My keel fell off!

[Stephen Trapani]

I know a new one will be costly, that's why I want

to find a used one. There's got to be megatons of old keels laying around doesn't there? Isn't a keel an eminently recycleable item? The more I think about it, the more I fear my old one isn't laying down there in easy reach below my buoy.Stephen

 

[Stephen Trapani]

I know a new one will be costly, that's why I want

to find a used one. There's got to be megatons of old keels laying around doesn't there? Isn't a keel an eminently recycleable item? The more I think about it, the more I fear my old one isn't laying down there in easy reach below my buoy.Stephen

 

[Kevin Hostler]

keel

Wow!!! please let us know what you find out about this. I have a 79 h33 and my keel bolts look new on top anyway. I have never given any thought to a keel problem on this boat. Do you have a shoal or deep keel? Maybe JC could comment on any know occurences of problems. If it fell of while you were under way you would have known it even if you were motoring so it must be under the boat. I would get that boat out of the water ASAP

 

[Rich18890]

Stephen with a history of no

Anodes used I'll bet the bolts have disintegrated somewhere that they had contact with water. This should be a lesson for us all to rap the tops of our keel bolts on older boats every couple of years and if there is any indication of a problem to drop the keel and check it. I know its a hard job because I did mine last year. It was not something I want to do again right off but with a boat that’s 24 years old I figured it was time. Everything was like new on mine by the way.I’ll try to find the some places that can recast you a keel and get back to you. Like I said before I saw somewhere the name of a place in Canada that does this and they may be cheaper because of the exchange. You might look around and see what you can find for old lead, keels or what have you. You may be able to reduce the cost quite a bit if you furnish you own material.Richard

 

[Terry Arnold]

H33 keel missing?

The H33 keel is about 4400 pounds. To lose it lowers the waterline several inches at once. No way to be in this boat and lose the keel and not be very very sure of it, most particularly if the boat was heeling significantly for it would immediately capsize. How about posting a picture of your boat floating at the dock. Also, pulling one of those 9 or 10 3/4" bolts out as shown in the photo should be pretty easy even in the water and the hole easily plugged. It would be very helpful to see a photograph of the fracture surface of any such removed bolt stub. About the only way I can think up a mechanism for this keel to just fall off would be if all of the bolts were so over torqued as to be sheared off leaving the keel with just the sealant to hold it up.

 

[Stephen Trapani]

The boat has been moored at a semiprotected buoy

for about eight months which was when I bought it. It has been subjected there to storm conditions a couple times (in Puget Sound). Maybe that helped the keel fall off. I suppose the PO might have over torqued the bolts, who knows? She's going to have to stay afloat on her own til Monday when I get there. I'm 350mi away atm. I plan to haul out on Monday. I haven't been sailing the boat, just motoring.Anyway, everyone here is just talking about new keels, is this because it is not practical to find an old keel and put it on? If I do find the keel down there at the bottom it will be no big deal putting it back on, right? Sorry about all the questions before I have it all scoped out, but once I get up there my internet connection will be much slower, via my cell phone.Thanks,Stephen

 

[Rick D]

Used Keels

There have certainly been a lot of boats broken up, but after the gear gets stripped, the remains basically become landfill. So, I doubt you will find a used keel. However, yours surely is directly under you and you should have no problem having a mooring barge pull it up after figuring out how to secure it. You will have to have new bolts installed, but that is something well within the capabilities of a good yard. The recovery costs may be a bit pricy but you don't have many options. Good luck. Rick D.

 

[Ed]

my bet is that it has been run aground, Hard.

drill the keel and epoxy in new bolts then bed it in 5200 there is no way you shold let anyone stick it up with just adhesive. Just will not work. If it did hold on when you picked up the boat you could just break apart the skin. It has to be rebolted!

 

[Stephen Trapani]

If I did run it aground hard, I didn't notice it.

I had the boat out of the water the day I bought it and for a week. Painted the bottom, put on a new shaft, prop, etc. There was no noticeable damage to the keel other than a blister about a foot from the bottom of the keel which I left alone.

 

[Stephen Trapani]

If I did run it aground hard, I didn't notice it.

I had the boat out of the water the day I bought it and for a week. Painted the bottom, put on a new shaft, prop, etc. There was no noticeable damage to the keel other than a blister about a foot from the bottom of the keel which I left alone.

 

[nick8481]

You would know

If you ran aground hard anuff to damage the keel you would have known no mistake about that,I have just bumped the ground a few times and I new it right away and when I took it out for winter layup i could see where the bottom paint wore away,I must be getting to be a better sailor because this year the keel looks like it was just repainted. If the keel fell off it was from some other problem and not from ahard grounding and not know it. nick

 

[nick8481]

You would know

If you ran aground hard anuff to damage the keel you would have known no mistake about that,I have just bumped the ground a few times and I new it right away and when I took it out for winter layup i could see where the bottom paint wore away,I must be getting to be a better sailor because this year the keel looks like it was just repainted. If the keel fell off it was from some other problem and not from ahard grounding and not know it. nick

 

[Stephen Trapani]

Kevin was right, the joke was on me

Well folks, the two bozos who checked my keel were wrong. I finally got up there put on a mask, stuck my head in the water and the keel was right there where it belongs. Sorry for any worry I caused. So far in my seven months of ownership of this boat I've gotten lucky on these deals every time. Two months ago the transmission went out but it turned out that the nut had just fallen off the back by the coupler. We put it back on and it works fine again. The engine was knocking, we had the injectors tuned and now it purrs like a kitten. And so on.Anyway, sorry again for the misinformation. I'm embarrassed but thrilled that I still have a keel. Thanks for your help.Stephen

 

[Stephen Trapani]

Kevin was right, the joke was on me

Well folks, the two bozos who checked my keel were wrong. I finally got up there put on a mask, stuck my head in the water and the keel was right there where it belongs. Sorry for any worry I caused. So far in my seven months of ownership of this boat I've gotten lucky on these deals every time. Two months ago the transmission went out but it turned out that the nut had just fallen off the back by the coupler. We put it back on and it works fine again. The engine was knocking, we had the injectors tuned and now it purrs like a kitten. And so on.Anyway, sorry again for the misinformation. I'm embarrassed but thrilled that I still have a keel. Thanks for your help.Stephen

 

[John Nantz]

Thanks for letting us know but......

..... just be really careful when April 1st rolls around! At least you're one of the few skippers out there using the boat this time of year!

 

[John Nantz]

Thanks for letting us know but......

..... just be really careful when April 1st rolls around! At least you're one of the few skippers out there using the boat this time of year!