when gettin my 1978 Hunter 25 ready to lanch this year I've noticed cracks in the keel about halfway up from bottom and running horizontil also on the very rear edge of keel.This will be my third year with this boat. it looks like a preveous owner tryed to fill the cracks with something like a bondo type of filller which has absorbed water and then expaned making the cracks much larger and deeper.I've used a dremmel to try to remove most of the old filler an am planning to use marine tex to fill and reshape the keel anybody out there ever had to go through this and what did you do? also any info about how the keel was made would be a help. Thanks Rick
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Keel bolts
Go inside and check your bilge area, There should be some big nuts with bolt ends sticking up out in the keel area. These hold the keel on and over time may or may not need to get maintenanced. After you have gotten all the filler out try and tighten up the bolts over the crack. This is a "hole in the bottom of the boat" issue and there is the possability that you will not get a good seal on the keel bolts if not done correctly. I'm not familure with the 25 so I'm not going to try and discribe the procedure. Perhaps one of the other guys/galls will have specifics. I know on my Catalina 30 there was a whole factory prescribed procedure that was implemented to correct the problem on the whole fleet.
Go inside and check your bilge area, There should be some big nuts with bolt ends sticking up out in the keel area. These hold the keel on and over time may or may not need to get maintenanced. After you have gotten all the filler out try and tighten up the bolts over the crack. This is a "hole in the bottom of the boat" issue and there is the possability that you will not get a good seal on the keel bolts if not done correctly. I'm not familure with the 25 so I'm not going to try and discribe the procedure. Perhaps one of the other guys/galls will have specifics. I know on my Catalina 30 there was a whole factory prescribed procedure that was implemented to correct the problem on the whole fleet.
Tighten Keel Bolts
If you follow Bill"s advice and feel you need to tighten your keel bolts you need to take the weight off your keel. Tough to tighten bolts when you have the weight of the keel hanging off the hull, make sure you tighten them while the boat is out of water on block and stands or cradle, if its in the water you will need to have it hauled with lift and lowered until the weight of the keel is on hard ground.
If you follow Bill"s advice and feel you need to tighten your keel bolts you need to take the weight off your keel. Tough to tighten bolts when you have the weight of the keel hanging off the hull, make sure you tighten them while the boat is out of water on block and stands or cradle, if its in the water you will need to have it hauled with lift and lowered until the weight of the keel is on hard ground.
Cracks in keel
I have just worked on my 25, I faired and snugged the keel at the hull to keel joint with 5200 & Marinetex after tightening and if you actually have cracks in your lead, I would consider using one of those expoxy metal weld J.G. ...something or others, you may also want to consider glassing the whole keel if thats the case (cracks in the lead) first by using a coat of fiberglass resin then applying cloth then coating again to seal those crack but make sure you stripe the keel of anti-fouling.
I have just worked on my 25, I faired and snugged the keel at the hull to keel joint with 5200 & Marinetex after tightening and if you actually have cracks in your lead, I would consider using one of those expoxy metal weld J.G. ...something or others, you may also want to consider glassing the whole keel if thats the case (cracks in the lead) first by using a coat of fiberglass resin then applying cloth then coating again to seal those crack but make sure you stripe the keel of anti-fouling.
Keel cracks
I have an 81 h25 and I know this keel. I would be alarmed by cracks in the alloy. How long? How deep? This is (I'm guessing, but a very educated guess) that the lead has been hardened with antimony, and perhaps nickle and/or tin. Given the thickness of the metal I would want to know why it cracked. If it was a grounding it was a severe hit. How much of the strength of the keel has been reduced? This alloy that I hypothosize is quite crystaline in structure, and could be damaged on a scale that the eye can't see. Jim
I have an 81 h25 and I know this keel. I would be alarmed by cracks in the alloy. How long? How deep? This is (I'm guessing, but a very educated guess) that the lead has been hardened with antimony, and perhaps nickle and/or tin. Given the thickness of the metal I would want to know why it cracked. If it was a grounding it was a severe hit. How much of the strength of the keel has been reduced? This alloy that I hypothosize is quite crystaline in structure, and could be damaged on a scale that the eye can't see. Jim
yes cracks in the keel
Thanks For responding.Yes the cracks are inthe keel itself one about 12" down the very back edge on the slope part and is on both sides but not completely thu. the other is about half way down the starboard side and runs horizontal and is also about 12" long and amost 3/8' deep I have some pictures if possable would like to send if there is a way to connect Thank You'all for your replys
Thanks For responding.Yes the cracks are inthe keel itself one about 12" down the very back edge on the slope part and is on both sides but not completely thu. the other is about half way down the starboard side and runs horizontal and is also about 12" long and amost 3/8' deep I have some pictures if possable would like to send if there is a way to connect Thank You'all for your replys
Keel cracks
Could it be that someone left this boat in the water over the winter? Like, a warm, cold , warm cold kind of winter? This would drive even a 99% pure lead keel crazy, never mind a more sensitive hardened alloy. 3/8" deep is cause for concern, by my lights! The good thing is that with a nice hot heat scource, a little jar of plumbers flux and perhaps a 60/40 alloy of lead/tin solder you could remedy this. The bad thing is that you have to make your keel horizintal. Devil's in the details. Jim
Could it be that someone left this boat in the water over the winter? Like, a warm, cold , warm cold kind of winter? This would drive even a 99% pure lead keel crazy, never mind a more sensitive hardened alloy. 3/8" deep is cause for concern, by my lights! The good thing is that with a nice hot heat scource, a little jar of plumbers flux and perhaps a 60/40 alloy of lead/tin solder you could remedy this. The bad thing is that you have to make your keel horizintal. Devil's in the details. Jim
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