Nylock keel nuts, good or bad idea?

[OceanVince.Com]

Your original washers may be thicker than standard hardware types. You can probably reuse the originals. Locknuts of any type are not necessary in this application as loosening by relative rotation or vibration is unlikely. I had an old (1974?) C27 that had steel, not stainless, keel bolts and nuts with profound corrosion. I left them as they were and added sister bolts using a Catalina supplied procedure. Dreadful job.

Hello Roy,

Do you remember or have the Catalina procedure for installing the new ss bolts? I have an O'Day 23 and considering to follow the same course of action that you did on your Catalina: adding sister ss bolts.

 

[RoyS]

I cannot find the procedure that Catalina sent me. It was for a Catalina 27 that I no longer own. You could try to contact Catalina and ask for the Catalina 27 Keel Sister Bolt Procedure. Failing that, I recall some of it but I am guessing at the details. Basically you had to drill horizontal holes completely through the keel, say 2" diameter. These holes would be about 5" down from the keel top and between the original fasteners. Drill vertical holes, say 3/4", in pairs, through the bilge, between the original pairs of keel bolts to intersect your large horizontal holes. Have a machine shop make special nuts by drilling and tapping 3/4" threaded holes sideways through1-1/4"? stainless rod stock cut in 1-1/2" pieces. Slide the special nuts into the horizontal holes and screw in 3/4" stainless threaded rod from the bilge to connect. In the bilge apply sealants, ordinary stainless nuts and heavy washers and tighten. Lastly fill horizontal holes with epoxy. I am guessing at all the dimensions above but that is the basic procedure. It was difficult but I attest it can be done. Getting the first vertical hole to intersect the first horizontal hole is an interesting spacial relationship problem. After the first intersection you have reference points to drill the rest. Good luck.