H28.5 Keel

[Warren]

I'm about to buy a 1986 H28.5. This boat has an iron keel and is beginning to show some rust coming through the bottom paint. What do you recommend to paint or treat this keel with in order to prevent any more rust developing in the future?

 

[ted]

Warren, there is nothing you can do for rust.

Short of cutting off the rusty part of the iron keel there is nothing (I found) that will prevent the rust from coming back. I have a iron keel boat and have tried every kind of treatment incluing grinding sandblasting, laying on coat after coat of special undercoating, the rust will eventually work its way back out. As long as the rust is not up where the keel meets the hull forget about. just keep painting over it with each bottom job.Ted

 

[Jeff D]

No big deal

Search the archives and you will find every witches brew possible to stop an iron keel from rusting. This is not a big deal unless your boat is entering a beauty pagent on the hard. Sure it looks ugly but any solution is costly and temporary. You will be long gone before the keel rusts through. No less an authority than Robert Perry, the noted naval architect, has an iron keel on his personal boat. Scrape it a little, paint it and forget it.

 

[S. Sauer]

Iron Keel Painting

I had two coats of epoxy put on my new 28.5 in 1986 , then added 4 coats of Interlux 2000 about 4 years later. Every year I get 4 to 8 rust spots comming through and popping off the gel coat finish and the primers. I just plan on opening up these areas with a Dremel tool grinder and then have used various forms of ferous metal primer, then Interlux 2000 and finally the bottom paint. It's a constant chore every spring but it hasn't warranted taking down the whole keel to bare metal. I use a Baltoplate racing finish, so I'm pretty particular with the prep. It seems not to matter, as there will be 'new' spots somewhere every spring after she's been out of the water for the winter no matter what you use, but it does not afect the boat's performance during the season. You could always invest in a semi-custom lead keel, but why worry about it?

 

[Mike Fleming]

My approach

I agree with the prior post. When I first bought my 28.5 I didn't like the look of the rust. I took a grider to it, then an acid wash, two coats of VCTar epoxy and VC17. I knock off a couple spots each season and repeat the same. It's not bad when I pull it.Enjoy the boat.