but it's pretty bad and expensive to fix Who will do the fixing?
 
May 6, 2012
9
bristol 27 weekender guilford
thanks Denise ! i looked under the floor in the cabin but see nothing unusual, i am not sure where the floor beams would be... this damaged area is the spot where the boat was supported by a block of wood while out of the water. according to the previous owner this comes from staying on that hard (oak) block of wood for too long, cracked and possibly water went inside the crack and expanded.... my idea was to grind away the damaged fiberglass and glass it over. the rudder looks ok. i am planning to remove the rudder before the repairs. i would do the repairs myself. have some experience with fiberglass but not a lot. do you have any more advice?
 

CalebD

.
Jun 27, 2006
1,479
Tartan 27' 1967 Nyack, NY
Lower rudder bearing is suspect. Difficult to tell from the picture if there is a metal "U" shaped retainer that may actually hold the lower bearing in place, or not. Either way you do don't want to lose your rudder.

Your plan sounds good.
I'd only add that you can use empty gallon milk containers and/or soda bottles to create a mold for your epoxy/fiberglass repairs. Epoxy adheres poorly to most of these kinds of plastics.

Good luck.
 
May 6, 2012
9
bristol 27 weekender guilford
thank you Caleb ! i think the bilge does not go that far down. i assume that there might be a beam or some other kind of strengthening going on at the (near vertical) end of the keel. once i take off the rudder i should see what's what :>)
how does one go about taking off the rudder ? thanks again for the input!
 
Feb 26, 2009
716
Oday 30 Anchor Yacht Club, Bristol PA
Well you will need to dig cut chisel to get the bad stuff out. the fiberglass will have to be feather edged to match the new. By the diagram the weight if more foward in the keel so I guess that end is just filler but would still be structural to some degree. You will need grinders, sanders, epoxy, epoxy fillers (structural and non) cloth, and epoxy of course. West system "wrote the book" but there are others. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/

 
May 6, 2012
9
bristol 27 weekender guilford
thank you Denise !
i will chisel and grind away all the broken stuff and feather the edges as you've described. my dremel might come in handy :>)
so i guess the broken line on the side view blueprint is where the lead is.
when you say it is filler, would that be solid fiberglass / epoxy in the heel portion of the keel ? i am sure i will see. i will take some pictures of my progress and post for reference.
i wonder how far the bilge comes down, if i will 'hit' it with my repair work. that would be scary.
is there any material one should or could embed with the resin besides the cloth ? kevlar / graphite / carbon or some other cool strong material? i would only need a bit of that but would make sure this will not happen again (at the same spot). i wonder if i shouldn't do the entire bottom edge...
 
Feb 26, 2009
716
Oday 30 Anchor Yacht Club, Bristol PA
Hope you can connect with some bristol owners maybe they would have more input. Not sure what the your keel filler is made of. Personally I'd strip the whole bottom and barrier coat it after you repair the damage.
 
Sep 7, 2011
13
Bold Rascal Pearson 33 Mount Vernon, MD
Rudder Shoe

Dr G.
Not sure what year your B27 is but my rudder shoe looked nothing at all like what you have pictured. You have a lot of repair work ahead of you, Take your time. you can do it. Your bilge does not extend down that far. Be careful with that rudder, it's HEAVY. You might contact Andy at www.bristol27.com He's doing a fantastic refurbish project and might be able to give you some advice. Good luck to you.

A couple of other comments:
The B27 is a great boat, solid as they come and a great sailer.
Do you have an Atomic Four inboard? If so you should for sure check out the Moyer Marine site and especially the excellent forum there. Huge help...
 
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May 6, 2012
9
bristol 27 weekender guilford
Re: Rudder Shoe

thank you Mr.Rascal ! yes it seems that the 'rudder shoe' has been modified and or replaced. i have looked at other B27s and they had no bolts or anything like that mine has. but once i take it off i will be in a better position to judge the situation. it might be a custom piece installed there, but as long as it does what it supposed to, should be fine, i think. thanks for the advice with the rudder i will have help ready to take it off. the rudder also has some rust sports and according to the previous owner it has been redone before. i will grind away the flaking stuff and finish with epoxy. i appreciate your encouragement !>)
 
May 6, 2012
9
bristol 27 weekender guilford
:>) the above picture is from another B27's keel, just posted for comparing the rudder shoes. i will post some more pics tonight, thanks for the patience :>)
 
Sep 7, 2011
13
Bold Rascal Pearson 33 Mount Vernon, MD
Your welcome

So.....Does your B27 have an inboard engine? I had the same model but with a 2 stroke mounted in the Lazeratte..
 
Feb 4, 2007
81
- - Somerset,
I scrapped a Bristol 26 awhile ago. Different boats but same vintage. The keel was a hollow mold into which they dropped the ballast. They then glassed over the top of the ballast. As you rebuild the aft end of the keel I would leave the rudder in place because that is going to determine where your rudder bearing will be. It appears that your boat has a history of being blocked wrong. Blocking should only be placed under the p[art of the keel that contains the lead as in the diagram. This area is solid. Other parts of thekeel are hollow and are not designed to bere the weight of the boat.
 
May 6, 2012
9
bristol 27 weekender guilford
yesterday i started grinding.
have found lots of filler and some fiberglass.
the grinding exposed the lead.
aft from the lead just filler and some rotten putty kind of stuff. some black and brittle (rotten) and some blue and a bit soft but not rotten looking.
when i have reached the lead (ballast) water started dripping out.
not a lot but a drop every 5 seconds. i wonder if it is from the bilge. i pumped the bilge of course but there might still be a bit left.
i will test by filling food coloring (water) into the bilge and see if it is coming out on the bottom.
if it is not from the bilge this might be water from between the lead and the fiberglass ? or it might have been from the damaged a cracked bottom edge. who knows.
after i exposed the lead and the dripping started, i stopped the grinding. i would like it to drain and dry out. unless it is bilge water of course.
a good sign is and was that the bilge had a lot of water before but nothing came out.
of course i used Tyvek suit and respirator for the grinding of the glass.
will definitely post pics tonight.

Denise.: thanks for the continued patience.
Bold Rascal: unfortunately i have no inboard only outboard in the well...
to Tedbeds: thanks for the great advice, i will leave the rudder where it is. i checked the shoe and it does not budge. i hope it is backed by good material, as i did grind around it. great advice about the blocking, i wish previous owner would have known it...
 
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