Check your keels

K

kampuniform

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Jan 20, 2017
78
Yamaha 33 Vancouver
Interesting article. However, given that the the number of keel incidents are <75 over 35+ years, and factor in the large number of groundings that contributed to the incidents, the opportunities for encountering the loss of one’s keel is vanishingly small.
 
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D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
11,422
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Keel maintenance should be part of routine boat maintenance. Check the keelboats for corrosion, periodically re-torque them, look for weeping along the keel/hull joint. If the boat has been grounded, haul it and check the bolts.
 
CloudDiver

CloudDiver

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Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Just pushes me more toward Catamarans... as much as I love mono-hulls, the pro's of multi-hulls just outweigh the cons (for me).
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Cats have their own turtle problem. Booms 20+ feet off the water, high freeboard, no ballast, and zero righting moment. After seeing what H.Irma did to the BVI cat charter fleet, bare poles, you have to wonder whether they really are seaworthy.
 
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Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi

Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi

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Mar 3, 2003
710
Hunter 356 Grand Rivers
How does one check the bolts? Do you haul out and unscrew one at a time and replace or reinstall to factory torque or what is the recommended procedure?
 
Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,746
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Gunni said:
After seeing what H.Irma did to the BVI cat charter fleet, bare poles, you have to wonder whether they really are seaworthy.
Click to expand
Let's not discount decades of successful ocean sailing and racing. Centuries, really, if you count Polynesian sailboats. It's not like they didn't know what they were doing.

Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi said:
How does one check the bolts? Do you haul out and unscrew one at a time and replace or reinstall to factory torque or what is the recommended procedure?
Click to expand
A very good question. How about just doing it every ten years or depending on what others with that kind of boat have found. Assume a certain rate of corrosion. Or go with an inspectible CB design.

- Will (Dragonfly)
 
DArcy

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,704
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
The article may be a little alarmist, it makes it sounds like an epidemic of keels falling off is just around the corner. I check the torque on my keel bolts every spring. I wouldn't call it a thorough inspections but it forces me down into the bilge to have a look and if a bolt is nearing failure it would likely stretch causing a loose nut which might be found by applying torque.
 
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chuckwayne

chuckwayne

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Mar 20, 2004
1,730
Hunter 356 and 216 Portland, ME
As Dave said, keep the nuts and backing plates in the bilge clean, inspect for corrosion, and retorque periodically. I retorque (BIG torque wrench!) annually while Escape's on the Hard. It's common for the fairing compound to crack around the keel-hull joint- the stuff's brittle, so clean and refair, or use caulk. The keel on the 356 is bedded in 5200 and it's not likely to come off.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
chuckwayne said:
As Dave said, keep the nuts and backing plates in the bilge clean, inspect for corrosion, and retorque periodically. I retorque (BIG torque wrench!) annually while Escape's on the Hard. It's common for the fairing compound to crack around the keel-hull joint- the stuff's brittle, so clean and refair, or use caulk. The keel on the 356 is bedded in 5200 and it's not likely to come off.
Click to expand
5200 creates bond with the surface only. It the bolts fail, the 5200 will simply pull the top layer of the laminate off with it when the keel drops off.
 
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Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,746
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Most of those corroded bolt images look a lot like electrolysis damage. Are those bolts being used as ground? Is that a thing to look at and consider?

Very good point about failed keel bolts allowing bonded kneels to take part of the hull laminate with it. Never thought of it that way.

- Will (Dragonfly)
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
11,422
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Will Gilmore said:
Most of those corroded bolt images look a lot like electrolysis damage. Are those bolts being used as ground? Is that a thing to look at and consider?

Very good point about failed keel bolts allowing bonded kneels to take part of the hull laminate with it. Never thought of it that way.

- Will (Dragonfly)
Click to expand
It is more likely crevice corrosion. The corrosion appears to be in the where the bolt passes through the fiberglass. Water gets in there and becomes stagnant, the oxygen gets used up and the steel starts corroding itself.
 
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C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,062
-na -NA Anywhere USA
all good points but maintenance which includes checking keel bolts and keeping the tight looking for anything is a must.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
These boats that lose their keels and scare the bejeebers out of everyone have a few things in common that likely don't apply to any of you responsible owners:
  1. Rode hard, put up wet. Boats designed to trade robust construction for performance, speed and handling. Long fins with a small root attachment, swing keels, blade/bulbs, etc. These boats have little reserve strength, and may have been abused. Their useful life has been expended.
  2. Neglect. A history of compromised integrity. Leaking sumps, busted hull grids, loose attachments, delaminated hull layups, gaps in the keel-hull attachment, keel crash damage.
  3. Bad Family. Boats that have a reputation for poor construction and known keel problems. A diligent buyer should do a background check. Some boats are not worth owning at any price.
 
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jon hansen

jon hansen

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May 25, 2012
4,335
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
the nick name for the keel on my old alden is "crab crusher keel". what that implies is that if you were to slam into a reef you check the reef for damage ( dead crabs ) cause you know your keel is just fine. :) old school
 
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jon hansen

jon hansen

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May 25, 2012
4,335
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
ok, on my ascow, we check for damage after every sail. you can damage the boxes just by slamming the boards up and down abruptly.
 
jon hansen

jon hansen

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May 25, 2012
4,335
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
back in 66' the new rage was the cal 40. new designs built with new materials. the local dealer had one out of the water . i remember looking at it with a group of old timers and they all concurred that the finn keel and non supported rudder would never work. it was a disaster waiting to happen.
then a cal 40 won the transpac, they started selling like hot cakes.
all the old timer's opinions were wrong.

now i'm an old timer :)
 
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Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,746
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
jon hansen said:
then a cal 40 won the transpac, they started selling like hot cakes.
all the old timer's opinions were wrong.

now i'm an old timer :)
Click to expand
It has forever been so.:what: It is much safer to be the naysayer than the visionary.:cool: If you're wrong and it worked, your objections are soon forgotten:doh:, but if it turned out you were right:dancing:, suddenly, you are the expert of the moment:clap: as the visionary's future goes down in flames.:wahwah:

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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