keel structure - damage

O

olavhm

.
Oct 30, 2019
49
Yesterday I was about to prime the hull, which had been sanded down completely, when i
noticed water leeking out of a crack under the keel (halfway back) . I then emptied my bilge,
which had been standing with some water in it, to find a crack in the bottom. I also
discovered that the portside wall in the bilge seemed flexible. The glassfibre on the outside
(portside) of the boat seems to have a brownish colour instead of the yellow on other parts of
the boat. I thus suspect that water has seeped out of the keel from the inside and damaged
the glassfibre, tainting it with a brown colour.

Have anyone had similar problems?

To decide what to do next I would need an idea of the construction of the keel and the bilge:
-What is under the bottom floor of the bilge? glassfiber?, lead?
-what is the composition of the hull around the bilge - is it glassfibre all the way through?

Grateful for any help:

Olav Vega#1480
 
P

pjacobs55

.
Oct 30, 2019
1,459
Olav,
In the "files" section on the Yahoo site is a file called "Keel.jpg"
which gives a drawing of the keel construction of the early petrol
Vegas, when the fuel tank was located in the starboard cockpit locker
and not the bilge.

The ballast location is in the forward portion of the keel only, and
can be located exactly by tapping lightly on the keel with a small
hammer or screwdriver handle.

Also, directly below the drain plug on the port side there might be a
small screw, right near the bottom of the keel, that drains the
cavity below the bilge. I have this on my Vega, and recall hearing
others with the same screw. I'm not sure if your boat is (was)
gasoline or diesel.

Hope this helps.

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'
 
T

trevy_kins

.
Oct 31, 2019
230
Olav, I have just sanded down my hull too. Horrible job. I discovered
all kinds of surprises under the many layers of anti-fouling including
areas where previous owners had ground off the gelcoat right down to the
laminate which was discoloured in several places. I found that sanding
the laminate removed the discolouration. I do not think that water
saturation would cause discoloration. Good luck with your repairs.
Trevor V2915

________________________________

From: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of pjacobs55
Sent: May 3, 2007 12:05 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: keel structure - damage
Olav,
In the "files" section on the Yahoo site is a file called "Keel.jpg"
which gives a drawing of the keel construction of the early petrol
Vegas, when the fuel tank was located in the starboard cockpit locker
and not the bilge.

The ballast location is in the forward portion of the keel only, and
can be located exactly by tapping lightly on the keel with a small
hammer or screwdriver handle.

Also, directly below the drain plug on the port side there might be a
small screw, right near the bottom of the keel, that drains the
cavity below the bilge. I have this on my Vega, and recall hearing
others with the same screw. I'm not sure if your boat is (was)
gasoline or diesel.

Hope this helps.

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'
 
P

purplerobbie1968

.
Nov 17, 2004
18
Hi
Yes i had the keel crack on Sula 1733
It dripped water when it was lifted that is how we found out
It leaked from the moulding mark on the bottom (i dont think it was the moulding though)
If you email me i'll send you pictures of the work that had to be done
Rob
Ex Sula 1733
 
O

osmyrrah49

.
Mar 28, 2003
27
I've been experiencing a very slow leak in the bilge of my Vega that I cannot explain and seem to sense is coming from a leak below the bilge...it is a very small trickle and does not come to the level of the waterline of the hull...it just seems to be there. Someone suggested that it could be a leak at the rudder tube due to water aquired from backing (something I rarely due with the engine - not the original.), but will repack with grease as advised just in case. I know the former owner ran aground on some rock prior to my purchase and had some repairs (unspecified) done. But, what I am discovering with this thread is a whole new line of possibility which leads me to ask if you would mind sending me the pix as well.
Many thanks in advance.
Paul Brown
Procrastinator
 
G

groundhogyh

.
May 30, 2006
1,075
FYI:
I came across an article in DIY Boat Owner magazine which I bought at West Marine. The article is called "Curing the Keel Wobble Blues".
You might find it helpful (Haven't read it, but it looks like he totally rebuilds the keel into the boat). I would scan it and send it to you except I won't be at work for another week.
Roy
 
A

albinvega1493

.
Dec 15, 2006
139
Rob, if you could email me the pics also of the repairs done to your
keel. I just finished cleaning all the paint off of mine and there
is a crack in the center of the keel in the bilge area. (rear third
of keel) Thanks ahead of time.

Larry
albinvega1493@... Not sure how to fix it.
 
