ODay 34/35 iron keel?

[Greg DeLozier]

Hi,I currently own an ODay 272 (fine boat!) but I'mlooking for a bigger boat for cruising with my 5 kids. We're a tight squeeze in the 272!I've seen (briefly) and read about the ODay 34/35and it's all been good except that the Spinsheetreview says the keels are iron and subject to rust.The keel on my 272 is lead, so I hadn't really given much thought to the issue. Does anyonehave experience with keep upkeep on a 34/35? Hasit been an issue with these boats?Thanks for the info!Best wishes,-greg

 

[Harlan]

OD34/35 - iron keel

Yep - it's iron but my experience has been not a problem at all if you maintain it. Many years ago I ground my down with a body shop style grinder to bare metal, faired it with WEST epoxy and then put several coats of Interlux 2000 over that. Every other year or so I'll find a couple little spots with a small crack or blister. I Just grind them down, refair and re-2000. The keel is every bit as smooth and serviceable as friends with lead keels.

 

[Peter Brennan]

Eschew iron

If you have your druthers, don't get a boat with an iron keel. The other poster says he has no problem with an iron keel, but the fact is he must maintain it. It will rust. It may pit. A neglected rust spot can cause the many coatings to come off in sheets. Our first boat (Dawson 26) had an iron swing keel. It was a lot of work to keep it in good shape, especially since previous owners had neglected it. It was so pitted it looked like a moonscape. Cleanind and fairing it was a huge task. You get scale that you think is metal. It takes a chipping hammer, not a grinder. When we bought our present boat (O'Day 37) we instructed the surveyor to check for an iron keel since for two years these boats had iron keels when the price of lead went high. This boat has an encapsulated lead keel. No muss, no fuss, no keel bolts, no keel to hull joint.