Last season we made contact with a submerged rock and put a fist size dent in the front of the keel on our Peterson 34. The boat did not incur any structural damage from the impact. The keel is lead. What is the preferential repair method for the keel? Do we fill and fair the keel with West System and filler or get some scrap lead, make a mold around the keel, melt the lead, pour it into the mold and fair the keel back to shape.
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Not having a lead keel,
I'm really envious. Your repair should be really hard to do. That would make me feel better. But if you just smoothen the high spots with a big hammer and fill the dent any way that's easy for you, it'll be ready for paint. Damn it.
I'm really envious. Your repair should be really hard to do. That would make me feel better. But if you just smoothen the high spots with a big hammer and fill the dent any way that's easy for you, it'll be ready for paint. Damn it.
Smoothing that dented keel
Last year we hit one of the five-inch (est.) thick submerged cables anchoring a floating bridge (over a mile long) in 150 ft of water. It put a dent in the keel about 8 inches up from the bottom. It also pushed up a little flap of lead. I ground it out a little, and filled it with 3M premium vinylester filler. This is a water-resistant formula designed for exactly this kind of underwater use. It’s easy to mix and hardens in about twenty minutes. The picture shows the repair after I sanded it smooth. I then applied bottom paint directly over it.
Last year we hit one of the five-inch (est.) thick submerged cables anchoring a floating bridge (over a mile long) in 150 ft of water. It put a dent in the keel about 8 inches up from the bottom. It also pushed up a little flap of lead. I ground it out a little, and filled it with 3M premium vinylester filler. This is a water-resistant formula designed for exactly this kind of underwater use. It’s easy to mix and hardens in about twenty minutes. The picture shows the repair after I sanded it smooth. I then applied bottom paint directly over it.
Jon has it right.
You cannnot pour in molten lead. This would be like welding lead. You cannot get the keel hot enough for the added lead to "stick".
You cannnot pour in molten lead. This would be like welding lead. You cannot get the keel hot enough for the added lead to "stick".
Jon and Fred have it
Back in the day I did quite a bit with lead in auto fender repair. Use a hammer to tap the lead into shape, working in from the edges to the center of the dent. It is quite malleable and will flow little by little. When the rough shape is there, and there are no big recesses, file with a coarse bastard file or a "Surform" type rasp to remove any high spots and fair with vinylester. You're a lucky guy, as Fred said! Good luck
Back in the day I did quite a bit with lead in auto fender repair. Use a hammer to tap the lead into shape, working in from the edges to the center of the dent. It is quite malleable and will flow little by little. When the rough shape is there, and there are no big recesses, file with a coarse bastard file or a "Surform" type rasp to remove any high spots and fair with vinylester. You're a lucky guy, as Fred said! Good luck
When you hammer it,
heat it in the area you are pounding on. It will deform more easily when it is heated. You probably won't get it hot enough to melt it but that's ok. I used a large propane tank hooked to a torch handle with a hose. Mine is ignited by a trigger/valve on the torch which makes it really convenient.
heat it in the area you are pounding on. It will deform more easily when it is heated. You probably won't get it hot enough to melt it but that's ok. I used a large propane tank hooked to a torch handle with a hose. Mine is ignited by a trigger/valve on the torch which makes it really convenient.
Rick, here is what worked for me...
as recommended by the yard specialist. I did most of the work myself. 1. Purchased a bag of lead shot (#4 I think) from the local gun shop. 2. Used a propane stove and a small cast iron skillet to melt the lead shot. 3. Formed a dam around the dent using steel flashing from Home Depot. Held dam inplace using wedges. 4. Drilled several half inch deep small holes into the dented area for the molten lead to flow into and act as an anchor. 5. Poured the molten lead into the dam until the entire dent was filled. Took about four small batch pours. 6. Faired lead using power sander equipped with coarse metal grade sandpaper. 7. Sealed with seven coats of epoxy sealer. 8. Finish with one coat of hard and two coats of ablative bottom paint. Repair looks like original. Terry
as recommended by the yard specialist. I did most of the work myself. 1. Purchased a bag of lead shot (#4 I think) from the local gun shop. 2. Used a propane stove and a small cast iron skillet to melt the lead shot. 3. Formed a dam around the dent using steel flashing from Home Depot. Held dam inplace using wedges. 4. Drilled several half inch deep small holes into the dented area for the molten lead to flow into and act as an anchor. 5. Poured the molten lead into the dam until the entire dent was filled. Took about four small batch pours. 6. Faired lead using power sander equipped with coarse metal grade sandpaper. 7. Sealed with seven coats of epoxy sealer. 8. Finish with one coat of hard and two coats of ablative bottom paint. Repair looks like original. Terry
lead keel repair
Terry and Jon's methods both work, but anytime you are sanding or working with lead be sure to use a good respirator-lead is toxic. Also, most yards will restrict your lead work because the EPA requires that lead not be released intot the environment-you'll have to contain your workspace and properly contain any leada scrpas, dust, etc. That said, using the filler will minimize these issues-we had to make a similar repair-found an unmarked rock in the harbor-and it's held up fine
Terry and Jon's methods both work, but anytime you are sanding or working with lead be sure to use a good respirator-lead is toxic. Also, most yards will restrict your lead work because the EPA requires that lead not be released intot the environment-you'll have to contain your workspace and properly contain any leada scrpas, dust, etc. That said, using the filler will minimize these issues-we had to make a similar repair-found an unmarked rock in the harbor-and it's held up fine
West System w/ filler
Thanks for the help...Looks like the easiest and best repair will be using the West System w/ filler material. Now just have to wait until the weather warms up to use the material.
Thanks for the help...Looks like the easiest and best repair will be using the West System w/ filler material. Now just have to wait until the weather warms up to use the material.
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