I am looking to buy this boat (Santana 525, 1979 model). The only questionable area is the leading edge of the keel. Does anybody know what this is, and should I be concerned? The keel itself is wrapped in fiberglass before it is attached to the hull, if that gives any clues. Thanks for your help. Scott Green Bay, WI
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oceanis361
Judging by the picture
It looks like the boat may have been grounded or the bottom possibly delaminating and it was filled with epoxy or or bondo that is coming out. If you get a good surveyor he or she should be able to tell you if it is a problem. It is really hard to tell by a picture. Good Luck Charlie
It looks like the boat may have been grounded or the bottom possibly delaminating and it was filled with epoxy or or bondo that is coming out. If you get a good surveyor he or she should be able to tell you if it is a problem. It is really hard to tell by a picture. Good Luck Charlie
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Don K.
Not Good
I agree with Charlie. You can't tell that much from the picture. There are so many boats for sale without any questionable problems that I would just past this one up.
I agree with Charlie. You can't tell that much from the picture. There are so many boats for sale without any questionable problems that I would just past this one up.
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Droop
Na!
I wouldn't take this boat for free! Hell you counldn't pay me to take it! It can be fixed easly enough, but what damage is unseen? Na!
I wouldn't take this boat for free! Hell you counldn't pay me to take it! It can be fixed easly enough, but what damage is unseen? Na!
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Roger
Creates many more questions in my mind
1. Are the keel bolts starting to slip/corrode/break? 2, Do the nuts need tightening, and can you get at them to inspect and repair? 3. Is the apparant keel separation due to a side or frontal impact? 4. Has water seeped in there and started to expand/contract with frost cycles? 5. Does the keel wobble? 6. Will the keel fall off during your tenure?
1. Are the keel bolts starting to slip/corrode/break? 2, Do the nuts need tightening, and can you get at them to inspect and repair? 3. Is the apparant keel separation due to a side or frontal impact? 4. Has water seeped in there and started to expand/contract with frost cycles? 5. Does the keel wobble? 6. Will the keel fall off during your tenure?
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Anthony
Lead does corrode
The white powder is the lead corroding due to the copper in the bottom paint. While lead does not corrode like iron or steel it will become porus and need to be removed. I can't speak to the gap but a grounding is possible and water has gotten to an unprotected part of the keel.
The white powder is the lead corroding due to the copper in the bottom paint. While lead does not corrode like iron or steel it will become porus and need to be removed. I can't speak to the gap but a grounding is possible and water has gotten to an unprotected part of the keel.
Mine is MUCH worse
All this requires is hard work. I have VERY mixed feelings about encapsulating the lead in fibreglass though. The best thing is to treat with polyurethane- or epoxy-based primer and then paint it normally. I am in the process of separating the boat from the keel now. It is not as hard as it sounds-- especially if, as in my boat's case, the last guy who did this (who probably didn't have to do it) put in the wrong kind of bedding compound. I think this stuff is BoatLife (like for caulking wooden boats)-- it is VERY gooey but sticks to itself and comes out in very large, still-rubbery yellow chunks. Use a Dremel or something else in a drill motor to get the rest out of the crack. Then you have to jack the boat up. Loosen the keel bolts as far as you can-- but don't take the nuts off!! I got two cheap little bottle jacks worth 4000 lbs each and stood them on cinderblock cribbing. Keep the jackstands torqued up (like don't raise more than 1/4" without checking them all). You'd be surprised how little the boat weighs without the keel-- the H25 weighs 2400. That's less than half the weight of the car I bought these stands to lift. You only need to get it up about 3/4- 1 inch. Put sticks or something between the hull and the top of the keel, just in case, and keep stands under the hull where the bottle jacks are. Then, using piano wire or something like that, get all the old gook out that you can. File it smooth (don't take too much material away). Wash with acetone and rebed using about half an inch of 5200. Set the boat down gently on it and come back 3 days later to torque up the bolts and scrape off the excess 52. The worst possible nightmare would involve taking the keel completely off the boat and chopping out rotted 'glass to lay up new woven roving in the bilge. This is STILL not the end of the world. Remember that old fiberglass boats will never rot away like old rusty farm tractors. They're with us to stay-- and fixing up and old one is worth everything in keeping the world clear of one more non-biodegradable hulk. Besides the beauty of fiberglass is that anyone can learn how to do it well enough to go sailing. Take on the challenge and find satisfaction. As I said all it takes is hard work. Getting a boat for free??? --hah! I paid a lot more than 'free' for mine and it's STILL worth it. JC 2
All this requires is hard work. I have VERY mixed feelings about encapsulating the lead in fibreglass though. The best thing is to treat with polyurethane- or epoxy-based primer and then paint it normally. I am in the process of separating the boat from the keel now. It is not as hard as it sounds-- especially if, as in my boat's case, the last guy who did this (who probably didn't have to do it) put in the wrong kind of bedding compound. I think this stuff is BoatLife (like for caulking wooden boats)-- it is VERY gooey but sticks to itself and comes out in very large, still-rubbery yellow chunks. Use a Dremel or something else in a drill motor to get the rest out of the crack. Then you have to jack the boat up. Loosen the keel bolts as far as you can-- but don't take the nuts off!! I got two cheap little bottle jacks worth 4000 lbs each and stood them on cinderblock cribbing. Keep the jackstands torqued up (like don't raise more than 1/4" without checking them all). You'd be surprised how little the boat weighs without the keel-- the H25 weighs 2400. That's less than half the weight of the car I bought these stands to lift. You only need to get it up about 3/4- 1 inch. Put sticks or something between the hull and the top of the keel, just in case, and keep stands under the hull where the bottle jacks are. Then, using piano wire or something like that, get all the old gook out that you can. File it smooth (don't take too much material away). Wash with acetone and rebed using about half an inch of 5200. Set the boat down gently on it and come back 3 days later to torque up the bolts and scrape off the excess 52. The worst possible nightmare would involve taking the keel completely off the boat and chopping out rotted 'glass to lay up new woven roving in the bilge. This is STILL not the end of the world. Remember that old fiberglass boats will never rot away like old rusty farm tractors. They're with us to stay-- and fixing up and old one is worth everything in keeping the world clear of one more non-biodegradable hulk. Besides the beauty of fiberglass is that anyone can learn how to do it well enough to go sailing. Take on the challenge and find satisfaction. As I said all it takes is hard work. Getting a boat for free??? --hah! I paid a lot more than 'free' for mine and it's STILL worth it. JC 2
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