Rudders, Keels and Transom

[Stepford Sailor]

I acquired a 19' Mariner through Marriage. It's been out of the salt water for 5 years. Two problems.The Keel won't come down in the water. The trailer set up wouldn't allow this check on land (rollers and braces in the way). I didn't really think this would be a problem anyway, since the keel weights in excess of 300lbs, according to specs. Certianly the design is weak (rusting pot metal) but I would have guessed that gravity would break any rust scaling problems.1) Do I have to put it in a sling to fix this?2) Who has a 'tool' or method to free up the keel?3) Is this a dry land fix?The rudder and tiller have disappered since it last sailed. I've looked at on-line sources to replace and the two I've seen are outragous! (in excess of $500 for a rudder and tiller for a $2000 boat!). 1) Are there plans available for the original set-up?2) Is a kick-up rudder really necessary with a 6' keel?The transom on the boat has been broken and repaired because of the kick-motor bracket. My though was to put a teak or similar harwood beam accross the transom and link it to the hull. 1) Anyone performed a better fix?2) Anyone ever had a serious problem with a seperation of transom and hull?Any advice is appreciated.Thanks

 

[James]

I think your thinking in the right direction

I believe your thinking is correct. I am not familur with the swing keel set up on the mariner,but I am very sure of the O'day 23. With mine, the story was simular with the boat being on the trailer for four years. In the midst of refurbing it, I realized that to do the job correctly, the keel would have to be removed. The stub keel was aprox 1200lbs with a slot for the swingkeel to ride in. I had to raise the boat off the trailer in the yard on supports and drop the keel. (not a job for the faint at heart) After examining the swing keel, I had learned that the rust from the stub keel had expanded with such intense pressure that the swing board was hoplessly trapped. After several attempts with a hydraulic press, we knew our only option was to saw the rust out with long band saw blades. It was a process that took us several hours a day for a week. The pressure was so great, that after the first completed pass with the saw blades that the stub keel reset its tension on the swing board and we had to make another pass on each side. We realized that takeing the stub keel off was the only option. The good news is that we were able to free the swing board, sandblast the keel, reinstalled it with new sealant and it works perfectly now. As for the rudder and tiller, the prices are steep! A good tiller handle can be had for 40.00 and a machine shop could fabricate a decent holder/tiller cap. The rudder would be much more difficult. I believe anything is possible from aluminum, wood, to fiberglass and foam. As far as the transome, I think your absoultely right. I felt like mine needed the extra support also. I installed some flat bar aluminum bent at a 90 degree. It was bolted thru at the motor mounts at the transome and then down the side of the cockpit floor coamings. I just have four stainless bolt heads on the inside wall of the cockpit near the floor. I never even see them. It transfers the pressure of the engine to a more stable part of the boat. All the time and effort was well worth it. If you fix it right the first time, it will last for ever! James