Main Keel bolt leaking?

[Kevin lambert]

I am taking on 3-4 inches of water every 2.5 - 4 hours depending on whether or not he keel is up or down. Access to the bolt, holding the keel is limited, how do I determine if this is a keel leak or not without taking the boat out of the water? The thought of removing a 700lbs keel is not one I relish.Can anyone help?ThanksKevin

 

[Clayton Fawcett]

Access the Keel Bolt Through Battery Well

Kevin,I was able to trailer my Mac 25 and use an automotive floor jack to take the strain off the keel bolt and replace it. Use caution doing this as the keel will fall to the side (crushing whatever it hits) if you lower it too far. An aligning bar was a must in my case to get the keel lined back up. The one question I have is did it just start leaking on its own or did something happen to make it start leaking. As I recall, there should be a stainless steel washer and a rubber gasket on each side of the keel bolt where it goes through the trunk. A generous amount of silicone should also be used between the rubber gasket and the keel trunk. When you put the bolt back in, do not turn the bolt itself, but rather tighten the nut only. I used a Nylock nut on the new keel bolt. I would recommend a new keel bolt if you get to the point of pulling the old one out. Stainless steel is recommended. The keel lock bolt should be set up in much the same fashion as the keel bolt (with washers and gaskets), this could also be a source of leakage. Again, be careful if you get to the point of removing the keel with a jack as it can easily slip if you lower it. Clayton

 

[Bob]

Keel removal

I had to remove my keel becaust the hole in it had gotten so bad. I did so by suspending the bow from a big tree limb, the stern in a frame and sling and rolling the trailer away. Then I brought a flat-bed trailer with a support frame under the keel. I lowered the keel after removing the bolt and after disconnecting the cable just rolled the keel clear for refinishing. This is a good time to replace the cable and service the winch as well as cleaning the trunk. Get back to me and I'll send you some pictures.Incidentally, the winch on mine desintegrated, allowing the keel to DROP! This slammed the lockdown bolt so hard it made a slot in the fiberglas trunk 3/4 inches long and bent the bolt.This was a real hassle to fix. I had to use the trailer winch to get the keel up in order to get home to my mooring!

 

[Rob]

Keel Bolt Leak

I had some serious leaking going on due to deteriorated fiberglass around the keel lock bolt (the one that is easily removeable for trailering, etc.) Short term solution: Stuff it with plastic bags. Go sailing.

 

[Bob]

keel bolt leakage

If you have nothing in the keel lock-bolt hole water will slop in through there BIG TIME! Check that the trunk is in good shape with no openings, even above the waterline, as the keel moves a lot.If you must remove the keel see my set of photos at community.webshots.com and contact me at griffinaero@yahoo.com

 

[Doug Rodrigues]

Keel locking bolt

I have a Venture 2-22. For the keel locking bolt, I use all stainless hardware: bolt, wingnut, large fender washers, and a couple of tight fitting (around the bolt) rubber foam washers. I don't get a drop of water from the keel locking bolt hole. For the lift cable tube: I simply wrap the cable where it enters the tube with a sheet of compressed foam rubber and strap-clamp it into position. One strap clamp on the tube; another just above on the cable. Nylon strap clamps are cheap and worth the few cents to keep the cuddy dry.Now....if I can just figure-out where the other entry of water is coming from, I'll be happy!