Keel crack

[jdrutten]

Now that she’s shrink wrapped for the season, my attention has been drawn below the water line. I noticed this crack in the trailing edge of my keel. Almost looks like it could just be some weird paint issue, but I’m pretty sure that nothing’s that easy. Any thoughts on what I might be dealing with before launch next April?

 

[rgranger]

I would get a dremel or a hand-held grinder and open that up so I could get a good look. It may just need to have some fairing compound, a coat of barrier paint and some new gel coat but ... you won't know until you look.

 

[JamesG161]

Any thoughts on what I might be dealing with before launch next April?

It depends on Iron or Lead keel.

I had my Lead Keel repaired and can help you on its repair.

Check here for your manuals

Hunter 306

You might ask @Crazy Dave Condon if he know which keel you have.

Jim...

 

[jdrutten]

I would get a dremel or a hand-held grinder and open that up so I could get a good look. It may just need to have some fairing compound, a coat of barrier paint and some new gel coat but ... you won't know until you look.

You'd think that after a couple years of boat ownership, I wouldn't be allowed to come within 100 yards of my boat without my dremel. Unfortunately, I arrived empty handed yesterday. But yeah, I'll be sure to have it with me next time.

It depends on Iron or Lead keel.

I had my Lead Keel repaired and can help you on its repair.

Check here for your manuals

Hunter 306

You might ask @Crazy Dave Condon if he know which keel you have.

Jim...

I didn't find anything in the manual, but if the product brochure can be trusted (I assume so, p. 3: 306_326_ 356.pdf (marlow-hunter.com) ), it looks like it's "antimonious lead." I assume this would simplify repair since I won't have to worry as much about rust?

It seems like a strange place for a crack to form on a lead keel. The port side keel wing does have an ever-so-slight upward bend from what I'm assuming was a previous grounding or maybe a misplaced travelift strap. That could possibly help explain an otherwise unlikely place for a crack to form. I tried to look over the rest of the keel but didn't see anything else unusual. So assuming it's just a strange anomaly and I dremel it out and clean it up, could this be a relatively straightforward (knock on wood) process of epoxy filler, fair, and paint?

 

[PaulK]

If it's lead, you might be able to bang it smooth & pretty again with a hammer - no need for filler. Open it up to find out first.

 

[dlochner]

Keel casting are never pretty. After the keel is installed it is usually faired to take care of all the defects. If you are lucky, what you have is just failed fairing compound. If so, the repair will be fairly easy, but a little more complicated than just fairing and painting as the lead needs preparation and lead oxidizes quickly which interferes with the epoxy bonding with the lead.

 

[rgranger]

…but a little more complicated than just fairing and painting as the lead needs preparation and lead oxidizes quickly which interferes with the epoxy bonding with the lead.

good news is you have antimonial lead

“Antimonial Lead is a hard alloy of lead that contains between 1% to 10% antimony. When antimony is mixed with lead, the lead becomes firmer and harder. It is unreactive, resists oxidation and corrosion in most environments, and forms a protective, impermeable film faster than pure lead.”

 

[JamesG161]

it looks like it's "antimonious lead."

My guess too.

Personal Protection Equipment need. Do not Dremel it!!

I had my Wings bent and the Yard used a bit of Heat and Pounding to repair it

now look...

Be cautious with Lead.
Jim...

 

[JamesG161]

It is unreactive, resists oxidation and corrosion in most environments, and forms a protective, impermeable film faster than pure lead.”

Jim...

PS: Listen to @rgranger and me. We know.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

If I didn't know that this keel is lead, I would say the crack looks like oxide jacking, also known as rust jacking. I see a lot of it in my work, but it's always related to steel. The thing that is curious to me is that keel (with its square edges) just looks more like a steel plate than lead (to me). Perhaps the antimonial lead has a different appearance. I won't speculate that the keel is steel, or if rust jacking is possible with antimonial lead, but that split looks fairly serious to me. I wouldn't be overly alarmed because it looks like something that won't be overly expensive to cure. But I would grind off the coatings to get a closer look. Now is the best time to do it ... good luck whatever may be causing the crack!

 

[JamesG161]

lead, but that split looks fairly serious to me.

See my trailing keel edge in my post #8 above.

Easy to fix with right tools. Heat and Pounding.
Jim...

 

[Scott T-Bird]

See my trailing keel edge in my post #8 above.

Easy to fix with right tools. Heat and Pounding.
Jim...

