Keel bolt damage on lead keel

[Tazbro47]

I sustained damage to my keel recently. I hit a rock in Robinson Hole passing between Vinyard Sound and Buzzards Bay. The keel got twisted 2-3 inches off center. Water leaking into bilge such that pump ran every 20 min at rest. Boat was hauled at SouthWharf in Massachusetts. The keel repair operations they use are 1 no longer in business or Mars not replacing keel bolts at this time.
i have contacted at least 20 yards in the area. Not one of them was interested in taking this job.
it is my understanding that melting the lead and inserting new bolts is best repair method. But it is acceptable to sister in lag bolts is an acceptable option, also it is possible to cut a window into the lead and thread a rod into this area from the top and create a replacement keel bolts at. What say yea boating community?

 

[dlochner]

With an impact so strong that the keel moved, it is quite likely there is more damage to the boat than just the keel bolts.

There is large possibility of more structural damage to the hull and interior fittings as well as the keel sump itself. Have you contacted your insurance company yet? Any repair will be quite expensive.

The keel needs to be dropped. The keel sump needs to be carefully inspected for damage, especially around the bolt holes.

If the boat is worth repairing, new keel bolts can be installed by sistering in new bolts. To get an idea of the work involved, watch this series of 4 videos on Sailing Uma about how they reinforced their keel sump and installed new keel bolts.

 

[jssailem]

I feel for your challenge.
What you describe as solutions is consistent with what I have read about solving keel separation damage.

I suspect none of the yards you have contacted have done a job like that, and without the experience, they are likely concerned about the liability of getting it wrong.

I would keep checking possible yards that have dealt with big boat complex issues. It will not be inexpensive, and you may need to transport the boat some distance to a yard with the capabilities.

 

[rgranger]

You are not too far from Annapolis. There should be many yards that deal with sailboats there.

 

[dmax]

Or Newport. Melting the lead and casting new bolts is best (surprised Mars no longer doing that) - here's a clever solution you might pursue: Keel Bolts

 

[capta]

If I were in your situation, I might be tempted to put the boat up for sale, considering what a proper job might cost. I agree with dlochner, that there may very well be considerable damage that you can't see. If she's been leaking, then the hull itself may have been absorbing water.

 

[Foswick]

The repair of the keel itself is beyond my experience. I could only tell you what I read. But, I would echo what Dave wrote.

If it were my boat, I would drop the keel and focus on repairing everything above it. And, I would search for a replacement keel from a boat that is being scrapped. This will almost certainly be your easiest and least expensive option, if you can find one. You might get lucky.

But, before any of this, I would do a careful inspection of the boat above the keel. Look for doors that don't line up correctly anymore, cracks (or strained joints) at the edges of bulkheads, evidence of strained rigging that was not there before the impact, and evidence that the engine, prop, or anything in between was strained or is now misaligned. If you see any of that, it is a good indication that your hull took some deformity that it might not have bounced back from.

If I saw any of this, on top of the obvious keel and keel joint damage, I would have to really love the boat to attempt to fix it.

 

[dLj]

Where is the boat currently?

dj

 

[shemandr]

I can speculate that the movement of the keel absorbed much of the energy of the grounding and maybe other damage is limited. Happy talk.
The fact that the OP is finding it hard to find someone to do the repair portends a greater problem for the keel boat sailing community. For one thing keelboats don't move around easily. So owners need a facility pretty much near the accessible water. That's getting expensive. That makes the repair expensive. There may not be enough keel jobs to make it possible to exist in that business. And, even if an entity wanted to be in that business the liability would be so great that it would actually be a stupid business decision to take on a job like that. I'm not surprised to find the OP is having trouble finding someone willing to do the job.
Not to be pessimistic but if there's insurance I would hope the OP would accept "totaling" the boat and move on to another. Sad, but that seems to me to be the path forward.

 

[dlochner]

We are speculating the keel bolts need replacing, they may not. The keel weighs in at 7,700 lbs, the keel bolts should be fairly substantial, I'm guessing at lest ¾" or 1". It would take a lot of force to damage those bolts or even loosen them in the lead. A more likely scenario is the force damaged the fiberglass in the keel sump, effectively enlarging the bolt holes in the hull. Photos of the bilge and keel bolts would help.

The level of damage to the keel indicates the need for an onsite survey by a qualified marine surveyor. If the boat does not have hull insurance, the cost to repair it may well be beyond the owner's ability or interest in repairing it.

 

[dLj]

The image shows a significant displacement. As @dlochner says - it really needs to be looked at by a professional.

dj

 

[marcham]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. We had an oopsie in May and we lost use of the boat till early August, no fun.

Has your insurance company sent a surveyor to assess the damage? I'd be surprised if none of the glue joints between the hull and grid have separated.... Surveyor should be crawling around with an inspection camera getting into all the nook and crannies... The Plexus adhesive used to glue the grid to the hull is plenty strong but it has limited elasticity, thus it can separate from the substrate.

Did you say Mars Metals no longer repairs keels? Or do they just not want to deal with cross border shipping, tariffs and all.

If your yard can't deal with it, you'll have to ship it by land to a yard that has the expertise and time.

As far as I know, the right repair is melting the lead, installing new 316L bolts, then re-pouring the lead.... Would you trust it if new bolts were just threaded in ???

When the keel comes off, there's a real possibility that some glass will come off with it, it's not usual to have to partially rebuild the stub before dropping the boat back on the keel. Oh, and the mast has to come off.....

Call your insurance company, they should be able to advise of yards that have completed similar work in your area.

 

[jssailem]

the mast has to come off.....

When inspecting a grounding, you must look at more than the obvious “the keel.”

The mast and rigging were also involved in the event. As the boat stopped, the mast moved like a pendulum swing to the extent permitted by the rigging, at stresses perhaps to and beyond its intended limits. Consider inspecting the mast, rigging, hull, and deck. The inspection should include both internal and external areas.

 

[Hayden Watson]

Having worked with molten lead on numerous occasions, I would not try to locally melt it to reinert bolts. It stays solid right up to the point where it turns completely liquid and it conducts heat very well. You will end up with a large area that liquefies all at once.

The more typical repair I have seen is to drill holes deep into the keel for the new rods and drilling side holes that intersect the rods for huts to be inserted into. The side nut holes are then patched.

As was stated earlier, Uma has used threaded rods that were installed into tapped holes in the lead, but I do not have experience with that method.

Were it my boat, I would drop the keel and investigate the grid structure before any repair was decided on to make sure that the problem is the bolts and not the hull and grid structure.

 

[PaulK]

Looks like the boat is in Padanaram at the South Wharf Marina/Yard. Taking a boat with that draft through Robinson's Hole is definitely an iffy proposition, even at high tide. The current can set you onto things you don't want to find out about. Quick's is tight enough for us. Have you tried Burr Bros in Marion? Burr Brothers Boats - Marion, MA - Full-Service Boat Yard, Marina, Storage. They're pricey, but generally competent. They may be booked up until next summer or beyond, however, since they do good work. New Bedford or Fairhaven might have an outfit that could do the job, but your having tried some 20 places sounds like you've already looked there. The keel needs to be dropped and likely damage to the hull framing repaired as well. Easily 50-100K$ if not more.

 

[shemandr]

Ouch.