Hi all,
Looking for a little info from folks to gauge whether I need to take action on an issue....
We own a 1996 Hunter 376 with a full draft (not-shoal) lead keel. We're based in Wisconsin on Lake Superior, so the boat gets hauled out each winter. The boat was new to us in 2021, so we're going into our third season.
Last year I noticed a few hairline cracks at the hull-keel joint. No water was coming in through the keel bolts into the bilge, so I V'd out the crack and sealed with GFlex assuming that the cracks were probably from the keel having flexed some. I also noticed that we had a couple of bulges down toward the bottom of the keel (extending above flat by maybe 1/4" over an area about the size of a softball). I assumed that maybe some water leaked in between the fiberglass and the lead and bulged when the hard freeze hit.
Last season I took the drill and put a little hole at the bottom of the bulge, assuming that this would drain any accumulated water. However, I found that the coating on the keel was only about 1/8" of epoxy (maybe less) with no fiberglass or other filler type material. When drilling there was no gap between the coating and the lead, and no water came out. I filled in this gap with GFlex, we launched, and had a good season.
I wasn't present for haul out or winterizing last fall (an unfortunate incident involving stairs and broken bones two days before our scheduled haul-out date), so did not get to inspect the bottom of the boat pre-winter. We made it to up to the boat to uncover last weekend (it's been an eternal winter), as I was inspecting things I noticed another bulge in the keel (in a different place). Now, it's been a year, so I THINK it is a new bulge, although I'm not 100% certain--there is a chance that when I drilled l last season and didn't find water I just left this bulge and didn't touch it. That said, I'm wondering if there is action to be taken. The bulge(s) are low on the keel, so no where near keel bolts or where the keel attaches to the boat. I don't see any bulges on the bottom of the keel or on the wings. The GFlex that I used on at the keel joint looks solid (no cracking, everything in place) as does the GFlex I used to fill the "drain" hole.
My questions:
What exactly is the coating on the lead keel for the 1996 vintage hunters? Is it fiberglass or epoxy? Is it just a thick paint? Is it even possible for water to have made its way between the lead and that coating?
The bulge is down low, so I don't think there is any potential of impact to the hull/keel joint. But it certainly feels like there is water in there somewhere. If I knock/press the bulge is solid--this isn't a blister. I'm just not sure as to action to be taken and haven't found a lot of specific info about how these keels are constructed. I'm mostly wondering if I have an action step here before launching in a few weeks.
Thanks!
Looking for a little info from folks to gauge whether I need to take action on an issue....
We own a 1996 Hunter 376 with a full draft (not-shoal) lead keel. We're based in Wisconsin on Lake Superior, so the boat gets hauled out each winter. The boat was new to us in 2021, so we're going into our third season.
Last year I noticed a few hairline cracks at the hull-keel joint. No water was coming in through the keel bolts into the bilge, so I V'd out the crack and sealed with GFlex assuming that the cracks were probably from the keel having flexed some. I also noticed that we had a couple of bulges down toward the bottom of the keel (extending above flat by maybe 1/4" over an area about the size of a softball). I assumed that maybe some water leaked in between the fiberglass and the lead and bulged when the hard freeze hit.
Last season I took the drill and put a little hole at the bottom of the bulge, assuming that this would drain any accumulated water. However, I found that the coating on the keel was only about 1/8" of epoxy (maybe less) with no fiberglass or other filler type material. When drilling there was no gap between the coating and the lead, and no water came out. I filled in this gap with GFlex, we launched, and had a good season.
I wasn't present for haul out or winterizing last fall (an unfortunate incident involving stairs and broken bones two days before our scheduled haul-out date), so did not get to inspect the bottom of the boat pre-winter. We made it to up to the boat to uncover last weekend (it's been an eternal winter), as I was inspecting things I noticed another bulge in the keel (in a different place). Now, it's been a year, so I THINK it is a new bulge, although I'm not 100% certain--there is a chance that when I drilled l last season and didn't find water I just left this bulge and didn't touch it. That said, I'm wondering if there is action to be taken. The bulge(s) are low on the keel, so no where near keel bolts or where the keel attaches to the boat. I don't see any bulges on the bottom of the keel or on the wings. The GFlex that I used on at the keel joint looks solid (no cracking, everything in place) as does the GFlex I used to fill the "drain" hole.
My questions:
What exactly is the coating on the lead keel for the 1996 vintage hunters? Is it fiberglass or epoxy? Is it just a thick paint? Is it even possible for water to have made its way between the lead and that coating?
The bulge is down low, so I don't think there is any potential of impact to the hull/keel joint. But it certainly feels like there is water in there somewhere. If I knock/press the bulge is solid--this isn't a blister. I'm just not sure as to action to be taken and haven't found a lot of specific info about how these keels are constructed. I'm mostly wondering if I have an action step here before launching in a few weeks.
Thanks!
