Keel bolts

[Monty16708]

I am cleaning and repainting the bilge on my Catalina 30 and there appears to be some type of "rubberized" paint on the keel bolts and nuts that can be peeled off. What type of paint or sealant should I replace it with?

 

[damauney]

Thickened Epoxy

CharlesDon Casey in one of his online articles recommended encapsulating the keel bolts and nuts in thickened epoxy. I did it several years ago and had reason this year to break it off and found that the thicken epoxy had done a good job of protecting the keel boats and nuts from corrosion. Make sure that you roughen the bilge area around the nuts or washer and coat this area all the way up and inclucing the top of the bolt or threaded rod so all is sealed from bilge water. If you are more interested, do a site search on SailNet.com under "keel bolts".Good WindsDave Ms/v DAMWEGAS

 

[JC on Bainbridge]

T-9 will do it too

You can use T-9 to accomplish the task too. Spray T-9 and it will coat it with a waxy coating that will last forever.T-9 is a spray waxy lube/coating developed by Boeing for airplane parts. It also repels water and moisture. Spray it on tools very very lightly will prevent rust. Spray it on heavy will coat it with waxy like coating and will last a long time, especially since there are no moving parts. I use it because it will also go into seams and cracks too, like the space between the nut and the keel bolt. West Marine carries it.Great stuff.