I have a problem with the keel of my Ranger 28. When it was hauled out and put of the hard this spring we noticed the gel coat broken around the keel. Upon closer inspection it appears that the keel has come apart from the hull or at least there seems to be a gap at the top of the keel close to the hull. I have the local boat works (Moores marine) looking at the problem but he says that he needs more information on the design and possible ways to repair. I would appreciate any assistance. Greg
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Alnmost all boats
... with external keels will, at some point, begin to separate a bit from the stub they are attached to. Normally, this "smile" as it is affectionately known, is no real problem. At most, these problems are corrected by having the keel bolts tightened a bit and the crack between keel and stub filled with something pliable like 3M5200. In many cases, refilling the crack with 3M5200 is an annual part of spring maintenance for a number of boaters. But the problem could be more serious. If sea water has worked its way in the keel/hull crack to the keel bolts, they could rust. Also if water gets into this crack in winter, it could freeze and further damage your keel. Any qualified yard should be able to deal with this commom problem although I think it is mostly a DIY project unless there are complications that you haven't explained.
... with external keels will, at some point, begin to separate a bit from the stub they are attached to. Normally, this "smile" as it is affectionately known, is no real problem. At most, these problems are corrected by having the keel bolts tightened a bit and the crack between keel and stub filled with something pliable like 3M5200. In many cases, refilling the crack with 3M5200 is an annual part of spring maintenance for a number of boaters. But the problem could be more serious. If sea water has worked its way in the keel/hull crack to the keel bolts, they could rust. Also if water gets into this crack in winter, it could freeze and further damage your keel. Any qualified yard should be able to deal with this commom problem although I think it is mostly a DIY project unless there are complications that you haven't explained.
thanks for your help
Thanks for the suggestions I will pass along the information to Moores Marine. I am pleased that is not too serious however I will suggest that he check to see if the salt water has found its way in to the bolts. The space between keel and hull is not to large so placing the filler could be viable. The problem is that the pressure washing of the hull has taken off large parts of the gel coat. Could I just place the gel coat over top of the sealer you suggested? Or should I use the sealer to fill all of the area. I will take a picture of the area and post it tomorrow so you can see first hand what I am dealing with. Greg
Thanks for the suggestions I will pass along the information to Moores Marine. I am pleased that is not too serious however I will suggest that he check to see if the salt water has found its way in to the bolts. The space between keel and hull is not to large so placing the filler could be viable. The problem is that the pressure washing of the hull has taken off large parts of the gel coat. Could I just place the gel coat over top of the sealer you suggested? Or should I use the sealer to fill all of the area. I will take a picture of the area and post it tomorrow so you can see first hand what I am dealing with. Greg
Ohhhh .....
Hi Greg,not sure what Warren may have said in his response. By no means do I qualify as an expert but, this looks to me a bit bigger than the typical "smile". Normally the "smile" is only a few inches back from the leading edge and very tight. It looks like some filling was done at the begining of the smile by a previous owner. How wide is the gap? Slip a dime into it? A loonie? I'm assuming you have but .... have you checked the keel bolts in the bilge? Any rusting or signs of movement? Is the boat sitting on the keel now? What happens if the hull gets lifted up; does the gap increase at all? I'd check to see if there's any movement to the keel. Any leakage into the bilges? If the keel is loose, it might mean having to re-bed the keel, which is do-able, even in Prince Rupert! ;-) Don't be frightened, it's not the end of the world. There's a short description of the process in Ferenc Mate's book "Shipshape" (pg 107). (I could probably scan this for you if you can't find the book) Keep us informed. cheers, Craig
Hi Greg,not sure what Warren may have said in his response. By no means do I qualify as an expert but, this looks to me a bit bigger than the typical "smile". Normally the "smile" is only a few inches back from the leading edge and very tight. It looks like some filling was done at the begining of the smile by a previous owner. How wide is the gap? Slip a dime into it? A loonie? I'm assuming you have but .... have you checked the keel bolts in the bilge? Any rusting or signs of movement? Is the boat sitting on the keel now? What happens if the hull gets lifted up; does the gap increase at all? I'd check to see if there's any movement to the keel. Any leakage into the bilges? If the keel is loose, it might mean having to re-bed the keel, which is do-able, even in Prince Rupert! ;-) Don't be frightened, it's not the end of the world. There's a short description of the process in Ferenc Mate's book "Shipshape" (pg 107). (I could probably scan this for you if you can't find the book) Keep us informed. cheers, Craig
keel problems by greg
Thanks for your suggestions. We seem to have solved the problem by having the boatworks folks tighten the keel bolts. It appears that there is no rust in the keep bolts so I am hopeful that this will solve the problem.
Thanks for your suggestions. We seem to have solved the problem by having the boatworks folks tighten the keel bolts. It appears that there is no rust in the keep bolts so I am hopeful that this will solve the problem.
drive shaft problems
After hauling out my Ranger 28 we discovered that the drive shaft was badly rusted (it was brass and the zincs were gone). The boatworks people ordered a stainless steel one and when they attempted to replace it the angle between the motor and the new drive shaft was wrong. The boatworks folks then set about attempting to re-align the motor mounts. At this point it is still in pieces and I have spent many dollars on the attempted repairs. They don't seem able to ge the job done. The problem seems to be compounded because I wanted to install a dripless stuffing box. Any suggestions or insights on this problem would be appreciated. Help Thanks
After hauling out my Ranger 28 we discovered that the drive shaft was badly rusted (it was brass and the zincs were gone). The boatworks people ordered a stainless steel one and when they attempted to replace it the angle between the motor and the new drive shaft was wrong. The boatworks folks then set about attempting to re-align the motor mounts. At this point it is still in pieces and I have spent many dollars on the attempted repairs. They don't seem able to ge the job done. The problem seems to be compounded because I wanted to install a dripless stuffing box. Any suggestions or insights on this problem would be appreciated. Help Thanks
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