In need of best fix for keel rust

[Dubo]

I posted this originally in mid-size but thought it was too narrow an audience since there was no reply. :troll:

I finished stripping the bottom paint down to the gelcoat on my 87 31' Hunter. When I got to where the hull meets the keel rust has occurred. I chipped some of the lose gelcoat on the keel away to remove most of the lose stuff. I will grind the exposed iron and the gelcoat a bit so they have a good tooth for an epoxy coating. There seems to be metal on metal where the keel meets the hull (see pic). My question is, what is the best way to prep the exposed keel, especially where there is a slight channel at the seam? Do I excavate the rust to metal or apply something like naval jell or rust-converter? Also is 5200, 4200 or epoxy best to fill the seam?

Thanks for any ideas!
JD

 

[FourPoints]

you may try sending Ted (that's his username) on this forum a message. I stopped by his boat a few weeks ago to see the repair he was doing on his boom, and he was doing a similar repair on his C&C 29. I forget what product he was using in conjunction with 4200 to complete the repair.

 

[kloudie1]

Make sure all water has stopped dripping.. check the keel bolts for tightness.. Grind a shallow V at the crack .. grind/wire brush all rust off.. .. Clean.. Clean some more..Clean some more.. lay a bunch of 5200 in the V .. trowl flush.. let dry..
Wire brush the iron to bright again after the 5200 is dry.. spray on "cold galvanizing" paint to the bare iron. Cover with a coat of a two part barrier coat like Interprotect 3000 or equivalent.. Let dry then bottom paint ..

 

[Steve Dion]

Check out the Interlux Paint site. There are also coatings like Rust Lox and some others.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Hey Claude...

do you travel and do steel keel work? Inquiring minds want to know! :dance:

 

[isaksp00]

I assume you have an iron keel. I did mine on an H23 (all of it - scaly rust was everywhere). Used a decent angle grinder, a heavy duty wire brush and grinding wheel for the really tough spots. A lot of elbow grease.

I happened to use the POR15 system (search for it). They claim you don't need to get to pure shiny metal, but can leave some (non-loose) rust. They have a metal cleaner and a rust prep solution, and then the single part "paint". Worked Ok for me, though the boat was only in water (fresh) from about mid July to mid Oct, so that's not a long term test. I have used the two-part barrier coat for my rudder, and found it a pain to work with.

 

[kloudie1]

Dan.. Laughing.. I am so slow that I'd starve to death in doing work like that !! That is essentially what I did to my keel a couple of years back and it still looks really good.. My slip is up a bayou a little ways so the water is mostly fresh .. but sometimes the brackish salty stuff slides in from the lake underneath the fresh water and covers the bottom of the keel while the top is still in fresh.. Boat stays in the water all the time..Keel job before this one lasted about 8 years.. and I believe a lightning strike kinda knocked off some of the barrier coat as a lot of leetle electrons left the area!

 

[Mad Dog 3]

Hi all,

This kind of design with a bilge well caved into the keel molding seems to be a constant issue with slight movement of the joint and cleaning but seem easy to overcome.
Thought that I have never heard an horror story about faillure expecially of these boat which are now almost 30 yrs of age, anyone heard of a failure of the keel attachement???

Also Hunter drawing shows the keel attached to the hull with two "flat bars" attached a the the hull vial the bolts.

Does anyone know what material are those "flat bars" and the thickness of then?

J-P

 

[Dubo]

Hi all,


Does anyone know what material are those "flat bars" and the thickness of then?

J-P

Thank you for everyone's useful input. The cold galvanizing paint sounds interesting.

The plates appear to be a chrome plated metal(steel) and i would guess about 1/4 - 3/8 inch in thickness.

I have also discovered a product Ospho (phosphoric acid) which I am told is used by the USCG. Seems like a pretty good endorsement(maybe). Does anyone have experience with Ospho?

Thanks again!

JD

 

[Dubo]

The plates appear to be a chrome plated metal(steel) and i would guess about 1/4 - 3/8 inch in thickness.

MD,
disregard my reply i misunderstood your question. i need a 'recall' button
jd