I am considering a late '80s Hunter 30 as my next boat. I have sailed/cruised on a 33.5/376/410. There's a lot to like about these sailboats. However, the hunter 30s, I think, have cast-iron keels for ballast. What's been the "track record" with keels made of iron [rather than lead]? Are they a big maintenance headache or just a minor item to deal with as part of normal commissioning? Or, worse, are they a "time-bomb"? Any and all responses are greatly appreciated.
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Pete: Just A Maintenance Item
I have had three boats with iron keels in over 30 years. Look up the archives here for lots of discussion. Basically, it's paint, or paint and epoxy, or strip it, epoxy coat it and paint it. I had one fiberglassed for 15 years and had to grind some glass away and re-glass it. That's all. No big deal. Rick D.
I have had three boats with iron keels in over 30 years. Look up the archives here for lots of discussion. Basically, it's paint, or paint and epoxy, or strip it, epoxy coat it and paint it. I had one fiberglassed for 15 years and had to grind some glass away and re-glass it. That's all. No big deal. Rick D.
Maybe a little more than maintenance....
Pete, I've had a '90 Hunter 30 for two years, and first will say you won't find more boat or a finer interior layout for the money. The iron keels definitely require more maintenance than a lead keel. Every year when I haul out, there are "rosebuds" of rust that grow on the keel. You have to grind these down, seal them, I fair them out, and then bottom paint. After about ten years, it looks like most people refinish the keel completely. I actually wish I had done it this year, because I've ended up doing about a third of the keel anyway. But now that I know what I am doing, it will be much easier next year. Basically, you are looking at having the keel sand blasted, or grinding it down with a 38 grit wheel. A twisted wire wheel on a grinder works really well. Once you are down to bare metal, you can finish it with epoxy paint (Interlux 2000E---check their website or their free booklet available at marine stores for finishing iron keels) or epoxy with a seal coat additive. I decided to use West System since I am reenforcing the keel/hull joint with a couple layers of cloth. Next year this is my plan: Grind it down---using my belt sander first, to clear off bottom paint and epoxy--- Seal coat it with a coat of Interlux InterProtect 2000E (must be done within an hour, since it will start to corrode immediately) I'm going to fare it real nice with epoxy/faring compound, or Interlux Watertite, depending on which is cheaper. For a real nice finish and long term fix, I think I'll glass the whole thing, since I like to work with fiberglass. Then a barrier coat with four or five coats of Interlux Interprotect. I think the Interprotect is a little easier to use than epoxy, since you can now overcoat it in 5 hours and up to two weeks without sanding in between coats. West recommends five to six coats too, for a maximum water barrier (that is what has made my life difficult the past few days, because the weather has turned cold, and curing speeds have changed drastically---can't do two coats in one day, and today when I got to the boat, yesterday's coat was no longer tacky, so I had to sand it out again). You can get away with not doing this for a long time, in fact you will find in the archives information about rust rates on ocean tankers, etc. Basically, if you do nothing to these keels, they will last about 400 years. Some of us are just a little more AR, even below the waterline. I would buy the boat again. I like working on the boat, and figure that if I didn't have this "maintenance" problem that came with this boat, I'd be facing something else...
Pete, I've had a '90 Hunter 30 for two years, and first will say you won't find more boat or a finer interior layout for the money. The iron keels definitely require more maintenance than a lead keel. Every year when I haul out, there are "rosebuds" of rust that grow on the keel. You have to grind these down, seal them, I fair them out, and then bottom paint. After about ten years, it looks like most people refinish the keel completely. I actually wish I had done it this year, because I've ended up doing about a third of the keel anyway. But now that I know what I am doing, it will be much easier next year. Basically, you are looking at having the keel sand blasted, or grinding it down with a 38 grit wheel. A twisted wire wheel on a grinder works really well. Once you are down to bare metal, you can finish it with epoxy paint (Interlux 2000E---check their website or their free booklet available at marine stores for finishing iron keels) or epoxy with a seal coat additive. I decided to use West System since I am reenforcing the keel/hull joint with a couple layers of cloth. Next year this is my plan: Grind it down---using my belt sander first, to clear off bottom paint and epoxy--- Seal coat it with a coat of Interlux InterProtect 2000E (must be done within an hour, since it will start to corrode immediately) I'm going to fare it real nice with epoxy/faring compound, or Interlux Watertite, depending on which is cheaper. For a real nice finish and long term fix, I think I'll glass the whole thing, since I like to work with fiberglass. Then a barrier coat with four or five coats of Interlux Interprotect. I think the Interprotect is a little easier to use than epoxy, since you can now overcoat it in 5 hours and up to two weeks without sanding in between coats. West recommends five to six coats too, for a maximum water barrier (that is what has made my life difficult the past few days, because the weather has turned cold, and curing speeds have changed drastically---can't do two coats in one day, and today when I got to the boat, yesterday's coat was no longer tacky, so I had to sand it out again). You can get away with not doing this for a long time, in fact you will find in the archives information about rust rates on ocean tankers, etc. Basically, if you do nothing to these keels, they will last about 400 years. Some of us are just a little more AR, even below the waterline. I would buy the boat again. I like working on the boat, and figure that if I didn't have this "maintenance" problem that came with this boat, I'd be facing something else...
What's a little rust?
A rusting iron keel is a problem only if you see it as one! If you race, it may be a little slower. If you are really AR, it may be offensive. If you are status concious, it may bug you. But, it will never (in the lifetime of the boat) rust through or rust and fall off. ANY impact with a hard object will crack whatever coating you put on and allow water to contact the iron and Bingo! you've got rust again. Maybe a .125" thick layer of silicone or neoprene rubber, bonded somehow to the bare iron would work. But then it's be sensative to cutting... I'm really open to another opinion about WHY one's keel must rust free, For me, I don't worry about it. When the boat is out of the water next time, maybe I'll just paint over the rust with Rustolium!
A rusting iron keel is a problem only if you see it as one! If you race, it may be a little slower. If you are really AR, it may be offensive. If you are status concious, it may bug you. But, it will never (in the lifetime of the boat) rust through or rust and fall off. ANY impact with a hard object will crack whatever coating you put on and allow water to contact the iron and Bingo! you've got rust again. Maybe a .125" thick layer of silicone or neoprene rubber, bonded somehow to the bare iron would work. But then it's be sensative to cutting... I'm really open to another opinion about WHY one's keel must rust free, For me, I don't worry about it. When the boat is out of the water next time, maybe I'll just paint over the rust with Rustolium!
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