Keel size issue

KAC

.
May 19, 2021
2
Hunter 33 Boston/Falmouth
Hi everyone. This is my first post. I have owned my 1981 Hunter 33 for 3 years now. I noticed a crack between the Keel and the bilge where it is bolted on. I ground down that area so I could fill in the crack and re-glass over the joint. When I took away all the filler that was there I noticed that the keel is substantially smaller than the base it is bolted to. Is this normal or could this have been replaced once with the wrong size keel?
See photo below. Its tough to tell by the photo but one side is off by almost 3/4".



20210518_200344.jpg
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,447
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
It’s not uncommon for the fairing to be a bit larger. I infer you haven’t considered this to be a two part process.

Unless you also tighten the keel bolts to the proper spec, it’s likely the keel will continue to move and the crack will reappear.
 

KAC

.
May 19, 2021
2
Hunter 33 Boston/Falmouth
I didn't realize this was common. I would expect that the keel and fairing would match up. I have not seen that in other boats I have observed.
I filled the gap with 5200 and tightened the bolts to spec before fibre-glassing over the joint.