HELP!!! I purchased an O'Day 25 this summer. Very Good condition considering her age. Swing keel on a trailer. I have yet to put her in the water. Living in CT we had some funky weather this winter and the boat took on some water. I know this because it took the shape of a bubble on either side of the keel aft of the centerboard. I started to poke around now that the weather is warming up and have discovered this portion of the keel to be saturated. I took a hole saw and drilled in on either side about an inch or so and this seemed to relieve the water somewhat. But with the amount of water that seems to be present I am not sure what to do next. Also I have no idea how it got there, what path it followed. I welcome any advise on this. Thank you.
HELP!!! Keel Water
- Thread starter sailectrician
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I have a hole just above the center board pin on my O'Day 25. Not sure how it got there but looks like someone replaced the pin at one point with something other than the original part. I don't know how to approuch this yet. Crack injection apoxy or rebuild the intire wedge and pin area. Norm
Norman,
Maybe the PO drilled a hole through that side of the keel with the intension of using a bolt through the keel. Scrape a little paint off that side of the keel just opposite of where the hole is on the inside keel slot and you should find out for sure. He may have filled it with epoxy after he discovered that these fiber pins were available through D & R Marine. If this is the case, I would use a Dremel Tool to remove the filling and try to reconstruct it with lead from that side. You can finish it off with epoxy filler. You could wedge something into the slot and use it as a temporary gate until the stuff sets up. Then knock it out of there. I can't understand why anyone would ever do something like that, but if they did, you'll notice it when you take the paint off it. It the rabbet groove in the keel slot is screwed up by any other means, it's going to be difficult to repair but not impossible. This is where the Dremel tool with the long thing attachment can come in handy for reshaping the area after it's filled and set up. Once the two wedges are caulked in place with 3-M 4200 adhesive sealant and the plates are installed, that centerboard isn't going anywhere. Once the sealant sets up behind those wedges, I really doubt if there is any strain or weight on those two stainless steel plates and you probably never have a need to remove that board in your lifetime. I removed my board a couple of years ago and the pivot pin was just as good as the day it was installed back in 1986 at the factory. I think that you can fix it but you need to come up with a plan first, then go ahead with it. Good luck with that. Take some pics of it and post them for us.
Joe
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