How bad is this keel?! What would need to be done? Was planning on having a haul it and bottom job done but looks like more will need to be done to help this out
Keel assessment
- Thread starter JBird
- Start date
Iron Keel? That's not bad. the real questions is: what do the keel bolts look like. Haul it out, clean it down to the bear metal. Seal it and paint it. If you really wanna do it right you can fair it as well.
Assuming is going to be tough without looking at more picutres. you have an iron keel. Once out you need to check for several things. There is a protruding stub from the hull where the keel is bolted up to inside. See if any leaks there first. If none, that means the sealant which is 5200 between the keel and stub is sound. Second you will need to see if any rust and deal with that by wire brushing to the metal, clean off, apply protective barrier so the keel will not rust but make sure it contains zinc chromate, the fair with two part epoxy, and finally apply barrier coats. If you have any blisters on the hull, then you will need to address that just like the keel except no paint in the first part to protect the metal from rusting.
If you want to apply barrier coats, the boat will need to dry out for two months in warm temps so you will not apply barrier coat to a hull that is wet. As for anti fouling paint, check with your local yard as to what they would recommend what is the best for your area.
Former Hunter dealer who painted the 25.5 Hunter
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If you want to apply barrier coats, the boat will need to dry out for two months in warm temps so you will not apply barrier coat to a hull that is wet. As for anti fouling paint, check with your local yard as to what they would recommend what is the best for your area.
Former Hunter dealer who painted the 25.5 Hunter
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Thanks for the detailed replies. The keel bolts have no rust whatsoever and no leaks from where the keel is bolted in. There’s not a lot of places in my area that I’ve seen that allow me to work on the boat once hauled out. I was planning on paying the yard do the bottom job. My first sailboat, so will they grind down to the bare metal of the keel and apply all the necessary barrier coats or is that a whole different story? I’m in the palm harbor, Fl area
Barrier coat is lost. Sand the keel, fill in any holes and apply 7 coats of epoxy barrier paint followed by 2 coats of anti-fouling paint.
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