O

olavhm

.
Oct 30, 2019
49
Thanks for all helpfull comments - this forum is great! One question though: In the
bottom of the keel there is a "platform" of some sort, probably for the fuel tank, which has
later been placed in the cockpit locker. Is it possibly to remove this? How is it mounted? It
seems to be attached to the floor, but I am reluctant to jerk it loose..and the floor(bottom)
of the bilge seems to be some kind of plastic material - have anyone removed this? If so
what is underneath?

Olav Vega#1480
 
P

pjacobs55

.
Oct 30, 2019
1,459
Try rebedding the lower rudder gudgeon assembly (easier than it sounds). I had such a leak and when the boat was hauled noticed water seeping from the gudgeon and the rebedding took care of it.Nicholas Walsh
Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial Street
Portland Maine 04101
Tel. 207/772-2191
fax 207/774-3940

This email was sent from the law firm of Nicholas H. Walsh P.A. It may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If you suspect that you were not intended to receive this email, please delete it and notify us as soon as possible. Thank you.
 
O

olavhm

.
Oct 30, 2019
49
Nicholas; This sounds interesting, bu what exactly do you mean by "rebedding" - did you
remove the floor/bedding? And with what did you replace it?

Olav Vega#1480
 
P

pjacobs55

.
Oct 30, 2019
1,459
It was the bronze lower gudgeon for the rudder. I took out just the bolts, as I recall, cleaned them and the holes a bit, and replaced them in bedding compound (Boatlife or something), that's all.Nicholas Walsh
Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial Street
Portland Maine 04101
Tel. 207/772-2191
fax 207/774-3940

This email was sent from the law firm of Nicholas H. Walsh P.A. It may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If you suspect that you were not intended to receive this email, please delete it and notify us as soon as possible. Thank you.
 
P

pelagicasd

.
Jan 28, 2001
694
Hi Trevor. Lyric has also had the problem. My guess is the discoloration is
rust from the cast iron in our keels. I too had sanded it all off after
stripping the acumulated layers of bottom paint. While waiting for the
laminate to dry enough to put a barrier coat on I had it come back. To think
that fibreglas is impervious to moisture is an error. All boat yards are
familiar with moisture meters to use on the hull. Lots of glas work requires
the hull to be somewhat dry before doing. Walt
 
T

towlerg

.
Mar 27, 2001
121
Hi Olav,

I hesitate to say this but I know far too much about the construction
and repair of a Mk I Vega's keel. Two questions to ask

1. is this a Mk I (Steve Birch will be able to tell you if you don't
already know.)

2. The crack you describe, is it dead center running fore and aft? You
may already know that Vega's were built in two halfs and then stuck
together.

The diagram of a Mk I keel mentioned one of the replies to your post
is correct but not to scale.

By definition if you have water seeping from a crack on a Mk I ,you
have water in the void beneath the bilge.

Don't panic - Vega's are totaly over-engineered and will take all
sorts of punishment.

George Towler 1043 "Vista"(ooh, does this mean I get to sue Microsnot)
 
O

osmyrrah49

.
Mar 28, 2003
27
Thanks for the suggestion on the rudder rebed. I presume you have done this
from your comments. Am I right to assume one has to take the fittings off at
cockpit level to allow enough travel on the hose that needs to be unclamped
at the lower platform where the tube that goes thru the hull holding the
rudder shaft. Once the hose is free, one can get at the tube and stuff it full
of grease for all it is worth. Is that about it? Is the hose full of grease
too? Am I too old to get out of the lazatette, or too much a fool to get
in?
Thanks again in advance for any tips from experience.

Paul Brown
Procrastinator
************************************** See what's free at News, Sports, Weather, Entertainment, Local & Lifestyle - AOL
 
O

olavhm

.
Oct 30, 2019
49
George;

1. The boat is vega #1480, which should make it a series II model. Is there a void under
the bilge also in these areas, but without foam?

2. There seems to be moisture coming out of two cracks about dead center o f the keel. I
ran aground last summer, which explains the cracks.

3. The keel diagram in the files section does not seem to be similar to my keel, as the floor
is not angled in mine, but flat.
 
T

towlerg

.
Mar 27, 2001
121
Olav,

sorry, I know nothing about Mk.II Vega keel.

On the subject of foam in the void again I'm no help, the void in
Vista's keel was not foamed but other Mk.I's are reported as having
been (weather originally or later I don't know).

As you quessed, the diagram in the files section is specific to Mk.I

George Towler 1043 "Vista"
 
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