I sucessfully removed the bent keel bolt today and found the holes in the keel trunk nearly double in size. Can holes be repaired with marine tex?
enlarged keel bolt hole, it leaks
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marine tex
short answer is sure, marine tex will work for a while. (I'd use expoxy thickend w/ silica) look over the macgregor-boats.com theres a photo of a very nice fix for this common problem. custom bearing. I'm sure you've already searched the archives on keel bolt hole... right?
short answer is sure, marine tex will work for a while. (I'd use expoxy thickend w/ silica) look over the macgregor-boats.com theres a photo of a very nice fix for this common problem. custom bearing. I'm sure you've already searched the archives on keel bolt hole... right?
Fixing your hole
I believe I have answered this one before, but about the lock down hole. Fix would be the same, except the extra strength of this repair is more needed at the keel bolt than even the lock down. Get 2 stainless fender washers for your new keel pivot bolt. Place the bolt through one washer, then through the swing keel trunk, then place the other washer on and lightly tighten the nut. Don't use your new self locking nut, an old steel or zinc plated nut will be fine. Take a pencil and trace the washers. Now, pull the nuts and washers back out. Use a small router, or dremmel with a router base, and set the depth for about half the thickness of the washers. Route out the area you traced where the washers go. Now you can Marine tex, or epoxie the holes. Redrill to the right size latter, just worry about getting the ovals gone. Use your router again if you built up the epoxy too much. On this repair it's better to build it up too much and cut the extra away, than to not have put enough in. Slip your washers in to the recesses you made for them and drill your new holes. They should be round now, and well supported. Now remove the washers one last time. Epoxy in the recesses and reset your washers in the epoxy. I place the bolt back in too and lightly tighten the cheap nut to hold everything in place while it hardens. Pull the bolt, and you are reay to put the keel back in. If you want another coat of epoxy can be put over the whole mess, but it's not nessasary.
I believe I have answered this one before, but about the lock down hole. Fix would be the same, except the extra strength of this repair is more needed at the keel bolt than even the lock down. Get 2 stainless fender washers for your new keel pivot bolt. Place the bolt through one washer, then through the swing keel trunk, then place the other washer on and lightly tighten the nut. Don't use your new self locking nut, an old steel or zinc plated nut will be fine. Take a pencil and trace the washers. Now, pull the nuts and washers back out. Use a small router, or dremmel with a router base, and set the depth for about half the thickness of the washers. Route out the area you traced where the washers go. Now you can Marine tex, or epoxie the holes. Redrill to the right size latter, just worry about getting the ovals gone. Use your router again if you built up the epoxy too much. On this repair it's better to build it up too much and cut the extra away, than to not have put enough in. Slip your washers in to the recesses you made for them and drill your new holes. They should be round now, and well supported. Now remove the washers one last time. Epoxy in the recesses and reset your washers in the epoxy. I place the bolt back in too and lightly tighten the cheap nut to hold everything in place while it hardens. Pull the bolt, and you are reay to put the keel back in. If you want another coat of epoxy can be put over the whole mess, but it's not nessasary.
good fix
Greg I did see your previous post but thanks for the refresher. Your step by step instruction makes the job seem quite doable.
Greg I did see your previous post but thanks for the refresher. Your step by step instruction makes the job seem quite doable.
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