Keel rust

[Fred Ficarra7897]

Geeze Jim, we're ignoring you. Sorry.

Grounding is close to witchcraft. Hey, I said 'close'. Anyway, you want the mast grounded to something under the waterline. Move those ground cables to a through-hull (metal) if you have no choice. I installed a bronze ground plate aft for the Ham radio. It's batting a thousand.By grounding the mast, you are bleeding off the charge known as St Elmo's Fire. It's also known as the return path the bolt follows to hit/kill. No return path, no strike. Of course, there's the group of experts that will say masts are grounded to lead the strike to the water. My experience is in total agreement with the former.

 

[Douglas Aysegul &]

No hole, double bottom

Jim,I replace my bilge pump once and thought I had a hole in the bottom also. However, the hole only went from the inner hull liner into a void between the liner and the outter hull. If you remove the dinnette post holder in the floor, you will see all the water that is between the hull and the inner pan. I use to have to drain about 10 or more gallons of water that would collect there. I eventually cut a hole above the bilge sump into this void. I then took a dremmel tool and enlarged the hole downwards towards the outter hull. Now water drains into the sump and is removed.If you really did drill all the way through the outter hull from the bilge sump, you should end up above the keel. Dry it out as best you can and use epoxy untill you haul next.DJ

 

[VINN]

yeah jim it worked fine for me

jim, maybe i can help you. its not the end of the world. i agree with doug on your hull liner holding water. the normal drip from the stuffing box fills up this area with a couple of gallons of water, in your first 48 hours after launch. its a simple design flaw. without the seep hole mod, this water never drains to the pump. its actually in the real bilge underneath the pump. so don't waste $500 to pull it out again before testing the drip rate at the stuffing box! you can gently tighten the nut until the drip stops, and measure the water in the false bilge every day. if it stays the same level with the pump off, the keel is not leaking. about 5 years ago i bought my h34, and the keel looked worse than yours. and still, i couldn't have towed it home any faster to get it ready for the upcoming summer. oxygen is one of the worst enemys of iron. a good reason to leave it underwater. my boat was on dry dock for 2 years so just imagine. i also had that same ugly rusty seam 2" from the bottom of the hull. i asked around the yard, and found out 3m5200 fast cure was the best product to take care of this job, for 2 reasons. its flexible, and it has unbelievable grip. there's allot of presure on the keel, and some movement, and eventually cracks any type of epoxy. the last onwer of my boat found this out. i removed all debris from the seam with a 5" wire wheel on a drill, and then formed a 3" stripe with 5200 around the entire keel. keep it smooth so there's no need to sand. its been 5 years with no signs of giving up. never had any leaks, and its been in the water the last 2 winters. i know allot more now, and i wouldn't do it any different today. every year i short haul, sand, inspect, and paint. another bit of experience ill share, if that 5200 gets on anything but the keel, its a goner!!! good luck jim, such is life.

 

[csdurand]

Where did you get the new table leg and plate?

Hi Jim,I am in need of a new table leg and plate and yours look very sharp. Could you tell me where you found them?Chuck

 

[Jim]

table post

I purchased them at an RV dealer in Harrisburg pa. You need to measure the post length. The receptacle fits perfectly with the same holes from the old one. I am sure if you go to any RV dealer they will have it. If not email me and I will send you who I dealt with.Jim