I didn't notice that crack before ... I was more focused on the dimpled look of the wing!

But yes! Lead can essentially be welded mechanically with just heat. There is no use for flux. I agree, it should be an easy fix, but not something to let worsen by neglecting it. @jdrutten is on the right track.

 

[JamesG161]

This is my Lead/Antimony Keel looked like, before being fixed.



now it is very Purttie.

Jim...

 

[Scott T-Bird]

This is my Lead/Antimony Keel looked like, before being fixed.

View attachment 211105

now it is very Purttie.

Jim...

Wavy Gravy comes to mind! Now there's a reference the young folks won't know!

 

[dlochner]

Wavy Gravy comes to mind! Now there's a reference the young folks won't know!

There are many young Deadheads out there.

 

[dlochner]

good news is you have antimonial lead

“Antimonial Lead is a hard alloy of lead that contains between 1% to 10% antimony. When antimony is mixed with lead, the lead becomes firmer and harder. It is unreactive, resists oxidation and corrosion in most environments, and forms a protective, impermeable film faster than pure lead.”

Right, to do the job correctly the lead/antimony keel needs to be briskly wire brushed, coated with neat epoxy, and wire brushed again within a short time period. Once it well coated with epoxy and the epoxy has begun to gel the first of several coats of fairing compound can be applied.

If there is a long delay between there wire brushing and epoxy application, the lead will oxidize and interfere with the epoxy bonding with the lead.

 

[Davidasailor26]

If you are lucky, what you have is just failed fairing compound. If so, the repair will be fairly easy, but a little more complicated than just fairing and painting as the lead needs preparation and lead oxidizes quickly which interferes with the epoxy bonding with the lead.

This is my guess. Not too much else can go wrong with a big chunk of lead. Get some good PPE, clean it up, see what you’ve got, and hopefully you can just fair it back up.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Lead keel due to keel shape. Which boat and year? I would scape off coating to see if crack in keel. Noted port wing is bent. Also noticed cut on edge of keel at bottom end of keel. Also noticed missing paint as if scraped off.

I would like to see photo of starboard wing keel, bottom of rear keel and one photo after scraping off paint. Then I will comment further. Also I have seen too much pressure used straightening wings only to be broken off

 

[jaysweet]

Now that she’s shrink wrapped for the season, my attention has been drawn below the water line. I noticed this crack in the trailing edge of my keel. Almost looks like it could just be some weird paint issue, but I’m pretty sure that nothing’s that easy. Any thoughts on what I might be dealing with before launch next April?
View attachment 211078View attachment 211079

Well, since we have the same boat and I did major work on the keel in spring 2021, I have a few comments. That part of the keel is 100% lead, so it's surprising to me to see what looks like a crack there. If I had to guess, I'd say there was a defect in that part of the casting in your keel, and they filled it. Other than that, it should be pure cast lead there (it is on mine). If it's a filled defect, the worst you can do is flake it off. It's not like it's a crack that goes "into" some area that would be damaged, so I'd say it's essentially cosmetic. Either sand it flat and re-fill with some sort of filler, or don't sweat it.

What I did 1.5 years ago was to take the whole keel down to bare lead with an orbital sander. I wore a full Tyvek suit, respirator, goggles, and hooked the sander to a vacuum with a drywall bag in it. It was not fun, at all, but I did most of it in April, so at least I wasn't sweating bullets. I then put 3 coats of 2-part Pettit Protect epoxy "primer" on it (that's their name for their barrier coat). I believe I used their recommended actual primer first . These coats only went about 2/3 of the way up the side of the keel, as that's where the exposed lead stopped, and the thick fairing compound started. The reason I went to all this trouble is that I was tired of having the bottom paint constantly flaking off of the keel: this happened only in the bare lead area, including where we had put some sort of barrier coat on there many years ago.

 

[jdrutten]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Jim, that repaired keel is looking pretty sexy. And Jay, I should have known you've already "been there, done that." It's always nice to get some reassurance from the forum. Thanks!

The bend in the port wing is very slight and barely noticeable unless comparing from a symmetrical view with the starboard wing. I wasn't particularly concerned with it, but I suppose if I'm going to be scraping, painting and fairing anyway, I may as well see if some judicious heating and pounding couldn't set it straight. Depending on how things work out with the holiday, I may be able to sneak in an afternoon to drive over and get a better look at the crack this weekend, but I certainly won't be attempting to apply any epoxy (or pounding) until temps warm up again for a few days in the spring. Stupid winter!