Looks like the moon.

[Joe]

I recently became the owner of a 22 that needs some TLC. I'll be scraping and painting the bottom soon. The surface of the swing keel looks like the surface of the moon, lots of pocks and some large chips are coming off, some 1/8" thick. I'll be family sailing on the Great South Bay so reliability is my primary concern. The cable and pin have been recently replaced by the previous owner so mechanically things are OK. The hull is a faded light blue that needs to be rubbed out. Any advice on either the keel or bringing out the best in the hull color would be appreciated. Thanks, Joe.

 

[john renfro]

keel

hello joe, CATALINA DIRECT sells a how to refinish your keel viedo, or you can get a 4inch angled grinder and grind off (sanding willtake ten times as long) what you don't like, prime,bondo and repaint.john

 

[Bill]

Grinder

Don't even think about putting sandpaper to that keel - it will take forever if it is even possible. Borrow a heavy grinder from a friend and grind the keel all the way down to bare metal. If you get a decent grinder with a real coarse grit it doesn't take too long. Then (that same day) you need to apply your sealer to it. I used the West Marine 2001 epoxy base or something like that. You need to put at least 7 or 8 coats of the stuff on. That keel is made of cast iron and if you get the slightest microscopic pore through your barrier coat it will rust like all get out. So grind it down to bare metal and seal the heck out of it. If you do a good job it will last for years. Good luck.