Keel bolt replacement Beneteau 370

[Croy]

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone on this forum as had keel bolts changed on a Beneteau 370 and would be kind enough to let me know how much I should expect to pay to have it repaired.

Is it simple DIY ? It seems to be embedded in the fibreglass since I only see 1/8inch of the tip of a rusty stud coming true.

Thanks

 

[Bob 04 H260]

A friend had his changed on a Beneteau 36cc a couple of years back in BVI. I don't think it cost very much. He did say it was an easy job. In his case they were bolts that threaded down into the cast iron keel. They just used a socket and long bar to remove and replace one by one, on the hard of course. You need to buy new ones from Beneteau first, find out what the torque spec is, and either pull them yourself or hire someone with the tools. They may require a special anti seize, Beneteau should be able to advise on what they use.
Bob

 

[Croy]

Thanks Bob,

It looks to be similar attachments. I see only the head of a bolt and a washer.

If it is a simple job, I'd rather have them changed before it becomes to rusty and difficult to extract. The marina does not want to commit in giving a price before trying to remove one. So I was wondering if anyone had done it (to get a ballpark idea of the cost.)

 

[donvanv]

Just wondering why bolt replacement would have to be done on the hard if there is no keel/hull separation? Just remove and replace one at a time. I would also check for weeping at the bolts which might indicate keel separation.
Don, Beneteau 36cc

 

[rdees]

I just had the keel bolts replaced on my 1993 OC 400. There were 11 bolts and washers. They cost total about $200. The yard charged for 10 hours of work for the job. I was getting new bottom paint so they did it on the hard, but you don't have to pull the boat. As the previous poster said, you can just pull and replace one at a time while the boat is in the water. The labor turned out to be a little more than I thought it would but it's good to have it done.

 

[Capt jgw]

As posted you can change them one at a time in the water, but if they're leaking you have to haul to fix that. Probably a couple days to get everything dried out. Pull all the bolts, drop the keel, scrape off all the sealant and replace with 5200. Then bolt it back on with new bolts. I'm planning to do this on my Columbia 36 this winter.

 

[CHM]

Just replaced mine today on a 1988 Oceanis 430. I was made aware of this issue during the original marine survey 4 yrs ago along with a lot of "what a huge job this is" and it will cost and you may need to drop the keel blah blah blah. Anyway, I researched this and bought a 3/4 inch impact driver and sockets on eBay. I acquired the info and replacement bolts from Beneteau a couple years ago figuring I would do this at next haul out. Well that was last week. Anyway, the old bolts have thus far come out with no problem. They are not as bad as I was led to believe. The heads had some corrosion but the rest of the bolts and threads are pristine. I would need to remove the hot water heater to get to one of them and have decided to leave that one. When I'm done, I will cover the heads and washers with epoxy. So far, I have around 3 hours in it and for sure it won't take more than 5 total. My boat has a total of 9 bolts. I'm glad this is done and can tell you the bolts probably had several more years of life but you don't know until they're out.

 

[donvanv]

Just want to post that I was able to pull out a single bolt for inspection with no problem while still in the water. Rust I was seeing was only on the head of the bolt and very superficial, so I was greatly relieved when I could see that the bolt was pristine below the head with absolutely no rust.