rust on keel

[Doug Margison]

The epoxy barrier coat on my 91 H30 keel has chipped off in areas exposing bare iron which is starting to rust. At this point it is very minor but I want to fix it. I was thinking of removing the bottom paint on the keel with paint remover, then power sanding the keel with heavy grit paper and applying new barrier coat over the entire keel. Is this the right fix or is there a better way. has any one else had this problem. Any cautions?Regards,Doug MargisonSV Mokum II

 

[Mike McKendy]

Rusty Keel

I have a '91 30"T". It has lots of places where rust comes through. I used to fret about it. Now what I do each spring before launch is grind away to bare metal the rusty spots, apply a two part metal primer (which is supposed to effectively seal the metal) and apply the antifouling. Inevitably, there is some shows the next year, but I just do it over again. It only takes an hour or so each year.I figure for racing that one sloppy tack probably eliminates any advantage that is gained by a well faired keel.....Mike McKendy"Sea Sharp"

 

[DJK]

Rusty keel

I had an annual rust problem on my h23 iron wing keel until I had Michael Scott Yachts over at T-Bird Marina grind it clean, apply four coats of epoxy barrier and two coats of bottom paint. That was four years ago. No more rust problems. I keep my boat at T-Bird Marina year round and use the travel-lift for an annual inspection and have them put new bottom paint on every second year.s/v Miss Brandy

 

[Jerry Smith]

Rusty Keel

Doug, I have a Hunter 31 and have rusty spots on my cast iron keel also. I am fortunate to live within a mile of several very good marinas. I have done some research about this and the best suggestions that I can find is to sandblast the keel and apply the metal primers and paint in appropriate coats. Your local boat paint supply house should have a booklet written by Interlux paints. This booklet gives very good detail of procedures and products to repairing almost any underwater problem. The booklets are free.