Tighten the Nuts
You can tighten the keel bolt nuts while the bot is in the water. Get a torque wrench with a scale up to 150 foot pounds. Find what size your bolts are and get a deep socket that will clear the bolt that sticks above the nut. Get a long extension for the socket so it sticks above the bilge. Now hold the extension straight while you apply the required torque with the wrench. It is better to tighten them while the boat is resting on the keel so you are not lifting the weight of the keel at the same time, all the torque goes into tightening the bolts. But My guess is if you have never done this you will find them quite loose and it will probably fix or greatly reduce your water intrusion. Once you haul the boat repeat the procedure and apply some sealant to the keel joint externally after cleaning the area well. Once you stop the salt water intrusion you may want to remove the nuts one at a time and flush the bolts with clean fresh water to remove the salt. May reduce the stress corrosion in the threads. Stainless steel galls easily so put some lubricant on the threads when you assemble the nuts. Neverseize or similar is a good idea. WD40 works but doesn't last. Have fun Dave
