Keel bolt reinforcement
Let me preceed this with a little background on myself. I'm a naval architect that does not often design small boats, but I have done condition surveys on many. I always survey boats myself before I buy them, even if there is a recent professional survey available. I have a different perspective for several reasons: I am trained in marine design; I understand the interactions between sea and vessel very well; I have more than 40 years experience as a boater; and I am the one who, with my family, will actually be on the boat. When I err, I prefer to err on the side of caution, the sea is a harsh and unforgiving mistress. Losing a keel (or any other piece of major gear) can ruin your whole day. We have a 1972 C27. This model had mild steel keel bolts (whatever possesed Catalina!) and when I surveyed the boat before buying it in March 1999, I found a vessel in very good condition EXCEPT the keel bolts didn't look so good. There was considerable corrosion and some wastage of the bolt material. In addition, the bolts were covered with a translucent liquid rubber of some sort which made proper inspection difficult. My professional opinion was that those bolts needed to be replaced. Before making an offer on the boat, I contacted the boatyard in my home port (the boat was in Chula Vista, about 50 sailing miles south) and discussed the condition with the yard manager. He told me that he had seen some corroded keel bolts on old C27's, but had never seen a keel come off one. He also told me that the normal repair was to leave the original bolts in place and sink a new stud between the each pair of the old bolts. My offer for the boat was based on having to pay for this repair within 12 months of purchase. Having bought the boat and sailed it (not nearly as often as I would have liked over the past year) I have had the repair done as described. A hole was drilled about 12" into the keel between each pair of original studs and and tapped. A new piece of 5/8" stainless steel all thread was run down the hole and set in epoxy. Stainless washers and nuts completed the repair. The only down side was that the workman who did the job (very nicely) then covered the new bolts with Sekaflex to protect them, thus making proper inspection impossible. I will clean the Sekaflex off, but the main job of the repair has given me great peace of mind. I doubt very much that the keel is going to come off my boat under any sailing conditions I am likely to encounter. Before taking my boat out I always inspect it carefully for potential problems. I check engine oil, though hull fittings, rigging, etc. And I always check the bilge and the keel bolts. It doesn't take long and it keeps me in touch with the boat's condition. I also asked the bottom cleaning service that did the boat about one a month to let me know if there was ever any sign of "gaposis" between the canoe body and the keel - never a problem. The bilge was always dry and the keel solid as a rock when the boat was hauled for bottom paint and repairs. What can you do about your keel bolts? There are several things you can do to check the condition of the keel bolts. With the boat in the slip (or out of the water) attempt to remove one nut (and only one at a time). If you can get the nut off check the condition of the threaded rod underneath. You can clean up all thread by running a die down the threads. You can check all the bolts in this manner (the first one of mine was trashed, so I had the repair done without spending the time to check the other bolts). If there is wastage or you cannot get the nuts off, you should consider a repair as I have done. My recommendation is that you discuss the situation with your local boat yard and get an opinion from a professional who can physically inspect your bolts and render an opinion based on your vessel's conditon (rather than on my vessel's condition). In the end the decision on whether to repair or not is yours and yours alone. If you feel uncomfortable with any advice given you (don't worry, it'll never fall off) then fix whatever is bothering you. Based on my experience, you'll never be truly comfortable sailing your boat if you don't truly believe that it is sea worthy craft and structurally sound to the best of your knowledge and ability to make it so.
