Rotten Keel Bolts

rardiH36 · Jun 26, 2015

I'm not able to give a definitive answer. But my recollectionion from eight years on the Cherubini forum is that topic of keel bolts -- rusty anyway and the keel separated from the hull -- hasn't really come up much. For example, my 1980 Cherubini 36 still has it's keel firmly mated to the hull's FRP keel stub. And exactly zero ingress of water through the bolts into the bilge.

The bolts themselves can not be replaced easily. And the damage to them might be more than one can visually determine. If the bolts are corroded, the proper repair method is to remove the keel. Grind out the bolts from the lead. Put in new bolts and pour in new molten lead. Only a few companies can do this. Both from a technical perspective. And to comply with environmental concerns about lead. Here is a link to an article in Sail Magazine which gives some perspective.

http://www.sailmagazine.com/diy/keep-your-keel-on/

Also a search on the wider SBO forum and on the internet will yield lots of hits on the topic.

My first thought when I read your post: While Cherubini Hunter 27's are fantastic boats, the one you are looking at likely has had an event like run aground hard. That separated the keel from the hull. Then a repair was not done. And the boat was left in the water. Proper repair is expensive (disproportionate to a 33 year old boat's worth anyway) and is not easily done well DIY. Best to move on to another boat.

SailormanDan · Jun 26, 2015

I Second The Notion

I second the notion to go look at another boat.

There are lots of reasonably priced, well-cared for boats in the 27 ft. range. Spend your time sailing, not working.

Dan

Rotten Keel Bolts

DEEPCMAN66

.

rardiH36

.

SailormanDan

.