Stuck Keel Bolt

[ncbyrdman]

I have my keel off for refurbishing and was trying to loosen the keel locking bolt, it is stuck fast I put a pair of vice grips on it and tried again to no avail.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get it freed up?
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Gary

 

[watercolors II]

Can you spin the bolt in? With the keel out you should be able to look up into the inside of the keel trunk to see the end of the locking bolt. Is it bent, is it rusted, you may have to cut the end off in the trunk and purchase a replacement from Catalina Direct.

 

[Nahart51]

I have the exact same problem. I've been trying to loosen it with PB Blaster for weeks, no luck. Can't budge it wit a pipe wrench. I'm probably gonna hack saw it off, unless somebody has a miracle fix.

 

[whatcaneyedo]

With the keel out I used Liquid Wrench on both sides of mine frequently over the course of a few months during the winter. The threads on the very tip of the bolt were a little disfigured so I couldn't get it all the way out but I was able to loosen mine up a little at a time until the whole thing could turn in and out. I now keep it coated with some marine grease so that it doesn't foul up again.

 

[fhp3]

I had the same problem but applied brute force to get it out. After weeks of liquid wrench soaking I got a half inch battery powered impact gun and cut the top half of a swivel socket off with a dremel tool. The result was a U shaped socket. This fit over the end of the bolt and used the sliding rod as an impact point for leverage. I went both clockwise and counter clockwise until the bolt started to move. It came out and didn't crack the fiberglass around the bolt area. The only thing I would have done different would be to wear ear protection. It was loud!

 

[Nahart51]

Thanks, I've got an air impact wrench. I'm going to give it a try.

 

[fhp3]

Here is a pick of the cut swivel socket.

 

[etesian]

My lock bolt was the same way. Apparently sometimes the swing keel gets forced upward when the bolt is either loose or something and the bolt becomes bent inside the keel housing. I had to cut off the bolt with a grinder inside the boat and then remove both parts of the bolt. I then used a new bolt I got from a hardware store and drilled a hole thru it for the little handle from the original bolt I had removed.

I also reinforced the fiberglass around the lock bolt mounting strap as it had come a little loose from years of working the bolt.

etesian.c22@gmail.com

 

[Bilbo]

My lock bolt was the same way. Apparently sometimes the swing keel gets forced upward when the bolt is either loose or something and the bolt becomes bent inside the keel housing. I had to cut off the bolt with a grinder inside the boat and then remove both parts of the bolt. I then used a new bolt I got from a hardware store and drilled a hole thru it for the little handle from the original bolt I had removed.

I also reinforced the fiberglass around the lock bolt mounting strap as it had come a little loose from years of working the bolt.

etesian.c22@gmail.com

Umm.. the bolt would invariably become bent not from being loose but from being tightened down. Sooner or later someone will raise the keel or their boat will ground out with the lock bolt tight and not realize that it gets bent and it also will cut a groove into the cast iron keel. The winch has that much leverage and the bolt is that weak.
BTW: I hope that hardware store bolt is stainless steel or it will rust in place.