Eager to get her in the water

[scolil]

The boat has been sitting on the hard for several years. The rigging has been maintained, but the gelcoat is very chalky and there are some cracks in the glass around the lead swing keel. The hull and deck are sound. I will be keeping the boat on the trailer as I fix her and clean her up. In the mean time I would also like to take her out sailing. At this time I specifically want to ask about the cracks in the glass around the lead keel, but also in general, what needs to be done before I set her in the water.The pics are close to the pivot point on the keel.

 

[scolil]

Was the glass removed

from the keel that you posted in this picture? I plan to have this boat in fresh water mostly, but I do not want to rule out the great salt lake. Which is just up the road.By the way, from the comments in the thread "What is it." I am thinking thatmy boat is a venture 25.

 

[CalebD]

Chalky gelcoat wont sink your boat

and can be remedied by cleaning, waxing and buffing. Cleaning the gelcoat with on-off or similar product is a good start. For waxing and buffing there are whole discussions of this activity in the archives and there is also Poly Glow as an alternative to consider.I don't like to see cracks like that on the hull anywhere below the waterline. Water intrusion into the swing keel (centerboard) or anywhere for that matter will cause problems later even if it is made of Kryptonite. I would suggest you at least try to fill the cracks with thickened epoxy or other suitable material. The West System epoxy booklet gives pretty good instructions on how to do something like this properly. Just try to ensure that the swing keel is thoroughly dry before you try to seal it, otherwise you are just locking moisture in there. You should fix this soon as it will continue to deteriorate but it should not stop you from going for a splash.What would be a bigger challenge is if you have a water ballast system that you fill and find that the plug is old and does not work well. Check the plug out before filling the water ballast (I am assuming your Mac has this feature).Paint the bottom.Enjoy

 

[Scott]

I can't tell from your picture ...

It looks like paint is flaking (no need to worry about that), and if the cracks look like hairline stress cracking, there is no need to worry about it. The gel coat often shows surficial cracking on older boats that does not affect the fiberglass structurally.You should be able to tell if the fiberglass has any cracks that appear to go deep into the structure, that would be readily apparent and is more than likely caused by a collision with something substantial and the evidence would be obvious. You won't find stuctural cracks in the fiberglass simply due to old age and normal use.If it appears that the cracks are simply gel coat stress cracks, by all means, put the boat in the water and observe!