Cracked Keel

[JohnnyH185]

I recently acquired a used 1990 Hunter 18.5, which also happens to be my first sailboat. I have noticed what seems to be a crack (or maybe just a joint...?) between the keel and hull. With only one sailing course under my belt I am much too novice to understand the significance of this crack - which almost extends along the whole circumference of the keel. I have included several pictures for reference:







I have found at least one forum posting (http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=79217) that seems to indicate this is common for many Hunter boats and is not really a problem. However, being a new boat owner I am still nervous about it.

Any advice?

 

[seadaddler]

More Info

I don't know any thing about that model boat and hopefully some who does know will jump in but any way how about inside does it have a bilge and can you see any keel bolts and how do they look,have you had it in the water yet to see if water leaks in,these might be some questions that will be asked.
Hope it is just a easy fix.
Nick

 

[JohnnyH185]

Re: More Info

Thanks for the reply. The boat does have a bilge which I am struggling to keep dry as it sits on a trailer such that rain water runs forward into the cabin as opposed to backward towards the drain. At time when I managed to have the boat tilted correctly I found the drain clogged very often and I would sometimes come home to find the boat actually tipped forward. So this is an issue I am also trying to learn about.

That part aside, I will attempt to drain the boat so that I can look around for keel bolts. Is your thought that the bolts could be loose, causing the keel to fall a bit?

The boat has not been in water for at least 6 years (based on the fact that it was last registered in 2003).

 

[Manny]

I'm not familiar with that model but it just looks like the hull/keel joint. Hopefully someone with that model will post soon and clarify this. Two things, first you say water is getting in the bilge, do you notice an evidence of water leaking out of the joint? The other is you could hire a surveyor to take a look.

Manny

 

[petersea]

Your pictures are showing the keel hull joint and what would appear to be a poor job of fixing it at one time. IF there is no leak it is strictly cosmetic, however it is not a hard fix and this occurs on lots of boats and models. First try and determine if it leaks after all if it will leak water out it will leak water in. The pic look dry since you said there is water in the bilge. Second check and re-torque (if needed) the keel bolts. Third fix the crack and just to be clear this is realy no more then a seam of the hull (fiberglass) and keel(metal),not that you keel is "cracked" . There are lots of articles and good info the the archives on both the keel bolts and fixing the crack. Good Luck ! with your new to you boat !

 

[JohnnyH185]

Thanks for the advice. I feel confident that there is no leak as the bilge has a lot of water in it while the keel remains dry. When I get a chance, I will re-tourque the keel bolts and read a bit more about whether I should bother dressing the seam.

By the way, if there's anybody around Charleston, SC that's looking for some work I'm going to be looking for paid help with getting this boat back in the water. I'll be posting more information on my personal site (see profile) over the next couple weeks.

 

[Bill Leathen]

Good Pictures

Good job with the pictures. I believe you are looking at where the iron keel and the fiberglass meet. There is a tendency for this type of crack to occur because of the differential expansion rate of the fiberglass and the iron. As the temperature changes, the iron expands (or contracts) at one speed. The fiberglass is slower to change and the difference in the speed causes the "crack". The PO must have neglected or not been concerned about the appearance and I believe it really is just an appearnce issue. However, on my H23, when a similar but less severe "crack" stated to appear, I cleaned everything up the best I could. The iron part got a treatment of Naval Jelly to remove the rust. Then I applied Marine Tex with a putty knife and smoothed it all out. Then bottom paint.

One of your pictures looks to have a little more rust along the line. If that is actually wet, I would look into why. You could close the boat, duct tape a shop vac hose to blow air into the boat and put it under just a little pressure. Then soap bubble the joint to see if air is blowing out. I have done that successfully on my son's Laser, and contemplated it on my H23.

I suspect a lot of us will be interested in what you find. One thing is for sure, you will love sailing. Good Luck and keep us posted.
Bill Leathen - Lake Onalaska